The inspiring 17-year-old Florida high school student graduates with an amazing 8.07 GPA — even after struggling with hearing loss, ADHD and a terrible fire that left her family homeless
- Jasmine Mazard-Larry, 17, attended the Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School in Florida
- The student who wants to become a doctor achieved amazing academic success
- Her journey has not been easy as she struggles with ADHD, hearing loss and homelessness
A high school valedictorian graduated with a staggering GPA of 8.07 — more than double the US average.
Jasmine Mazard-Larry achieved her academic success at the Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School in Tampa, Florida.
The 17-year-old, who took dual enrollment, improved her grade point average by taking Advanced Placement courses and the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education program.
In addition to her high school diploma, she also received an associate’s degree from a local community college — but the student’s path hasn’t been smooth.
Jasmine Mazard-Larry graduated with a staggering GPA of 8.07 – more than double the US average
The 17-year-old, who wants to be a doctor, said she takes inspiration from her younger brother
Jasmine, who suffers from ADHD and hearing loss, said she initially viewed her diagnoses as weaknesses – but has since realized that it has actually helped her build resilience
Jasmine, who has ADHD and hearing loss, said she initially viewed her diagnoses as weaknesses, telling ABC News, “I was a little embarrassed.” “I haven’t really spoken to a lot of people about it.”
But now she realizes that it actually helped her build resilience.
“These are not setbacks,” she said. “You allowed me to be who I am today.”
Additionally, four years ago, Jasmine and her family were left homeless after their house burned down in a fire and her father was seriously injured.
Jasmine’s mother, Nidta Mazard, was nine months pregnant at the time and referred to the child as her “rock”.
She added: ‘[Jasmine] inspired me to be a better mom and a better person.”
Jasmine persevered, earning an 8.07 grade point average — even though the average high school grade in America is a 3.0, according to Think Impact.
She even found time for extracurricular activities such as the art club, student council, student council, and speech and debate team.
In her farewell speech at the graduation ceremony, she told her classmates, “Rejection doesn’t mean you failed.”
Jasmine achieved stunning academic success at Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School in Tampa, Florida
Jasmine (pictured with her younger brother) even found time for extracurricular activities like the art club, student council, student council, and speech and debate team
Jasmine, who wants to be a doctor, said her younger brother is her inspiration, telling Good Morning America, “Sometimes it can be challenging, but I look at him and I want to be a role model for him.”
In her farewell speech at the graduation ceremony, she told her classmates, “Rejection doesn’t mean you failed.” Rejection means just being patient. your time will come
“Let it be a tool that allows you to persevere and never, ever, and I mean never give up on your dreams.”
She concluded, “Don’t let obstacles and what people say determine who you really are.”
How does the GPA structure work?
Students can calculate their GPA (Grade Point Average) by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted.
The GPA structure most commonly used by high schools is on a scale of up to 4.0. In it, the grades are represented by each denomination:
- 4.0: A
- 3.0: B
- 2.0: C
- 1.0:D
- 0.0: F
The scale is far from universal, however, with some schools awarding additional grade points to students pursuing more demanding studies, including honors, dual enrollments, advanced grading, and International Baccalaureate classes.
Experts tend to agree that granting bonus points for attending advanced courses disadvantages students whose high schools do not offer such courses.
College admissions offices require copies of a student’s high school transcripts so they can adjust for differences in class difficulty and grade inflation.
Source: Cappex