18-Year-Old Farmer’s Daughter Graduates as Valedictorian, Wins Full Scholarship to US University

An 18-year old girl, Brenda Alvarez-Lagunas whose parents worked as farmers to fund her education, has graduated as valedictorian of Mulberry High School in Florida and also received a full scholarship to Stanford University for her performance.

Brenda Alvarez-Lagunas, an 18-year-old whose parents worked as farmers to fund her education, has graduated as valedictorian of Mulberry High School in Florida and received a full scholarship to Stanford University.

During her valedictory speech, she placed a carton of fruit on the podium and humorously offered strawberries, explaining they symbolized her parents’ hard work in the fields.

Brenda shared her story of growing up in poverty, worsened by her father’s deportation to Mexico. Her parents, who only completed the fourth grade, instilled in her the value of hard work and resilience.

Despite the challenges, Brenda excelled academically, graduating with a 4.68 GPA. Principal Michael Young praised her determination and talent. Brenda is a founding member of the Adelante Club, which supports migrant youth.

She credits her success to her mentor, Dani Higgins, and advises others to use all available resources to improve their circumstances. Brenda will pursue Bioengineering at Stanford University on a full scholarship.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, SCHOLARSHIP REGION