Meet Miami-Dade’s valedictorians and salutatorians, Class of 2019
Brilliant. Hard-working. Driven.
Words often used to describe students who go above and beyond, year after year, to graduate at the top of their class.
But it’s more than getting straight A’s. Some students endured marathon community service projects and sleepless nights, while others battled personal obstacles and health challenges. No matter the hardship, each student had his or her unique journey to attaining the coveted accolades of valedictorian or salutatorian of their 2019 high school graduating class.
For Matias Lancewicki, 18, of Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, an immigrant from Argentina, making time for family and giving back to the community was just as important, if not more, as his academics.
“A few years ago, I started a non-profit organization called Detect-to-Prevent to conduct vision screenings in low-income areas across Florida,” said Matias. “The screenings helped to detect vision disorders in students and provided free glasses to children who needed them.”
Matias also was a leader in Chabad Teen, an organization that builds a community for Jewish teens to help them maintain values of kindness and service. Throughout high school, Matias’ schedule included his studies, soccer and community service — yet, he still managed to earn the salutatorian accolade after graduating with a 4.58 GPA.
For Athalia Allen, 18, her path to valedictorian included countless community service hours at Jackson North Medical Center and volleyball practice. In between, she battled anxiety and depression.
“I can recall the many mental breakdowns, anxiety attacks and insecurities that were tearing me apart,” said Athalia, a senior at Dade Christian. “However, it wasn’t until my junior year that I decided to work on myself – I no longer allowed my depression and anxiety to take control of my life.”
Athalia turned her obstacles into victories by finding a healthy balance between schoolwork and social life, as well as sharpening her time-management skills.
After graduating with a 4.31 GPA, she will attend Nova Southeastern University to study psychology. She’s also an advocate for students who suffer from mental health issues and is working to develop an organization with her church that’s dedicated to mental health awareness.
Athalia’s advice to students who wish to graduate at the top of their class is to watch the company you keep and to never settle.
“Surround yourself with people who are just as ambitious as you, or even more,” she said. “I live by my quote, which says, ‘Surround yourself with those who reflect positive light, never those who deflect it.’”
Meet the Class of 2019 students who graduated at the top of their class in Miami-Dade private, parochial or charter schools. (Miami-Dade Public Schools do not recognize valedictorians or salutatorians.)
The complete list, with the students’ photographs, will be published in Sunday’s Neighbors, June 9, 2019
ARCHBISHOP COLEMAN CARROLL
Valedictorian: Alexandra Brown
GPA: 5.38
College: University of Florida
Salutatorian: Melanie Borrego
GPA: 5.27
College: Florida International University
BELEN JESUIT
Valedictorian: Guillermo Molero
GPA: 5.568
College: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Salutatorian: Julian Zulueta
GPA: 5.505
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CARROLLTON
Co-Valedictorian: Olivia Osle
GPA: N/A
College: Duke University
Co-Valedictorian: Alina Suarez
GPA: N/A
College: Duke University
Salutatorian: Caroline Dowell-Esquivel
GPA: N/A
College: Georgia Institute of Technology
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Co-Valedictorian: Fernando Salinas
GPA: 5.47
College: University of Florida Honors College
Co-Valedictorian: Francesco Baca
GPA: 5.47
College: University of Florida Honors College
DADE CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Athalia Allen
GPA: 4.31
College: Nova Southeastern University
Salutatorian: Michael Kemp
GPA: 3.88
College: University of Central Florida
DIVINE SAVIOR
Valedictorian: Fabrizio Casanova
GPA: 4.264
College: Cornell University
Salutatorian: Aaron Hartzell
GPA: 4.257
College: Purdue University Honors College
GULLIVER
Co-Valedictorian: Kiran Masroor
GPA: 5.9
College: Yale University
Co-Valedictorian: Karan Mirpuri
GPA: 5.9
College: Vanderbilt University
Salutatorian: Jingyi (Massie) Pan
GPA: 5.8
College: University of California, Los Angeles
HEBREW ACADEMY (RASG)
Valedictorian: Jack Benveniste-Plitt
GPA: N/A
College: University of Maryland, School of Engineering
Salutatorian: Shani McCarley
GPA: N/A
College: University of Florida
IMMACULATA-LA SALLE
Valedictorian: Ashley Zelaya
GPA: 5.3278
College: Johns Hopkins University
Salutatorian: Lillian Sanchez
GPA: 5.2810
College: University of Miami
MATER ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Natalie Cardenas
GPA: 5.3278
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Salutatorian: Daniel Garcia
GPA: 5.392
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIAMI COUNTRY DAY
Co-Valedictorian: Jeremy Simon Cross
GPA: 4.90
College: Duke University
Co-Valedictorian: Felipe Augusto Rangel
GPA: 4.90
College: University of Miami
Salutatorian: Elizabeth Jane Stone
GPA: 4.82
College: University of Pennsylvania
MONSIGNOR EDWARD PACE
Summa Cum Laude: Nathan Bonet
GPA: 5.71
College: University of Miami
Summa Cum Laude: Vanessa Perez-Robles
GPA: 5.56
College: Dartmouth College
Summa Cum Laude: Daniella Conde
GPA: 5.55
College: University of Florida
OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Valedictorian: Carolina Murai Paniagua
GPA: 5.45
College: Duke University
Salutatorian: Victoria Maria Hernandez
GPA: 5.31
College: Duke University
PALMER TRINITY
Valedictorian: John Cyril Malloy IV
GPA: N/A
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Salutatorian: Noah Riley Pirani
GPA: N/A
College: Brown University
PALMETTO BAY ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Kyle Maxwell
GPA: 4.38
College: Florida International University
RANSOM EVERGLADES
Valedictorian: Anna Mistele
GPA: 11.86 (on a 12-point scale)
College: Stanford University
Salutatorian: Valeria Vela
GPA: 11.64 (on a 12-point scale)
College: Harvard University
REDLAND CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Kyle Bukouski
GPA: 3.7
College: Valencia College
Salutatorian: Christian Perez
GPA: 3.6
College: Miami Dade College
RIVIERA PREPARATORY
Valedictorian: Juan Arvelo
GPA: 5.77
College: California Institute of Technology
Salutatorian: Christopher Perez
GPA: 5.62
College: University of Florida
SCHECK HILLEL
Valedictorian: Raquel DiMitri
GPA: 4.59
College: University of Miami
Salutatorian: Matias Lancewicki
GPA: 4.58
College: Cornell University
SOMERSET ACADEMY
Valedictorian: Stefano Pastrana
GPA: 5.5714
College: Yale University
Salutatorian: Noah Velazquez
GPA: 5.5067
College: Columbia University
SOMERSET ARTS CONSERVATORY
Valedictorian: Carolina Carvajalino
GPA: 5.3
College: University of Miami
Salutatorian: Alyssa Arneaud
GPA: 5.2787
College: University of Miami
ST. BRENDAN
Valedictorian: Justin Prats
GPA: 5.364
College: Florida International University Honors College
Salutatorian: Sofia E. Roa-Febres
GPA: 5.362
College: Rice University
WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN
Valedictorian: Sara Fernandez
GPA: 5.429
College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Salutatorian: Anabelle Perez
GPA: 5.234
College: Cornell University
WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN
Co-Valedictorian: Sean Bernaldo
GPA: 4.27
College: University of Miami
Co-Valedictorian: Wei Ting “Victor” Cheng Chen
GPA: 4.27
College: Florida International University and Miami Dade College
Salutatorian: Gia Azcoitia
GPA: 4.25
College: Florida International University Honors College
This story was originally published June 8, 2019 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Meet Miami-Dade’s valedictorians and salutatorians, Class of 2019."