The 104th Commencement Ceremony for the Classes of 2018 was held on May 18, 2018, just after the Senior Awards Ceremony, at the Claude R. Kirk, Jr. Auditorium on the FSDB campus. FSDB Board of Trustees Chair Christopher D. Wagner and FSDB President Dr. Jeanne Glidden Prickett gave welcoming remarks and congratulated graduates on their achievements.
Distinguished author, poet, and motivational speaker Walter C. Blackmon of Tallahassee provided remarks as guest speaker during the 104th FSDB Commencement Ceremony, sharing words of inspiration with 2018 graduates from across the state of Florida as they embarked on the next chapter of their lives. Blackmon, who graduated from FSDB in 1991, has proven time and again that the achievement of success is attainable no matter the odds. What drives him most is helping individuals reach that next step at becoming their “very best.” Large or small, he engages his audiences with sincerity and purpose that lifts spirits and causes minds to flow freely with unlimited positivity, belief, and self-worth.
Special honors were bestowed upon Valedictorian Avery Daniel Hutchison and Salutatorian Mackenzie Rose Newman of the FSDB Blind High School Class of 2018, as well as Valedictorian DeanJames Garcia D’Angelo and Salutatorian Cassandra Abigale Medina of the FSDB Deaf High School Class of 2018. Both valedictorians addressed their respective classes – see links below for live stream archive.
You dreamt, you believed, you strived, and you achieved. You are an inspiration to all of us – well done. Congratulations on your graduation day. All of us at FSDB wish you the best of success!
Blind High School Graduates
Milliken Lee Bartlett – St. Augustine
Diamond Sharonda Caldwell – Apollo Beach
Rodney Tyre Cheathem – Deland
Rey Cubas Cardona – Hialeah
Shavanna Kayelee Davis – Jacksonville
Jacquelin Gutiérrez – Homestead
Avery Daniel Hutchison – Keystone Heights (Valedictorian)
Kenneth Alberto Jiménez – Hollywood
Perrii Nastassja Le’Shay Lee – Gainesville
Meliza María Lorenzo – Indiantown
Kiana Montes – Greenacres
Taylor Marie Muske – Punta Gorda
Mackenzie Rose Newman – Green Cove Springs (Salutatorian)
Eric Humberto Ortiz, Jr. – Miami
Angie Alexis Rembis – Orlando
Nicholas Austin Roberts – Boca Raton
Brittany Alysia Russell – Tavares
Deaf High School Graduates
Diana Elizabeth Bonilla – Homestead
Laura de la Caridad Bravo González – Tampa
Ernest Stanley Bristol II – Northport
Wallace Stephen Burrell – West Palm Beach
Francesca Donattella Cappiello Castro – West Palm Beach
José Rolando Chávez – Mulberry
Kenneth Fabricio Corrales Gómez – Miramar
Devon Rashad Cumberland – North Miami Beach
DeanJames Garcia D’Angelo – Palm Coast (Valedictorian)
Arlyssa Anias Davis – Deltona
Javier Omar DiGonzalez – Tallahassee
Cephora Cassandra Dormeus – North Miami
Marissa Paige Droleski – Sunrise
Nicole Marie Espinal – Miami
Tiffany Lashonda Frazier – Titusville
Quintin Edward Galpine – North Lauderdale
Yaschira Mary González Muñiz – Jacksonville
Anthony Hoyt – Palm Coast
Luis Braynnel Hurtado Nuñez – St. Augustine
Jamel Justine Jalil – Hialeah
Terrell Andersen James – Orlando
Tiffany Jamila James – Tamarac
William Chapman Lamberti – Palm Coast
Yasmine Shayne Lee – Tampa
Diana Carolina Manrique Hernandez – Davenport
Rikia Kiara Martin – Miami Gardens
Cassandra Abigale Medina – Deltona (Salutatorian)
Christian Daniel Miranda Reyes – Winter Park
Peter Jacob Nemkovich – Sumterville
Cody James Newsome – Summerfield
Curran Malik Potter – Chipley
William Garrett Rahn – St. Johns
Saul Rebollar, Jr. – Haines City
Andrés Felipe Rendón – Ocoee
Elizabeth Rodriguez – Lake Como
Yahir Omar Rodríguez-Zúñiga – West Palm Beach
Lauren Kristina Santiago – Largo
Jennifer Star Serrano – Clearwater
Riquel Vanesha Thomas – Ocala
Sarah Rose Traczyk – Seminole
Joshua David Trail – Plant City
Johan Sebastian Valentín Sarmiento – Jacksonville
Karl-Eric Berthy Samuel Vital-Egalité – Hallandale
Liam Alexander Von Mahr – Tampa
Christopher Edwin Weber – Orange Park
Dionna Aliza Young – Wesley Chapel
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About FSDB The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a tuition-free state public school and outreach center available to eligible Pre-K and K-12 students who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired. At FSDB, students learn how to do more, be more, and achieve more, fulfilling our vision of preparing them for a lifetime of success. FSDB gratefully accepts private donations to support vital programs that directly benefit students and are not paid by state general revenue funds. For a campus tour or to inquire about eligibility for enrollment, contact FSDB Parent Services at 904-827-2212 voice or 904-201-4527 videophone. For more information, visit www.fsdb.k12.fl.us.