Dozens of South Florida high schoolers celebrated at Achieve Miami’s Senior Send-Off – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) – Dozens of South Florida high school seniors received a sweet send-off to celebrate their hard work, thanks to a nonprofit that helped shine a light on two very special students.

It was a special celebration for soon-to-be-graduates, Thursday evening, as Achieve Miami highlighted the accomplishments of some exceptional students.

Claudia Bororquez, deputy director of Achieve Miami, explained how their program works.

“So, our scholar program, we recruit students starting their sophomore year, so it’s a combination of their whole school journey,” she said. “At some schools, we actually start the freshman year, so we want to do something really exciting to celebrate our seniors, and that’s why we created our Senior Send-Off event.”

Thursday’s celebration, held at the Milander Center for Arts & Entertainment in Hialeah, was all about seniors who excelled in community service.

Speakers at the event showcased how the program boosted their confidence and helped place them on the path to success.

Two standouts, Pherell Washington and Sophie Deras, were hailed as Big Buddies of the Year.

Bororquez said they’re highlighting an extra-special group of seniors.

“We’re celebrating about 90 seniors that are graduating right now in May. This group is really special, obviously; it’s the group that has kind of lived throughout past COVID,” she said.

Deras, a senior at Booker T. Washington Senior High School, dedicated the last three years to mentoring elementary school students. She said she plans to attend Florida State University in the fall.

Deras said the program has helped her meet new people and make new connections.

“They helped me the most with my confidence, because back in ninth grade, I used to be very quiet, to myself — and I’m still, to myself, I still have, like, this quiet kind of presence — but I can now lead in any sort of environment I’m in,” she said.

Washington, a student at Miami Northwestern, also helped younger students on weekends. He’s set to attend Pomona College as a Posse Scholar.

Washington said he got invited through a counselor and was glad to give it a shot.

“I would say they really connected me with the community, I didn’t know too much about service at first, and then, like, doing Saturdays and summers with Achieve, seeing how much we can help kids from not knowing how to read at all to learning to, like, read full pages,” he said.

Achieve Miami said its program aims to provide educational equity while helping students with academics, college preparation and financial literacy.

Washington said he’ll have fond memories of his time helping others, and he has a message for younger students.

“I tell them, ‘Get involved.’ I would tell anyone else who feels like they can make an impact or a difference in their community or other communities that, you know, may need a little bit of assistance, I would tell them, ‘Take that step and just do it, because it’s going to be a wholesome experience in the end, and you’re going to see how making a positive impact on others can actually positively affect you as well,’” he said.

Since its founding in 2015, the nonprofit has helped more than 10,000 students across 17 communities in South Florida.

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