By Jillian Tumlin
Miranda Augustine recently graduated with high marks from Strawberry Crest’s International Baccalaureate program. The International Baccalaureate, or IB, is an educational program dedicated to developing knowledgeable and inquisitive students who actively participate in caring about the world and spreading knowledge to others. IB was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968. Since then, schools across the world have adopted the IB program and inspired young people like Augustine to value learning. IB also embraces intercultural understanding, which is especially important to ethnically diverse students like Augustine, who is part of the Hillsborough County School District Title VII American Indian program as a Puyallup Indian. “Title VII” means she is a Native American student enrolled in public schooling who has completed a Title VII Student Eligibility Certification form. This program provides support for young Native Americans academically and socially.
Augustine is graduated with a 6.5711 GPA. She ranks 352 out of the 12,679 seniors in Hillsborough County. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and was awarded the National Commended Scholar award. Besides being an IB student, Augustine is a dancer who has been dancing for seven years at Brandon Ballet and 11 years at The Dance Center. IB is a rigorous program that challenges its students constantly, so having a separate schedule can be demanding and intense.
“Some nights I had to skip dance when I had too much homework, and some weekends I wouldn’t finish assignments because of a hectic rehearsal schedule,” Augustine said regarding her school and dance schedule.
As a result of her hard work and accomplishments, Augustine will attend New York University in the upcoming fall semester in their Liberal Studies Core Program. She wants to go to graduate school for journalism, then proceed to the journalism field.
“I also intend to continue dancing, and when I physically cannot anymore, I would love to teach and/or choreograph,” said Augustine.
Augustine and her family are thoroughly excited for her further success and growth in the academic world in her future. For more information on Strawberry Crest’s IB program, visit strawberrycrest.mysdhc.org. For more information regarding Title VII Services, contact School Social Work Services at 273-7090.
