Jan. 28, 2026 – Layla Nelson can vividly remember the feelings of hopelessness and wanting to give up.
“I was going through some hardships at home,” recalled the Jean Ribault High School graduate. “I didn’t want to come to school anymore. I didn’t want to engage.”
But Nelson said her outlook began to shift thanks to ongoing conversations with Sherrilla Simmons, a dean at the school. Introduced during her junior year, Nelson said she began opening up to Simmons about what was happening at home.
“She was encouraging me to keep going and not give up,” said Nelson. “She began to say things like, ‘You got this. Keep going.’ She kept pushing me to keep going no matter what.”
It’s the kind of encouragement Simmons knew could go a long way in Nelson’s life.
“I could tell her self-esteem was low,” said Simmons. “She always said, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that.’ But my mom raised me to believe that you can do anything you can put your mind to, so I wanted to instill that upon her.”
Simmons would later go on to take Nelson into her home. In time, she said Nelson became a different person –– and for the better.
“She made a big turnaround. Her grades improved, her attendance improved,” shared Simmons.
Nelson eventually graduated from high school –– a feat she said she never thought possible. The day Nelson crossed the stage, it was Simmons who handed her the diploma.
“I kept going because of the wisdom she gave me,” said Nelson. I’m excited because I had someone pushing me when I was going to give up.”
Nelson is part of Team Duval's Class of 2025, which earned the district’s highest graduation rate to date. What’s more, Jean Ribault High School recorded the district’s highest graduation rate increase in the last 10 years, rising 19.2 percentage points since the 2015–2016 school year.
Simmons says it’s evidence of the hard work educators put in daily.
“It’s not just about the test; it’s about the individual students,” said Simmons. Just making sure that when they leave this campus, they have everything they’re going to need to succeed.”
Today, Nelson is walking that path of success. She’s a freshman at Florida State College at Jacksonville and is also a substitute teacher in the district. She said her goal is to become a high school teacher so she can also help students.
“I want students to come to my classroom and say, ‘Miss Nelson made an impact on me.’ It makes me excited to know that I can inspire someone and impact someone else’s child, just like Ms. Simmons did for me.”