A student who was on track to become her class valedictorian has had a private graduation ceremony after an administrative 'miscalculation' saw her knocked down the ranking.
Maya Veliz had been commended for her academic achievements and been a part of the high school's cheerleader squad, but was left gutted when she found out she would not be graduating as the class valedictorian.
Maya had been told by school administrators her grade put her on course to graduate top of the class as long as she didn't fail any classes.
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But despite her hard work, officials later told her that a 'miscalculation' meant that classes she had taken in another school would not count to her final GPA score, knocking her off the top spot.
She'd also accepted an offer to study at the University of Texas on the understanding her freshman year fees would be waived as class valedictorian, a scholarship offer which has now been thrown into uncertainty.
Speaking at the time, she said: “To hear those words not even 30 days before graduation was gut-wrenching. I now don’t have that stability.
“This affects my future. And I do not wish that upon anyone else.”
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Maya’s father Jorge Veliz said: "I would understand if this was a policy that’s been in effect for a year or two that they weren’t familiar with.
“This is something I wouldn’t want any kid to deal with or any parent."
Now, Maya has had a private graduation ceremony with her family, some of whom had flown in specially.
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“It was great. She gave her speech,” her dad told The New York Post."
He added that someone had also helped to cover her tuition fees amid the uncertainty due to the mistake, saying: “An anonymous viewer of our local news [who also featured Maya’s story] paid for her first year at University of Texas.”
Addressing her family in her drafted valedictorian speech, Maya said: “Failure has made me who I am today and to have found success and persevere regardless of the outcome.
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“I stand here before you tonight, honored as the valedictorian for the class of 2024."
Speaking about the private ceremony as well as the school's official one, he said: “She feels sad, she feels left out. They’ve always had her be part of any kind of event at school. They had her give a speech during last year’s graduation.”
Speaking to WFAA, a Blue Ridge ISD spokesperson said: “The district reviews academic achievement, grade calculations, and class rank during this time period each year in accordance with applicable state law and board policies EIC and EIC Local.
“Miscalculations were originally made when finalizing GPA and Class Rank; then corrected to ensure compliance with both of those board policies.”
Kit Roberts