A Nigerian, Timi Adelakun, who graduated with 5.604 GPA has become the first black valedictorian and the graduating student with the highest grade points ever recorded at a United States’ high school.
The 18-year-old graduated from South Broward High School in Florida.
“Coming from a low-income community, it means a lot in general because of the way I was brought up,” the youngest of three children said.
Adelakun said he knew he could break the school’s record but was shocked when it was announced.
His father, however, was deported over a decade ago and could not witness the event.
“He is missing out and it is not his fault. It is not any of our fault,” Adelakun told ABC News.
The teenager said his father lived in the US for about 28 years after coming to the country as a student in 1981.
“He left when I was in the first grade. I miss his physical presence and involvement,” he said, adding that the family is trying to get him back to the US.
Adelakun said he helped fund his education with graphic design and photography or walking to school if he missed the bus.
As the school’s first black valedictorian, the Nigerian is expected to deliver a speech during South Broward High School’s virtual ceremony in June over the coronavirus pandemic.
Adelakun said he has chosen to attend Pomona College, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California which offered him a full scholarship, although he was accepted by Columbia University, the Juilliard School and the University of Southern California.
