Meet the 2021 valedictorians, salutatorians of Miami private, parochial and charter schools
Rachel Ponce had an outstanding high school career.
The Mater Academy student held positions at three different clubs, was a Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Silver Knight nominee in General Scholarship and was the co-director of a state-winning community service project called Full Steam Ahead.
But, due to the pandemic, the culmination of high school did not play out the way she had hoped.
“There were very few times where we were given that opportunity to interact with one another, and that was what ultimately contributes to the great high school experience that we all have ideally in our minds,” said Rachel. “There were some days the challenges got the best of me, but I realized that once I kept an open mind about certain things, even when times were at their toughest point, that’s what kept me going through all of this.”
She overcame the challenges of online learning, finishing as Mater Academy’s salutatorian with a GPA of 5.427. She will attend the University of Florida to major in computer science.
Rachel is one of dozens of students who graduated this year at the top of their class as valedictorians and salutatorians in Miami-Dade private, parochial and charter school. They did this despite the global coronavirus pandemic, which led to disruptions in school starting back to last spring. They pivoted to online classes, mastered tech glitches and kept engaged in their schoolwork despite class schedules interrupted by quarantines and sick schoolmates and teachers. (Miami-Dade Public Schools does not rank its students.)
“I also went through this moment of realization that change, no matter how bad it may seem at certain points, it can often benefit you for the long run and it helps you grow as a person,” Rachel said. “Nobody expected for this to happen. Nobody planned for this, but you have to be ready for anything that comes your way, and it was really that change in mentality that helped all of us go through all of this.”
Here, then, are the valedictorians and salutatorians of this year’s high school Class of 2021. Congratulations are certainly in order:
ARCHBISHOP COLEMAN CARROLL
Valedictorian: Elizabeth Fitzgerald
GPA: 5.36
College: University of Notre Dame
Salutatorian: Camila Gloria
GPA: 5.27
College: Florida International University
BELEN JESUIT
Valedictorian: Nicolás Alarcón
GPA: 5.594
College: Columbia University
Salutatorian: Diego Garmendia
GPA: 5.589
College: Vanderbilt University
CARROLLTON
Valedictorian: Jacqueline Reed
GPA: N/A
College: Duke University
Co- Salutatorians: Paulina Boudet
GPA: N/A
College: Princeton University
Co- Salutatorians: Mia Quintana
GPA: N/A
College: University of Michigan
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Valedictorian: Lukas Bleichner
GPA: 5.66
College: Duke University
Salutatorian: Christopher de la Viesca
GPA: 5.65
College: University of Notre Dame
DADE CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Johanna Marie Cardona Montalvo
GPA: 3.98
College: Nova Southeastern University
Salutatorian: Angel Yadiel Gonzalez Ramos
GPA: 3.96
College: Barry University
DIVINE SAVIOR
Valedictorian: Christopher Lopez
GPA: 4.555
College: Washington University in St. Louis
Salutatorian: Elba Mota
GPA: 4.414
College: University of Miami
Florida Christian School
Valedictorian: Isabella Villaverde
GPA: 4.8046
College: University of Miami
Salutatorian: Katrina Hernandez
GPA: 4.7750
College: University of Miami
GULLIVER
Valedictorian: Paul Fynn Kuemmel
GPA: 5.9
College: Washington University in St. Louis
Salutatorian: Evelyn Patterson
GPA: 5.8
College: Johns Hopkins University
HEBREW ACADEMY (RASG)
Valedictorian: Yosef Fruhman
GPA: N/A
College: Yeshiva University Honors
Salutatorian: Esther Nahon
GPA: N/A
College: Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University
IMMACULATA-LA SALLE
Valedictorian: Andres Marquez Santacruz
GPA: 5.48
College: Boston University
Salutatorian: Mariana Bujalil
GPA: 5.42
College: New York University
MATER ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Henry Faria
GPA: 5.449
College: Cornell University
Salutatorian: Pablo Bueno
GPA: 5.427
College: University of Florida
MATER PERFORMING ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Genesis Capdevila
GPA: 5.431
College: University of Pennsylvania
Salutatorian: Rachel Ponce
GPA: 5.427
College: University of Florida Honors College
Miami Country Day
Co- Valedictorian: Alex McMillan
GPA: 4.91
College: Duke University
Co- Valedictorian: Andrew Weaver
GPA: 4.91
College: Columbia University
Co-Salutatorian: Michael Anthanassiadis
GPA: 4.88
College: University of California, Berkeley
Co-Salutatorian: Maya Kreger
GPA: 4.88
College: University of Pennsylvania
MONSIGNOR EDWARD PACE
Valedictorian: Cecilia Rodriguez
GPA: 5.56
College: University of Florida
Salutatorian: Nicolas Macias
GPA: 5.35
College: University of Florida
OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Valedictorian: Nicole Calderon
GPA: 5.34
College: Harvard University
Salutatorian: Erica Hengartner
GPA: 5.26
College: University of Florida
PALMER TRINITY
Valedictorian: David Fumagalli
GPA: N/A
College: Northwestern University
Salutatorian: Georgia Malueg
GPA: N/A
College: California Institute of Technology
Palmetto Bay Academy
Valedictorian: Rachel Kalski
GPA: 4.72
College: Rollins College
RANSOM EVERGLADES
Valedictorian: Erik Medina
GPA: N/A
College: Princeton University
Salutatorian: Maya Rosen
GPA: N/A
College: Harvard University
RIVIERA PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Valedictorian: Riley Simon
GPA: 5.53
College: University of Miami
Salutatorian: Carlos Gamboa
GPA: 5.29
College: Johns Hopkins University
SCHECK HILLEL COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Valedictorian: Anna Freiman
GPA: N/A
College: Yeshiva University
Salutatorian: Leonardo Bentata
GPA: N/A
College: Northwestern University
SOMERSET ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Daria Bannova
GPA: 5.54
College: University of Florida
Salutatorian: Sum Ye Poon
GPA: 5.52
College: University of Florida
SOMERSET ARTS CONSERVATORY
Valedictorian: Deborah Etienne
GPA: 5.36
College: Johns Hopkins University
Salutatorian: Kimbriah Alfrenar
GPA: 5.36
College: Florida International University
ST. BRENDAN
Valedictorian: Sophia Linale
GPA: 5.38
College: University of Florida
Salutatorian: Olivia Fernandez
GPA: 5.22
College: University of Florida
WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Kayla Dumas
GPA: 5.42
College: University of Florida
Salutatorian: Kevin Zhang
GPA: 5.31
College: Johns Hopkins University
WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Daniela Angulo
GPA: 4.5
College: Florida International University
Salutatorian: Ashley Bouza
GPA: 4.5
College: Florida International University
