Graduation 2021

Jesuit High School graduated its Class of 2021 on Thursday (May 27), as the school celebrated commencement exercises at Corral Memorial Stadium on campus.

The graduating class of the school's 122nd year is comprised of 185 students. Of the graduates, 150 (81%) have received academic or athletic scholarships, and 124 (67%) received Florida Bright Futures Scholarships, with a total scholarship value of nearly $21 million. One-hundred percent were accepted into college, with 186 colleges and universities accepting Jesuit students in 2021, including institutions such as the Air Force Academy, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Michigan, NYU, Northwestern, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt, and Virginia. 

The class features four Valedictorians who all achieved a GPA of 4.66: Daniel Jung, Jason Kwo, Lukas Lehman, and Diego Maldonado-Puebla. Jung will attend the University of Notre Dame, Kwo and Maldonado-Puebla will attend the University of Florida, and Lehman will attend the University of Virginia. Please view below a video of each of the four Valedictorian presentations from graduation.

In keeping with one of Jesuit's earliest traditions, graduates once again wore the classic tuxedo. The tuxedos were revived at graduation in 2015 for the first time in more than 70 years. The traditional cap and gown were worn Wednesday night (May 26) at Baccalaureate Mass.

Click here to view a PDF of the event program from Graduation 2021, which includes a listing of all 185 graduates, as well as the seniors who were recognized at Awards Night in late April; those recognized as summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude; and scholarships earned by members of the Class of 2021.

Each year, four special awards are presented during commencement exercises to recognize outstanding members of the graduating class. The recipients of these awards are determined by a vote of the faculty, and are commemorated on the 'Men for Others' monument on campus. The 2021 winners were announced by principal Barry Neuburger at graduation:

• The Charles J. Lashley Award, for outstanding characteristics of leadership of the student body, the highest honor Jesuit High School confers upon a graduating senior: Diego Maldonado-Puebla.
• The Larion J. Elliot Award, for dedication and commitment to Christ and the Church through the example of his Christian Life: Jorel De Guzman.
• The Pedro Arrupe Award, for excelling as a "Man for Others" through distinguished achievement in community service: Dawson Jessee.
• The Joseph P. Gavan Award, for outstanding generosity and dependability in service to the school community: Edward Morrison.

Please see below two photo slideshows from graduation, as well as a photo slideshow from Baccalaureate Mass. 

Below that are videos of four the Valedictorian addresses by Jung, Kwo, Lehman, and Maldonado-Puebla.