Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School Honors Class of 2020

HIALEAH, FL — Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School are honoring the Class of 2020 to coincide with the school's virtual graduation on June 9.

The school is highlighting one student below who represents the achievements of the entire graduating class.

Akil Cole

Akil Cole's drive and integrity set him apart. He has actively participated in student organizations, such as Model United Nations, Student Government/Student Council, and Project Citizen since his freshman year and he currently holds leadership positions in each. He led the Project Citizen team to develop public policy solutions to two growing public health crisis in Florida — the rise of new HIV/AIDS infection rates and the lack of access to mental health services for Florida’s public school students.

Cole's hard work resulted in a 5.0 GPA and a total of $677,504 in scholarships. Akil will be attending Georgetown University in the fall.

In an effort to ensure that the Class of 2020 graduates at Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) receive the pomp and circumstance they deserve, the District is holding virtual graduation ceremonies for each high school. The live streaming of each virtual graduation, as well as a schedule of ceremonies and a video archive can be accessed by visiting Classof2020.dadeschools.net. The ceremonies are also televised on WLRN Channel 17.

The virtual commencement ceremonies will be followed by an in-person Class of 2020 celebration at each high school either in the summer or winter, once it is safe to do so under public health guidelines.

In addition to the virtual ceremonies, the District has launched a marketing campaign to highlight outstanding seniors, and invite the community to celebrate graduates on social media using the following hashtags: #MDCPSGrad, #Classof2020, #MeetMDCPSGrads and #SeniorSpotlight.