Current Barbara Goleman Senior High School (BGSHS) seniors Carolina Machin, Kassandra Rodriguez, Ivelys Rodriguez, Lauren Toledo, Dayanis Oliva and Sergio Reyes are this year’s Silver Knight nominees.
Machin has been named Journalism Student of the Year for the last two years. Additionally, she is the editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook and the Student Government (SGA) secretary. On top of having a 4.0 grade point average (GPA), she’s also taking 10 advanced placement (AP) classes and has completed a 24-page long research paper.
“I am proud to represent my school and my Cuban heritage as the nominee in the World Language category,” Machin said.
Ivelys Rodriguez’s passion has always been theatre, which has earned her the position of this year’s nominee in the Drama category. As a future freshman at Florida international University, Rodriguez’s goal is to become a professional stage manager. She has been actively chasing her dream at BGSHS. She’s been a vital part of their theatre community for the last four years.
Toledo has an unweighted GPA of 4.0 with an impressive weighted amount of 5.264. She is the vice president of Science National Honor Society and she also participates in Beta Club, National Honor Society and Math Honor Society. She is the nominee in the Science category and is president and founder of the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s Club, which she created with her sister.
The club is the first of its kind in Florida, and as a new chapter, they’ve accomplished raising $260 at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. They even made small crafts for an assisted living facility and created a “memory wall” which was an interactive board where other students can post their favorite memories on it. She’s also been a cheerleader at BGSHS since her freshman year; she’s even made it to become the team’s current co-captain. Additionally, Toledo has completed 65 volunteer hours helping out at Memorial Hospital since September of last year.
Oliva is in the top five percent of the class and the Athletics category nominee. She is the historian for SGA and the treasurer of the Youth Movement Against Alzheimers. She’s a varsity volleyball player and captain of the girl's varsity flag football team. She partnered with Don Shula’s Athletic Club as part of her service project, and in doing so, she helped younger children ages 6-12 become better athletes. She spent hours playing and practicing sports like soccer, volleyball, tennis and football with her group of pupils.
Aside from teaching them the basic rules of the games, Oliva also taught her sport campers teamwork, commitment, dedication, sportsmanship and respect. In addition to athleticism, she also stressed the importance of a good education. She not only served as a coach, but as a teacher, care provider and friend.
“I realized that I can help young athletes benefit from my experience,” Oliva said. “It's a remarkable feeling being able to share the love for sports, and pass down the knowledge I've gained to those who will one day be in my same position.”
Reyes started attending BGSHS mid-way through his junior year of high school in search for a better baseball program. His personal project that earned him the nomination in the Business category was helping Little League baseball athletes. Reyes instilled fundamental skills, hardwork and dedication skills that would help them not only on the field, but in every other aspect of their future.
“Baseball has taught me so much, and it’s best to pass down my knowledge to the next generation of athletes,” Reyes said.
After high school, Reyes plans to attend Pfeiffer University in the fall with an athletic scholarship. He also plans on majoring in business administration.
Kassandra Rodriguez was nominated for the Silver Knight Award because of her project titled Sonrisas del Corzon (smiles from the heart, in English). Because of her work, she is nominated in the Social Sciences category. She has been tirelessly raising money to donate to an orphanage in Honduras that takes care of HIV-affected children. Rodriguez first started fundraising in January 2016 and has successfully raised $2,000, somewhat shy from her goal of $8,000.
Rodriguez is the class of 2018 SGA secretary, the Inspiration Yearbook lifestyle editor since May 2015, and she even holds leadership positions in the Science National Honor Society and BETA club. She has also earned Best Editor and Breakthrough Designer awards for her work in the yearbook. She is also named Summa Cum Laude for her class.