With the Odds Against Them, ChallengeU Students Across Ohio Celebrated Graduation on Saturday

Forty students of the statewide online dropout prevention and recovery community school walked proudly across a graduation stage in Cincinnati on Saturday

CINCINNATI, Ohio, June 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – ChallengeU, a statewide online dropout prevention and recovery community school program based in Cincinnati, Ohio, celebrated its first graduation class in Ohio Saturday, June 15, with 40 students tossing their graduation caps in front of cheering family, friends, teachers, and counselors. The crowd included City of Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon-Kearney, who, during her remarks, asked every graduate to say out loud to themselves and to the crowd, “I am important!” and urged them to say that to themselves every day from that day forward.

Nearly half of this year’s ChallengeU Ohio 2024 graduates traveled from across the state with family and friends to take part in Saturday’s celebration. This year’s 40 ChallengeU Ohio graduates include:

Chase, Age 20, Residing in JamestownAidan, Age 17, Residing in BellbrookEthan, Age 19, Residing in FairbornBryce, Age 18, Residing in MiamisburgBlake, Age 19, Residing in DaytonAvah, Age 18, Residing in CincinnatiSamantha, Age 18, Residing in XeniaChristian, Age 18, Residing in HillsboroPaige, Age 18, Residing in SpringfieldSarah, Age 17, Residing in CantonEmma, Age 18, Residing in CedarvilleSierra, Age 17, Residing in HillsboroIsaiah, Age 21, Residing in CincinnatiPeninah, Age 21, Residing in KetteringJayden, Age 18 , Residing in WaynesvilleCalli, Age 20, Residing in AkronKenzie, Age 18, Residing in FarmersvilleCaleb, Age 19 , Residing in LebanonKaitlyn, Age 18, Residing in BeavercreekSamantha, Age 18, Residing in MasonMakayla, Age 18, Residing in CincinnatiDaniel, Age 18, Residing in ColumbusJordan, Age 18, Residing in BlufftonJustin, Age 18, Residing in AkronChloe, Age 18, Residing in BelmontBre’Asia, Age 19, Residing in CincinnatiRodney, Age 18, Residing in FelicityAryana, Age 17, Residing in BeavercreekRuby, Age 18, Residing in CincinnatiLandon, Age 18, Residing in FairfieldKaden, Age 20, Residing in CentervilleDanyou’ll, Age 20, Residing in CincinnatiAlexis, Age 18, Residing in HillsboroAlexius, Age 20, Residing in CincinnatiNoah, Age 19, Residing in FairbornJustin, Age 17, Residing in ColumbusSamantha, Age 17, Residing in MiddletownMicah, Age 18, Residing in AshlandJaiden, Age 18, Residing in CincinnatiSkylar, Age 16, Residing in Dayton.

The school, which began in Ohio in 2023, is transforming the trajectory and futures of high school students who would not have graduated otherwise. The program is a public high school completion program designed for at-risk students aged 14 to 21 and provides a graduation/life coach and a free laptop (with a free hotspot) to students so that they can complete their coursework and, therefore, have a better future.

“Every student deserves an equal opportunity to build a promising future,” said Nicolas Arsenault, CEO, ChallengeU. “After partnering with U.S. and Canadian public schools for 10 years and re-engaging more than 35,000 dropouts and helping them graduate, ChallengeU combined its experience and technology to build the first ChallengeU Community School in Ohio. We are not asking the underserved students to come back to school; we created a school that comes to meet them where they are. Our team is honored to make that a reality, resulting in pathways to productive careers and bright futures.”

To learn more about ChallengeU’s program and view student testimonials, visit ChallengeU.com. The ChallengeU media kit can be found here.

About ChallengeU

ChallengeU is an international non-profit community school that seeks to graduate high school students who either dropped out previously or were on the verge of dropping out. The program, already proven in Canada and in other U.S. states, was launched in Ohio in 2023. Our intervention model combines the flexibility of online learning with the power of building relationships through in-person coaching. Our coaches provide complete support in collaboration with local community organizations. We engage students in various levels of support, ensuring they will have the confidence and motivation to commit to working with us toward graduation and post-graduation opportunities. In 2022, ChallengeU was recognized as a B-Corp Best For The World™. For more information, visit ChallengeU.com.

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SOURCE ChallengeU