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 Jamestown
• Aidan, Age 17, Residing in Bellbrook
• Ethan, Age 19, Residing in Fairborn
• Bryce, Age 18, Residing in Miamisburg
• Blake, Age 19, Residing in Dayton
• Avah, Age 18, Residing in Cincinnati
• Samantha, Age 18, Residing in Xenia
• Christian, Age 18, Residing in Hillsboro
• Paige, Age 18, Residing in Springfield
• Sarah, Age 17, Residing in Canton
• Emma, Age 18, Residing in Cedarville
• Sierra, Age 17, Residing in Hillsboro
• Isaiah, Age 21, Residing in Cincinnati
• Peninah, Age 21, Residing in Kettering
• Jayden, Age 18 , Residing in Waynesville
• Calli, Age 20, Residing in Akron
• Kenzie, Age 18, Residing in Farmersville
• Caleb, Age 19 , Residing in Lebanon
• Kaitlyn, Age 18, Residing in Beavercreek
• Samantha, Age 18, Residing in Mason
• Makayla, Age 18, Residing in Cincinnati
• Daniel, Age 18, Residing in Columbus
• Jordan, Age 18, Residing in Bluffton
• Justin, Age 18, Residing in Akron
• Chloe, Age 18, Residing in Belmont
• Bre'Asia, Age 19, Residing in Cincinnati
• Rodney, Age 18, Residing in Felicity
• Aryana, Age 17, Residing in Beavercreek
• Ruby, Age 18, Residing in Cincinnati
• Landon, Age 18, Residing in Fairfield
• Kaden, Age 20, Residing in Centerville
• Danyou'll, Age 20, Residing in Cincinnati
• Alexis, Age 18, Residing in Hillsboro
• Alexius, Age 20, Residing in Cincinnati
• Noah, Age 19, Residing in Fairborn
• Justin, Age 17, Residing in Columbus
• Samantha, Age 17, Residing in Middletown
• Micah, Age 18, Residing in Ashland
• Jaiden, Age 18, Residing in Cincinnati
• Skylar, 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