Al Jazeera America Presents: Edge of Eighteen

Brandon McCauley is deciding whether to attend the University of Cincinnati or pursue ministry full-time after high school. He decides to ask his principal if he can deliver a graduation speech about Jesus, but knowing that the school has not always been receptive to his religious activities in the past, Brandon worries that he may miss his last opportunity to preach the word of God to his senior class.

Marianna Sann is a motivated student at a magnet school in Philadelphia. When budget cuts start to impact her education, Marianna begins to realize that education may be the only way out of her dangerous South Philly neighborhood. As graduation nears, Marianna begins to wonder whether it is time to extend an olive branch to her mother to whom she hasn’t spoken since her parents’ divorce. 

Harold McCoo is the highest-ranking student and Battalion Commander at the Fishburne Military Academy boarding school. Many of Harold's friends will enlist in the military immediately after high school, while Harold must reflect on his concerns for them and his own feelings about war. After five years of being at the top of his game, Harold dreams of leaving Fishburne and pursuing a normal student life at Princeton, but he's under pressure from his peers to attend the Naval Academy or West Point after graduation.