The Benaiges family has made their mark at Barbara Goleman Senior High School. Bryan Benaiges, the youngest of three brothers, all of whom attended Goleman, will be graduating as the top student of his class of 2014.
With a weighted GPA of 6.167 Benaiges earned from multiple dual enrollment and advanced placement courses, it's not hard to see why the senior was accepted into Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Last year I began to realize that I might end up graduating at the top of my class, but as an underclassman, I had no idea that it could happen. I remember when my brothers attended here and visiting for their ceremonies when they had 6.0 GPA's and I was just thinking that was impossible, and now my GPA is similar,” he said.
Benaiges has always had a love for mathematics, and aeronautics was a possibility, considering his family has long been involved in those occupations. Benaiges' eldest brother now works as a pilot for American Airlines, his older brother works in Washington D.C. for the state, and his father works for Miami International Airport.
The motivating force behind this family, however, can easily be attributed to Benaiges’ mother, Mary. She has long been a part of her children's academic career, acting as a proud supporter and volunteering her time and efforts toward the academic betterment of not only her own family, but also for their peers.
Mary's position as PTSA president at the various schools her children have attended has yielded change and improvement. Her push for a new auditorium for Miami Lakes Middle School at a time when the county's school budget was inflexible led to her to find different avenues for funding.
With the help of the principal, and Mayor Wayne Slaton back in the early 2000's, Mary managed to cover the hefty costs through community fundraisers completely resoring the auditorium where many of the Town of Miami Lakes meetings were held before the town hall was completed.
For her efforts in making Goleman a top school for its students, Mary was awarded alongside her son and the other Silver Knight nominees at the annual Scholars Awards ceremony. She received the Parent Involvement Award, given to the parent who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Mary has been involved with the school for 12 years.
“My parents are proud of me and my brothers. They always joke around saying that they don't know how their kids ended up so smart. They're really modest,” said Benaiges shyly, a trait that he appears to have inherited as well.
Some of Benaiges’ accolades include receiving the Outstanding Student Award in subjects like AP World History, Language Arts and AP Calculus, he is a National Hispanic Scholar, a Scholar Athlete, and an AP Scholar with Distinction.
With all the activities on his plate, when asked if he has the time to fit anything else into his day Benaiges said with a laugh, “If I do have time left for anything else, it's just time away from sleep.”