Vero Beach, FL, April 22,2022: Jayden Hughes has been named the valedictorian of Sebastian River High School, the first African American to earn that honor at the school.
Jayden is currently ranked 1 out of 425 senior classmates with an unweighted GPA of 3.984 and a weighted GPA of 4.672. He has been a student at SRHS since 2018. He is graduating this spring.
Jayden applied and was accepted to the following schools: Duke University, University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Miami, University of North Florida, and University of Central Florida and has decided to join the Florida Gators at the University of Florida.
Jayden attended Liberty Magnet for kindergarten through fifth grade and Storm Grove Middle School for sixth through eighth grade. His father, Henry Hughes is a graduate of Vero Beach High School. His mother, Vanessa Alvarez is a graduate of Sebastian River High School, and his sister, Jayla Hughes is a 2018 graduate of Sebastian River High School.
The School District of Indian River County issued a news release announcing the honor.
Jayden’s accomplishments include, but are not limited to:
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme Candidate
• Recipient of the 2021 Florida Sunshine Scholar award
• AP Scholar with Honors (Received an average score of 3.25 on 4 or more AP exams)
• Selected to be a part of the College Board National African American Recognition Program
• Selected to be a part of the College Board National Rural and Small-Town Recognition Program
• Nominated for and attended discussions with Harvard and University of Florida Alumni about future college aspirations and potential career paths at various schools
• BACE (Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing exam) certified
• Selected to be a part of the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program
• One of the youngest Publix employees in a managerial position