South Dade Senior High School Honors Class of 2020

HOMESTEAD, FL — Miami-Dade County Public Schools and South Dade Senior High School are honoring the Class of 2020 to coincide with the school's virtual graduation on June 15.

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

Marianela Mejias

Marianela Mejias describes her story as a "Miami" story. She migrated from Cuba with her family at the age of four. She is the first in her family to have the opportunity to pursue a college degree.

During the summer of her junior year of high school, she was chosen to take part in the Summer Scholars Program at the University of Miami, where she received a scholarship to cover all her program expenses. She was also accepted into her school's International Baccalaureate program which allowed her to work toward her IB diploma and earned her place among the top 1 percent of her graduating class.

Marianela was also elected President of Student Government and Spanish Honor Society, and Vice-President of the PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association). She is a recipient of the MFOS, Promise and Bright Futures scholarships. Marianela will be attending the University of Florida 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.