Miami Herald Logo

Miami Herald honors top-achieving high school students with Silver Knights | Miami Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Site Information
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Herald Store
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    • Sections
    • News
    • South Florida
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida Keys
    • Florida
    • Politics
    • Weird News
    • Weather
    • National & World
    • Colombia
    • National
    • World
    • Americas
    • Cuba
    • Guantánamo
    • Haiti
    • Venezuela
    • Local Issues
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • In Depth
    • Issues & Ideas
    • Traffic
    • Sections
    • Sports
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Pro & College
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • College Sports
    • University of Miami
    • Florida International
    • University of Florida
    • Florida State University
    • More Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Fighting
    • Golf
    • Horse Racing
    • Outdoors
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Youth Sports
    • Other Sports
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The Florida Influencer Series
    • Sections
    • Business
    • Business Monday
    • Banking
    • International Business
    • National Business
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate News
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Tourism & Cruises
    • Workplace
    • Business Plan Challenge
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Cindy Krischer Goodman
    • The Starting Gate
    • Work/Life Balancing Act
    • Movers
    • Sections
    • Living
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Wine
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dave Barry
    • Ana Veciana-Suarez
    • Flashback Miami
    • More Living
    • LGBTQ South Florida
    • Palette Magazine
    • Indulge Magazine
    • South Florida Album
    • Broward Album
    • Sections
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music & Nightlife
    • People
    • Performing Arts
    • Restaurants
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Jose Lambiet
    • Lesley Abravanel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Miami.com
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Sections
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Ed
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Jim Morin
    • Letters to the Editor
    • From Our Inbox
    • Speak Up
    • Submit a Letter
    • Meet the Editorial Board
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Blog Directory
    • Columnist Directory
    • Andres Oppenheimer
    • Carl Hiaasen
    • Leonard Pitts Jr.
    • Fabiola Santiago
    • Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Place an Obituary

    • Place an ad
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Apartments
    • Auctions/Sales
    • Automotive
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Employment
    • Garage Sales
    • Legals
    • Merchandise
    • Obituaries
    • Pets
    • Public Notices
    • Real Estate
    • Services
  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Real Estate
  • Mobile & Apps

  • el Nuevo Herald
  • Miami.com
  • Indulge

Silver Knight

Miami Herald honors top-achieving high school students with Silver Knights

By Michael Vasquez

    ORDER REPRINT →

May 22, 2013 09:57 PM

Many of this year’s Miami Herald Silver Knight winners are well-acquainted with adversity — through their own families’ personal heartaches or the struggles of those living halfway around the world.

But a telling theme emerged Wednesday night at the 55th annual Silver Knight Awards ceremony: Rather than become despondent over life’s unfairness, these high school seniors vowed to make a difference, and that spirit of determination has led to some far-reaching accomplishments.

Take Silver Knight Science winner Renuka Meenu Ramchandran, of John A. Ferguson Senior High School in West Kendall. Ramchandran lost her grandfather to brain cancer and has since become a fixture at Miami Children’s Hospital — founding a program that has created more than 70 care packages for children in the oncology unit, and even personally conducting research as an intern on pancreatic cancer cells.

In Broward, St. Thomas Aquinas High School senior Eryn Mari Hughes was deeply moved when she learned about students in Sub-Saharan Africa who often cannot attend school because they lack basic supplies. Hughes, who is a gifted public speaker and a Silver Knight winner in speech, credits her education with helping her develop her own strong personal voice. By starting Pencils for Progress, an Africa-focused pencil-donation program, Hughes has worked to make sure other children have that same opportunity.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Hughes said winning the Silver Knight felt “surreal”

“It’s just kind of a validation of a lot of effort and hard work,” Hughes said.

The Silver Knight Awards, began in 1959 by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald newspapers, recognizes scholastic achievement and community service in 15 categories — including art, athletics, journalism, and mathematics. The award winners receive $2,000, a Silver Knight statue, two round-trip American Airlines tickets and a medallion, also from the airline. The cash awards are made possible by support from American Airlines, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Baptist Health South Florida and Florida Blue.

Honorable mention winners receive $500. Public and private schools can nominate students, and a panel of distinguished judges selects the winners.

Past winners have in many cases gone on to illustrious careers: the ranks of Silver Knight alumni include Amazon.com founder (and Palmetto High grad) Jeff Bezos, and Ted Hendricks, a Hialeah High graduate whose successful pro football career landed him in the NFL Hall of Fame.

“We are here to honor you,” Miami Herald publisher David Landsberg told the hundreds gathered at downtown Miami’s James L. Knight Center for the black-tie awards ceremony. “The high school seniors who go above and beyond, making a tremendous impact on our community.”

The ceremony is in many ways similar to the Academy Awards — bright blue-and-white lights highlight a stage decorated with gigantic mock statues of the award. Award winners’ faces are captured on a giant projection screen at the precise moment that they realize, yes, they really did win.

“Hi, Mom,” mouthed Cypress Bay High School senior Anna Leiman as she received the Broward Silver Knight for Drama.

Next up was Abigail Frances George, the Miami-Dade Drama winner from Miami Southridge Senior High School. Only a couple of years ago, George was reeling as her mother struggled with alcoholism and the family was struck by multiple tragic deaths. George had to fight the urge to hurt herself, and she battled an eating disorder.

In acting, George said she found a “positive outlet” for her pent-up emotions. When she was playing an angry character onstage, it provided release for her own frustrations.

George called Southridge an “amazing place,” and credited its drama program with rescuing her from a downward spiral.

Without acting, she said, “I don’t think I’d be alive.”

For George and the other winners, the Silver Knight award provides not just prestige, but a support system going forward. A couple of years ago, retired Chief Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Joseph Farina — another past Silver Knight award winner — helped found the Silver Knight Alumni Legacy Network. The group mentors Silver Knight winners while they are studying hard in college and provides a lifetime networking opportunity.

“We welcome your participation in the future,” Farina told the crowd.

Related stories from Miami Herald

silver-knight

2013 Miami-Dade Silver Knight Award winners

May 22, 2013 09:58 PM

silver-knight

2013 Broward Silver Knight Award winners

May 22, 2013 09:58 PM

silver-knight

2013 Miami-Dade Silver Knight Award honorable mentions

May 22, 2013 09:58 PM

silver-knight

2013 Broward Silver Knight Award honorable mentions

May 22, 2013 09:57 PM

  Comments  

Videos

2017 Silver Knights awards ceremony

The 2016 Silver Knight Awards honor South Florida high schools’ finest

View More Video

Trending Stories

Federal prosecutors broke law in Jeffrey Epstein case, judge rules

February 21, 2019 02:51 PM

It’s not so hard for an immigrant to become a U.S. citizen. Here’s what you have to do

February 20, 2019 01:20 PM

Think Florida is a ‘sinful’ place to live? You’re right, according to this new study

February 20, 2019 01:18 PM

Americans arrested in Haiti driving around with an arsenal are flown to the U.S.

February 20, 2019 06:54 PM

Americans arrested in Haiti with arsenal of guns won’t face U.S. charges

February 21, 2019 04:06 PM

Read Next

Meet the 2018 Silver Knight winners

Silver Knight

Meet the 2018 Silver Knight winners

By Aaron Albright

    ORDER REPRINT →

May 17, 2018 09:30 PM

A list of all winners in the 2018 Miami Herald Silver Knight awards, honoring high school seniors in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE SILVER KNIGHT

They created nonprofits, helped the needy and fought injustice. Now they're Silver Knights.

Silver Knight

They created nonprofits, helped the needy and fought injustice. Now they're Silver Knights.

May 17, 2018 09:30 PM
Watch the 2017 Silver Knight awards ceremony

Silver Knight

Watch the 2017 Silver Knight awards ceremony

May 17, 2017 07:00 PM
From artificial limbs to fashion lines, Silver Knight winners have designs on excellence

Silver Knight

From artificial limbs to fashion lines, Silver Knight winners have designs on excellence

May 17, 2017 11:00 PM
Meet the 2017 Silver Knight winners

Silver Knight

Meet the 2017 Silver Knight winners

May 17, 2017 09:26 PM
What does it take to win a Silver Knight? These top students have the answer, and the statue

Silver Knight

What does it take to win a Silver Knight? These top students have the answer, and the statue

May 18, 2016 10:00 PM
Meet the 2016 Broward Silver Knight Award winners

Silver Knight

Meet the 2016 Broward Silver Knight Award winners

May 18, 2016 09:27 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Miami Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Public Insight Network
  • Reader Panel
Advertising
  • Place a Classified
  • Media Kit
  • Commercial Printing
  • Public Notices
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story