Today, we had the chance to meet 10th grader Naeemah Cerizier who is a student here at Santaluces. She says that her favorite part about school here is the community and inclusion at Santaluces. She says as a black student, going to a diverse school is more welcoming and comforting.  They host many events for all students no matter their racial background or academic status, As well as offer clubs to fit students’ extracurricular interests.

Santaluces Student Government does an amazing job at getting students involved and participating in school functions. For example, Spirit Week. Seeing everyone dressed up appropriately demonstrates community and makes campus life enjoyable. She told us that high school so far has made her come to the realization of every piece of advice anyone has given her.

“‘This is where it really counts, don’t mess around. These are going to be the best years of your life.’ It never dawned on me that my career and basically life started once I entered high school.”

“As I was taking classes, it never clicked that I’m saving money by taking college-level classes, saving my time in the future since I’m getting those general education courses out of the way.” She also learned that all the resources are there, and people are willing to help you as long as you have the desire to succeed.

In the future, she wants to graduate high school with her associate’s degree and transfer to Florida A&M to study Child Psychology, and maybe minor in Mathematics. She sees herself in a Sorority such as DST or AKA but mainly wants to focus on academics.

“I want to earn a Bachelor’s in psychology, hopefully, skip earning a Master’s and move directly into a Doctoral program, all in hopes of becoming a successful Clinical Child Psychologist.”

She plans to use scholarships to financially support her throughout her long educational journey. She wants to move out of Florida to a state where her career is best supported.