Meet Keniah Washington, 13, Keyanna Grant, 14, Miracle Butler, 15, Tyreek Nash, 15, and Kaitlyn Archie-McDonald, 15. This bright young African American cohort just graduated from Icon Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida with their high school diploma. All of them have GPAs above 3.5 and all have earned over 50 college credit hours each. The youngest of the group Keniah and Keyanna began taking college courses at just 12 years old.

The scholars anticipate obtaining their Associate’s Degree within the next year from Saint Leo University. They will then transfer to another four-year university as juniors to complete their Bachelor’s degree. They are applying to Florida A&M University, Howard University, and Clark Atlanta University to name a few.

Icon Preparatory School is a private school in the cities of Tampa and Jacksonville, FL that educates over 800 students. Icon Prep is open to any student in the state of Florida and committed to closing the achievement gap among its scholars and more affluent peers. With a belief that a student’s zip code does not determine their destination, Icon Preparatory School empowers its students to reach their maximum potential, preparing them for life in college and beyond.

Five of Icon Prep’s six founders are alumni of Florida A&M University, a historically black college that prides itself on excellence with caring among its students. The leaders of Icon Prep aim to use the knowledge obtained from their HBCU experience to significantly impact their student population that is 99% African American and Hispanic.