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A Florida high school senior, Jeremiah Danials IV, made history by becoming the first Black male salutatorian at Boca Ciega High School in the school’s 69-year history. It was a goal he set for himself when he began high school.
Daniels is graduating with a 4.6 GPA.
“He told his father and I four years ago that he wanted to be the salutatorian, and we know that he could achieve it in the end,” Brittney Daniels, his mother, told Fox 13 Tampa. “For him to work at it, year after year, straight A’s since third grade.”
Since kindergarten, his mother said that her son has been “academically inclined.”
“As a kindergartner, he taught himself how to get on a laptop, get on a computer and go into programs by himself,” the teen’s mother said.
Daniels said that because of his teachers, he’s where he is.
“I would say the teachers, for sure, that definitely challenged me on the challenges itself, like learning something new and being able to say, ‘I can understand it,’ and actually being able to use it and apply it to different situations…I’m just glad for the opportunity to be able to create Black history and be a part of something bigger,” Daniels said.
According to U.S. News, the school contained
47.6% Blacks, 34% whites, 10.3% Hispanic, 3.8% Asian, 0.2$ American Indian/Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Despite having a majority of Blacks in the school, the high school’s salutatorian in 2020 was a white female. During their 2021 graduation, the salutatorian was also a white female. With Daniels as the first Black male salutatorian, he’s making way for other Black students to be at the top of their class, showing them it’s possible.“Don’t let obstacles stop [you in your] way and just continue to grow and push through,” Daniels said in hopes of inspiring others his age.
Daniels also received a $2,000 check that he could put towards his college expenses after completing the St. Petersburg Police Department experience and educational stipend program.
According to U.S. News, the school contained 47.6% Blacks, 34% whites, 10.3% Hispanic, 3.8% Asian, 0.2$ American Indian/Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Despite having a majority Black student population, Boca Ciega’s salutatorians in 2020 and 2021 were white female students. With Daniels as the first Black male salutatorian, he’s making way for other Black students to be at the top of their class, showing them it’s possible.
He plans to attend Florida State University, majoring in computer engineering.