Top of their class: Meet Miami-Dade’s valedictorians and salutatorians, Class of 2020

For Joaquin Guzman, becoming salutatorian at Dade Christian School during the COVID-19 pandemic was a journey — literally. As an international student, he faced countless obstacles, including returning home to Chile and relying on Zoom classes to connect with teachers and classmates, all while staying motivated to succeed.

“Everything about this pandemic was hard, and still feels that way,” said Guzman, 18. “The hardest part for me, and I think most seniors in the nation, was missing out on the last part of our senior year, which included significant events like prom and a traditional graduation ceremony. Even though my school had a safe drive-in graduation ceremony, I had to record and deliver my salutatorian speech from home in Chile.”

Guzman, helped by his family’s support, finished at the top of his class — graduating with a 3.70 GPA. While he’s not yet sure about which college he will attend, he plans to stick to his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete.

“I came to the United States because I want to become a student-athlete, and my goal is a full scholarship for college,” he said. “I couldn’t get one this year, so I’ll be attending Miami Prep with Coach Arturo Alvarez for one year to have another chance at a full scholarship to play basketball.”

Guzman is one of dozens of students in the Class of 2020 who graduated at the top of their class in their Miami-Dade private, parochial or charter school. They are the valedictorians and salutatorians, the students with the highest grade-point average and the ones who traditionally deliver the farewell speech at graduation ceremonies. (Miami-Dade Public Schools does not bestow these titles on its students.)

They’ve overcome a lot this school year — no prom, no end-of-the-year plays, team sports or elaborate graduation ceremonies — but they have tremendous aspirations and bright futures.

Without further ado, meet this year’s valedictorians and salutatorians:

Archbishop Coleman Carroll

Valedictorian: Zully Moreno

GPA: 5.26

College: University of Miami

Salutatorian: Stefano Barredo

GPA: 5.24

College: University of Florida

Belen Jesuit

Co-Valedictorian: Alexander De Varona Brennan

GPA: 5.536

College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Co-Valedictorian: Esteban Sebastián Rincón

GPA: 5.536

College: Stanford University

Salutatorian: Stefano Andre Sánchez

GPA: 5.527

College: University of Pennsylvania

Carrollton

Tri-Valedictorian: Caroline Culmo

GPA: N/A

College: University of Pennsylvania

Tri-Valedictorian: Gabriela Garity

GPA: N/A

College: University of Pennsylvania

Tri-Valedictorian: Khushi Saigal

GPA: N/A

College: Cornell University

Co-Salutatorian: Sophia Jaguan

GPA: N/A

College: Georgetown University

Co-Salutatorian: Amy Labrador

GPA: N/A

College: Duke University

Christopher Columbus

Valedictorian: Jared Coleman

GPA: 6.05

College: University of Florida Honors College

Salutatorian: Michael Berry

GPA: 5.95

College: University of Florida Honors College

Dade Christian

Valedictorian: Emanuel Urroz

GPA: 3.87

College: Miami Dade College

Salutatorian: Joaquin Guzman Barrientos

GPA: 3.70

College: N/A

Divine Savior

Valedictorian: Isabella Dominguez

GPA: 4.286

College: Yale University

Salutatorian: Ashley Maharaj

GPA: 4.253

College: University of Florida

Florida Christian School

Valedictorian: Rebecca Menendez

GPA: 4.75

College: University of Miami

Salutatorian: Carlos Rios

GPA: 4.68

College: University of Florida

Gulliver

Valedictorian: Eugene Li

GPA: 5.9

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Nicole Krolak

GPA: 5.7

College: University of Virginia

Hebrew Academy (RASG)

Valedictorian: Yosef Melul

GPA: N/A

College: University of Florida, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering

Salutatorian: Batya Fruhman

GPA: N/A

College: Rutgers Honors College

Immaculata-La Salle

Valedictorian: Ivette Acosta

GPA: 5.48

College: University of Miami

Salutatorian: Astrid Savaresse

GPA: 5.47

College: Georgia Institute of Technology

Mater Academy

Valedictorian: Esther Dominguez

GPA: 5.450

College: Yale University

Salutatorian: Juan Rodriguez

GPA: 5.200

College: University of Florida

Miami Country Day

Co-Valedictorian: Klara Louise Meyer

GPA: N/A

College: Dartmouth College

Co-Valedictorian: Sofia Marina Paredes

GPA: N/A

College: Cornell University

Salutatorian: Arian Djahed

GPA: N/A

College: Northwestern University

Monsignor Edward Pace

Valedictorian: Christian Murphy

GPA: 5.65

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Guadalupe Diaz

GPA: 5.53

College: University of Florida

Our Lady of Lourdes

Valedictorian: Alana Batista

GPA: 5.25

College: Florida International University, Honors College

Salutatorian: Alyssa Jimenez

GPA: 5.21

College: University of Notre Dame

Palmer Trinity

Valedictorian: Thierry Sanchez

GPA: N/A

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Owen Reynolds

GPA: N/A

College: Cornell University

Palmetto Bay Academy

Valedictorian: Julian Sanchez

GPA: 5.12

College: University of Florida

Ransom Everglades

Valedictorian: Natalia Lopez

GPA: 11.4 GPA (on a 12-point scale)

College: Harvard College

Salutatorian: Dylan Tie-Shue

GPA: 11.12 GPA (on a 12-point scale)

College: Princeton University

Riviera Preparatory

Valedictorian: Daniella Galtes

GPA: 5.41

College: Duke University

Salutatorian: Luke Saleh

GPA: 5.40

College: University of Florida

Scheck Hillel

Valedictorian: Jaime Bursztyn

GPA: N/A

College: Northwestern University

Co-Salutatorian: Olga Benacerraf

GPA: N/A

College: Boston University, Honors College

Co-Salutatorian: Gabrielle Kurzer

GPA: N/A

College: Northwestern University

Somerset Academy

Valedictorian: Neha Kallamvalli

GPA: 5.4933

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Xue Ailin Tang

GPA: 5.3906

College: Emory University

Somerset Arts Conservatory

Valedictorian: Daniel Calderon

GPA: 5.3882

College: Northwestern University

Salutatorian: Mariana Sierra

GPA: 5.2742

College: Florida International University

St. Brendan

Valedictorian: Melanie Beceiro

GPA: 5.41

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Veronica Varona

GPA: 5.33

College: University of Florida, Honors College

Westminster Christian

Valedictorian: Caroline Boulris

GPA: 5.227

College: University of Florida

Salutatorian: Ashley Rees

GPA: 5.226

College: Duke University

Westwood Christian

Valedictorian: John Carlos Mouw

GPA: 4.515

College: Florida International University

Salutatorian: Marcos Bermudez

GPA: 4.485

College: Washington University in St. Louis

This story was originally published June 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM.