Raines High School has a long history of educators, entrepreneurs, artists, social workers, jurists, doctors and more among its alumni base over the last six decades.

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. visited the school’s auditorium Friday to ensure current freshmen and sophomores have the financial resources to execute and exceed their own educational expectations through Florida’s Bright Futures program.

“What we want to see is all our students succeed,” Diaz told Jacksonville Today. “It makes for better communities. It makes for a better state, for a better country when these students have the opportunity.”

Raines was the fourth school the Florida Department of Education has visited this academic year. Gadsden County High School, Ridge Community High School in Davenport and Jones High School in Orlando have an overwhelming percentage of students who are either minorities or from under-resourced neighborhoods.

Diaz acknowledged that in some working class communities, students and parents are so consumed by providing for their families that they may not know the intricacies of the Bright Futures program. That’s why Diaz, a former public school teacher in Miami, wanted to share the message in person.

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“Some of them may be in very tough financial situations, socioeconomic situations. And, for them to be able to see this, if one student takes advantage of this, I think this was successful,” Diaz said.

Joshua James is a freshman who didn’t feel college was for him. The 15-year-old left Friday’s conversation hopeful that he can attend college.

“To be honest, I wasn’t going to go to college at first,” James told Jacksonville Today. “But, looking at it, you can make money for your family. So, that’s why I’m (going to) go.”

James is a member of the GEAR UP program, a U.S. Department of Education program that works to prepare students from underprivileged backgrounds for college and postsecondary education. While he recognized the importance of college, hearing about the money available for his education on Friday afternoon spurred him to realize that he can attend college.

Bright Futures was created in 1997 in an effort to retain Florida’s best high school students by providing scholarships to state universities and colleges.

Since then, more than 980,000 students have received $8.7 billion in educational scholarships.

A majority of those funds, $4.1 billion, have been awarded to students through the Florida Academic Scholarship. In the 2022-23 academic year, 68,779 students received more than $395 million dollars in Florida Academic Scholarships.

There are four Bright Futures Scholarships:

• Florida Academic Scholarship — maintain a weighted 3.5 grade point average with at least a 29 ACT score, 1340 SAT score or 96 Classic Learning Test score; finish at least 100 hours of paid or volunteer work.

• Florida Medallion Scholarship — maintain at least a 3.0 weighted grade point average with at least a 25 ACT score, 1210 SAT score or 84 Classic Learning Test score; finish at least 100 hours of paid or volunteer work.

• Florida Gold Seal Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Scholarship — have at least five postsecondary credit hours; may be used only at institutions that provide applied technology degrees, technical degree education or career certificates.

• Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship — maintain a weighted 3.0 grade point average in nonelective courses; achieve benchmarks in either ACT or SAT, complete three hours in a career and technical education program, finish at least 100 hours of paid or volunteer work.

Students are reminded they are responsible for tracking their application and scholarship and “eligibility requirements are subject to change with each legislative session.”

Students who graduate this year have until Aug. 31 to apply for scholarships.

That means it’s not too late for someone like Miss Viking, Ariyana Greene. She is a senior who said she wishes she had the opportunity to learn about her freshman and sophomore classmates had to learn about in-state scholarships on Friday afternoon.

“I’m thankful that I have great academics because I would be stuck right now,” Greene told Florida Lottery officials on Friday.

Florida Lottery Secretary John Davis was among the traveling party. Both he and Diaz were among the first in their family to attend college.

Davis was a highly touted football prospect who committed to Notre Dame while in high school. However, South Bend, Indiana, is a long way from Pahokee, so he chose to play for Florida State University. He was a four-year player who parlayed his degree into a business career.

While some students may have seen a bow-tied man who on the surface might not have had much in common with them, Davis shared his hope that every student is handling business in the classroom so they can change their life through education.

“We want to make sure that each and every one of you all have a chance to understand how important it is for you all to either go to college and/or a university, or a vocational or technical school, an electrician that you want to be,” Davis told the students.