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EIGHT FAU HIGH STUDENTS TO ALSO EARN COLLEGE DEGREES

The students in the highly-selective program at FAU High School are dual-enrolled at FAU after their ninth grade year.

by KELSIE WEEKES | Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Florida Atlantic University’s spring commencement ceremonies highlights the accomplishments of eight FAU High School students who also will be receiving their college degree along with their high school diploma. The highly selective program at FAU High serves as a dual-enrollment prototype. Students spend their ninth grade year in a high school classroom taking advanced coursework. This prepares them for grades 10-12, where all classes are collegiate courses taken at FAU for both high school and college credit.

This semester’s graduates include:

  • Jessica Brandwein, 17, is FAU’s youngest graduate this semester. She will graduate summa cum laude from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science on Friday, May 6 at 9 a.m. with a degree in biological sciences. Brandwein has been researching bacteria on human skin that could one day be used as a method for forensic identification. She recently took home first place at the Broward Research Symposium for her research. Brandwein has already been accepted into a Ph.D. program for microbiology, which she will begin in the fall at the University of Florida. She hopes to continue her research and eventually become a college professor.
  • Jerrick Flores, 18, will graduate magna cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 1 p.m. with a degree in computer science from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Flores co-founded the FAU Game Development Club last semester, and also did research on virtual reality in FAU’s Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab. Flores will attend the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy for graduate school, which has been named the top graduate game development program in the world by the Princeton Review.
  • Giovana Jaen, 18, will graduate from FAU summa cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 9 a.m. with a degree in biological sciences from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. While at FAU, Jaen conducted biochemical research on RNA damage and modification on protein synthesis. She served as a volunteer in FAU’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and is also a member of the American Medical Student Association, and is co-chair of the Women in Medicine Interest Group. Jaen will attend Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in the fall to study microbiology and immunology. She eventually plans to attend medical school.
  • Connor Lemcke, 18, will graduate magna cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. with a degree in political science from the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. Lemcke participated in the first FAU Mock Presidential Debate, and also worked on Scott Maxwell’s successful re-election campaign for the Lake Worth City Commission. He plans to get a master’s degree in international relations, and eventually work abroad in U.S. embassies and consulates.
  • Samantha Lloyd, 17, will graduate from FAU summa cum laude with a degree in English education on Thursday, May 5 at 9 a.m. from College of Education. Lloyd will become the first FAU High School student to graduate from FAU’s College of Education while dual-enrolled. Lloyd knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher, and she quickly excelled in her English and writing courses at FAU. This semester, Lloyd completed a full-time internship at Eagles Landing Middle School teaching a classroom of sixth graders. Lloyd will continue her studies at FAU toward a master’s degree in communications. She hopes to eventually involve herself in political communications or become an English teacher.
  • Paul Morris, 18, will graduate magna cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 1 p.m. with a degree in computer science from the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Morris recently conducted research using machine learning and computer vision to embed intelligence and learning capabilities in ground rovers equipped with cameras. His research team tied for first place at this semester’s OURI Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Engineering/Computer Science category. Morris plans to continue his studies at FAU and pursue a master’s degree in computer science this fall.
  • Jordan Vancel, 18, will graduate magna cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 9 a.m. with a degree in biology from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Vancel has been conducting research using HIV genes to study mechanisms of gene expression. While at FAU, she was an active member of the American Medical Student Association and the Golden Key International Honor Society. She also swam competitively for FAU High School. Vancel has already been accepted to Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health for their molecular microbiology and immunology master’s program. She is also applying for medical school.
  • Devin Weinberg, 18, will graduate summa cum laude on Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. with a degree in political science from the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. While at FAU, Weinberg volunteered with the Theatre Lab, the University’s resident professional theater company. He also participated in the first FAU Mock Presidential Debate, and plans to pursue a master’s degree in international relations this fall.

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