By Christopher Vargas
Royal Palm Beach High School is preparing to send off its graduating seniors at a ceremony to be held at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on Wednesday, May 14 at 8 a.m. For those unable to attend in person, the School District of Palm Beach County will provide a live stream of the event.
Principal Dr. Shakeica Robinson is deeply committed to making this year’s graduation another memorable event, working alongside valedictorian Isabella Lopez-Merlos, salutatorian Sydnei Borges and others to ensure a celebration that leaves a lasting impression on all who attend.
“The year has been great,” Robinson said. “I have no complaints. It’s just great to be back, looking forward to an amazing graduation and a strong closing to my first year here.”
When asked what makes the Class of 2025 special, Robinson said that this group holds a unique place in her heart, as it is her first graduating class since stepping into the role of principal at RPBHS last June.
Once a math teacher at RPBHS, Robinson returned to the school after serving as an assistant principal at Santaluces High School and principal at Tradewinds Middle School. RPBHS is her first post as a high school principal.
While she did not have the opportunity to be with the Class of 2025 since their freshman year, Robinson expressed how much she has learned from them as they have grown into young adults preparing for college or their chosen career paths.
“I’m just having conversations with them, seeing a lot of the determination that many of the students have displayed as they’re trying to get to that point of graduation,” Robinson said.
What she looks forward to most about the ceremony is seeing each of her students walk across the stage and personally handing them their diplomas as an acknowledgment of their hard work and perseverance. The Class of 2025 is expected to graduate approximately 573 students.
“I’m really proud of this class. No one really likes change; especially for them coming back to a new principal, and new ways that we do things, that I’ve switched around or changed,” Robinson said. “They had to adjust and adapt to those things, but they were very resilient. Whatever we’d asked them to do, they did it.”
She said her staff is working hard “making sure that our graduation is the best graduation of all graduations in Palm Beach County. Our students are products of the Village of Royal Palm Beach, so we want to make sure that we make everyone proud of us,” Robinson said.
Lopez-Merlos and Borges were taken by surprise and thrilled when they discovered how they had achieved the titles of valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2025.
“I knew I was somewhere in the top five, but they wouldn’t tell us our official rankings,” Lopez-Merlos said. “It was just really exciting to know and finally have that information.”
It was a proud achievement for Borges.
“It was one of my goals to be at least in the top five, so being invited into the top ten announcements that day was very great for me, because I knew I landed somewhere in there. But to be named the salutatorian, it was really cool,” Borges said.
Both expressed deep appreciation and pride in receiving their titles, and shared that their families and loved ones responded with heartfelt praise and support after hearing the good news through text messages.
They both have great advice to offer younger students at RPBHS.
“I think it’s really important to find a balance between academics and the extra-curricular side of things, especially since that’s what helped me in maintaining an overall better mental health,” Lopez-Merlos said. “It’s about doing things that you like and finding what you love. If you only focus on school, you’re not going to find the balance of what you want to do and where you want to go.”
Borges said that it is fine not to know what your exact goals are.
“It’s OK to not know; you don’t have to rush,” she said. “You shouldn’t have to rush to figure out what you want to do in life, because you’re going into high school trying to figure out what you think the next 35 years of your life should look like. I think you should just focus more so on what’s in front of you, and don’t stress out too much about college, GPAs and SAT scores, because sometimes you need to just take a breather and relax.”
They are both very proud of the Class of 2025 and the growth they’ve seen since freshman year. They believe their classmates have the potential to accomplish great things after graduation and are excited to see what lies ahead. Despite facing challenges like the pandemic, they feel their class has remained strong, both academically and socially, which they believe sets them apart.
Lopez-Merlos will be attending the University of Miami, where she was accepted into the Foote Fellows Honors Program and awarded scholarships. She plans to study microbiology and immunology, with a minor in nutrition.
Borges will be attending the University of Central Florida, where she plans to start early in the summer and major in environmental engineering. She hopes to pursue a career in agriculture or horticulture, combining her studies with her passion for gardening.
As graduation approaches, both are focused on successfully completing their final exams and making the most of their remaining time in high school. Lopez-Merlos and Borges have expressed great excitement about the next chapter in their lives, eager to experience college life and ready to embrace the journey ahead with determination and optimism.
When asked what she would like people to know about her, Lopez-Merlos said, “I would like to share that I have two autoimmune diseases, and I just want to put it out there for everybody else who feels like they’ve been recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that it can feel very difficult at first. It’s hard to know what to do with that and continue, because your life drastically changes while everyone around you keeps going at the same pace. To all those who come from struggles and disadvantages, it is possible to do whatever you need, and help is always going be available for you to find support in your loved ones and your friends.”
Borges explained how living with her mother, who has health issues, has proven difficult for her as well.
“My mom is immunocompromised, and so she had a lot of medical bills. And it was because of the bills that we did have to sell our house during my freshman year and live in an RV for a majority of my high school span,” Borges said. “So, I second the whole idea of despite the obstacles, you can still make something of yourself. Don’t make your situation define who you are. You’re still able to do great things and make an impact on the world.”
