“Sharp Mind, Noble Heart: The Story of Valentin Mendez” is JMI’s just-released short film that deepens the narrative of a high school sophomore from Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood who was recently featured in a powerful Super Bowl 2015 commercial. His story was also captured in JMI’s column in USA TODAY, as well as El Nuevo Herald.

After struggling to fit in and focus on his education in two of Miami’s public schools, Valentin felt hopeless. When his mother learned he was also being bullied, that was the last straw. She launched into a search for an educational option that would provide a better experience for her son.

Valentin’s mother found La Progresiva Presbyterian School, a small, nearby private school, and learned that many of the students were able to attend the school because of the Step Up scholarship. She applied to the program and Valentin started La Progresiva on Valentine’s Day five years ago this week. At La Progresiva, he blossomed into the successful student she always knew he could be.