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Sawyanna Robinson

Basic Info​

  • Location: Tampa, Florida (Riverview area)
  • Role/Occupation: Microschool founder, former teacher's assistant
  • Met: Prenda Weekly open office hours call (Jan 8, 2026)
  • Ministry: Healthy Hearts Ministries
  • School: Pulse Academy (launching)
  • Plans: Attending Prendicon (Arizona or Florida)

Personal Background​

  • Got divorced this year (2026)
  • Previously supported by husband while working at underpaying school
  • First grade teacher/teacher's assistant for ~5 years
  • Heart for inner-city students and at-risk youth

Professional Background​

  • Starting a Prenda-powered microschool in Tampa called "Pulse Academy"
  • Partnering with local church for facility and support
  • Operating under a separate entity from the church
  • Has a co-guide who is "AI tech" focused
  • Plan: Sawyanna teaches elementary, co-guide teaches older kids, then co-guide branches off to start own school

Prior Experience (Cautionary Tale)​

Worked at another scholarship-funded school that mismanaged funds:

  • Didn't get paid in August 2023 until October (quarterly scholarship timing)
  • School allowed 3 students to attend for free despite behavior issues
  • Teachers had "heart for the program" but couldn't pay bills
  • Led her to start her own school: "God, this is enough. I can't work for free no more."

Key Lesson: Can't solely depend on scholarship payments—need grants, partners, and proper fund management.

Church Partnership Model​

Successfully negotiated a church partnership with the following structure:

  • Met with pastor to discuss income potential and vision
  • Church is on board and "leaving it" to her to run
  • Operating as her own business under a separate entity, but partnered with the church
  • Pastor offering flat monthly fee (not per-student) because he wants the school to succeed
  • Later will implement tithing arrangement from the school
  • Church moving into new building next month with space for school
  • Pastor trusts her fully: "This is what you're going to do. He's for me."

Financial Model​

  • Florida scholarship: $8,000/student (not lottery-based, program is mature)
  • Guide fee: $5,000/student/year
  • Prenda fee: $2,199/student/year
  • IEP students: Charge more if therapy/additional support needed
  • Church rent: Flat monthly fee (pastor's decision to support entrepreneurship)
  • Has 4 families committed so far

Curriculum Vision​

Beyond Prenda's general courses, planning to add:

  • Home economics
  • Finances
  • Life skills
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Faith integration (in church setting, "you got to know they're going to get God")

Key Quotes​

On scholarship management lessons:

"From my experience, I didn't get paid because of the mismanagement of the school. So therefore, I have to also come up with either partners, other grants, and actually managing my scholarships very well to keep the school running."

On faith-based education:

"We're in this world, but not part of this world, right? So this generation, we want to be careful what we put in them."

On scaling vision:

"Let me do the experience in the failures and the ups and the downs, the training... But once I teach this co-guide, we're going to work it together, and then I'm going to go and start the next class."

On why church partnership works:

"If it's in a church, you know this is faith-based is going to take place. As a parent, there is no way you cannot believe your child is not going to experience God in any form."

On pastor's support:

"He's wanting us to be entrepreneurs, and that is our goal. For us who he's implementing entrepreneurs to also be kingdom to God."

Advice to Gary​

Suggested Gary might need to be a guide for the first school:

"You may have to be the guide. And set it up and show the program itself for one church, for one building. You may have to do that for the first. Because that's what I'm saying. For me, for my first one. Let me do the experience."

"Because when that next guide calls you, even though they're under Prenda, you still have an idea—hey, this is what happens, this is what you need to do."

Strategic Value​

  • Church Partnership Blueprint: Already successfully navigated the pastor conversation and secured church partnership—exactly what Gary needs to help other churches replicate
  • Florida Market Experience: Familiar with Florida scholarship nuances ($8k, not lottery-based, quarterly payments)
  • Replicable Model: Her approach of leading with income potential and operating as separate entity under partnership could be templated for Texas churches
  • Prendicon Connection: Attending Prendicon provides in-person networking opportunity
  • Real-World Cautionary Tale: Her experience with the mismanaged school provides crucial lessons on fund management
  • Scaling Playbook: Already thinking about training co-guide to branch off and start next school

Connection to Gary​

  • Exchanged phone numbers on Jan 8 call for follow-up collaboration
  • Had deep 1:1 call on Jan 9 covering faith, vision, and practical details
  • Gary shared Apostle Delmar's Tampa service—Sawyanna expressed strong interest
  • Gary's role: supporter/nudger rather than guide
  • Sawyanna suggested Gary might need to be a guide first to understand the ins and outs
  • Both believe in faith-based microschools as kingdom opportunity

Transcripts​

Transcript IDDateSummary
2026-01-09-gary-sawyanna-pulse-academy-partnership2026-01-09Deep dive on Pulse Academy launch in Tampa, church partnership details, scholarship fund management lessons, and faith-based education vision
2026-01-08-prenda-weekly-texas-approval2026-01-08Prenda weekly call covering Texas TEFA approval; Sawyanna shared church partnership blueprint and successful pastor pitch strategy