Every kid learns differently. For Domionique, that difference started working against her in the fourth grade.
Left Behind in a Crowd of Thirty
Domionique did well through most of elementary school. But in fourth grade, something shifted. Her classmates kept moving forward, and no matter how hard she tried, she felt stuck in place.
Learning had simply become harder for her, and in a classroom of 30 to 40 students with only one teacher, there was little room for anyone to slow down and help her catch up.
She moved from school to school over the next several years, hoping each new location would finally be the place that worked for her. None of them were. According to her, it felt like the adults around her had already decided she wasn’t worth the extra effort.
Almost Giving Up
By her first year of high school, Domionique was so frustrated and she was ready to quit school altogether.
Then everyone started talking about a new school opening nearby, one other families were lining up to get their kids into. When she heard it would be trade-focused, she asked her parents to transfer her right away. In her mind, this place was her last hope.
A Trade-Focused Second Chance
Elevate Academy opened at the start of Domionique’s sophomore year, and the shift was immediate. Despite having heard positive things about Elevate, Domionique was still skeptical. Considering the experiences she had at previous schools, it wasn’t shocking that she felt that way. But, it didn’t take long for her skepticism to be replaced by enthusiasm.
“I finally had an environment where I was prioritized, and because of that, I finally caught up to where I needed to be,” she says.
During her sophomore year, she rotated through construction, culinary arts, business, and criminal justice coursework, getting a hands-on look at trades most students never get exposed to in a traditional classroom.
By her junior year, she’d narrowed her focus to two: business and culinary arts, working toward certifications she could carry straight into her future.
For the first time in years, things were working out. Then her mom got sick.
The Teacher Who Wouldn’t Let Her Drop Out
Domionique’s mother needed treatment out of state, and Domionique’s mind went straight to the worst-case outcome. Her mom had always been the one person she could rely on. If she left to be with her, she’d miss school. If she missed enough school, she wouldn’t graduate.
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Dropping out felt like the only option left. Her English teacher, Mr. Watson, refused to let that happen. He told her to focus on her family, and promised that when she came back, “they would start where we left off.”
“I cannot explain in words how relieved I was at that moment,” she says.
Genuinely Prepared
Domionique came to Elevate Academy for the trade program. She stayed because her teachers saw her as more than a name on an attendance sheet.
“We’re a family, still, and we will be even five years from now,” she says.
Even after walking across the graduation stage, she knows she could walk back through Elevate Academy’s doors without a plan and find someone ready to help her find her next step. She graduated genuinely prepared, by her own account, for whatever came next, crediting the school not just with her academic turnaround but with who she became along the way: more patient, more open, and more willing to keep going when things got hard.
Her advice to other families echoes what she needed most, back when nothing else was working:
“No student should be forced to be in an educational environment that does not work for them,” she says.
Domionique has used the skills she has gained at Elevate to explore multiple paths of interest. Immediately after high school she put her business and culinary expertise to work at a local burger restaurant. Domionique dreams of one day owning her own business, maybe even a restaurant. But right now, she is exploring and expanding her skill set. She is currently pursuing a college degree at The College of Western Idaho while working at shelter to help victims of domestic violence gain stability.
The Second Chance Every Student Deserves
Domionique’s story shows what can happen when a student finally lands in a classroom built around how she learns, instead of one she’s expected to squeeze herself into. A trade-focused school gave her a place to belong and a set of skills to build a future on. A teacher who refused to give up on her kept that future within reach.
Not every family lives near a school like Elevate Academy. Not every struggling student gets a Mr. Watson.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), launching in 2027, is built to put more options like this within reach nationally, including for students drawn to a hands-on, trade-focused education. When eligible donors give to a qualified Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO), such as AFC Scholarship Fund’s Skilled Trades Scholarship Fund, they receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit: up to $1,700 for individuals, or up to $3,400 for married couples filing jointly. You give first; the credit reduces your federal tax bill when you file. The credit is the entry point, not the limit. You can give more, and the amount above the credit is treated like any other charitable contribution under the usual tax rules.
More donors funding more scholarships means more students like Domionique get the chance to find the classroom, and the trade, that finally fits.
Countless families have a story like this one. See more stories of students and families whose lives changed through school choice.
