Staff Spotlight - Hope Young

Hope Young has spent the past decade at Fairborn Digital Academy helping students find their footing, their confidence, and their path to graduation.

For Hope, her work at FDA extends well beyond the classroom. Being an accountability coach is about more than academics. It’s about meeting students where they are and creating a safety net of support. That always means an in-depth understanding of the whole student, considering their home lives, family dynamics, and personal struggles, and then showing up consistently, not just to offer support but to link arms and move forward to graduation together. 

“Sometimes I am the most consistent thing in their life,” she says. 

Hope works with students facing extraordinary circumstances, including young parents, students breaking cycles in their families, and those who have never before felt successful in school. 

“This job means you have to be a cheerleader,” Hope said, “But it’s also so much more than that.” 

Hope says her work as an accountability coach at FDA takes education out of the classroom and digital environment and into the real world. She often meets families in their homes, offering guidance, compassion, and a listening ear. She helps students navigate frustration, sadness, and shame spirals, teaching them that failure is not the end but an opportunity for growth. 

“We are always a safe space,” she said, when describing what it feels like to support students toward their goals, and she went on to describe what that means. “Sometimes we are parenting parents. Sometimes, we are parenting kids. And sometimes, we are helping students parent. We are working with students to show education goes beyond the traditional model.” 

Every victory is a step forward on the path to progress. Hope said it’s not about the size of the win or even the timeline, but about consistency. A big portion of her role is helping students trust again. 

She has watched students become the first in their families to graduate. She has seen kids step into confidence, break negative cycles, and discover their own potential. And while the rewards don’t always happen in real time, she knows they are worth every challenge. 

“We’re always so tired at graduation, but there’s just pure joy in that moment,” she reflects. “It’s a good tired because you’ve helped change a life.”

When people hear about Fairborn Digital Academy and accountability coaches, sometimes there is confusion about what that means, but Hope’s work embodies the heart of Fairborn Digital Academy: a belief that every student deserves a chance to thrive, the courage to meet challenges with compassion, and the dedication to create a path toward lifelong success.

Day in and day out, she is proving out the mission and guiding students toward their future success. She is proving that giving students a chance and supporting them through it, changes lives.