A high school senior thought she would be her class valedictorian, but a few weeks before graduation, her school informed her family that a mistake had been made. The student, Maya Veliz, attends Blue Ridge High School in northeastern Texas. She told WFAA that her school informed her about a year ago that she would be valedictorian if she didn't fail any of her classes, but on March 28, 2024, they made it official — only to take it back at the last minute and say that she would actually be No. 3.
Her dad, Jorge Veliz, told People that his daughter had even received her transcript "where it said she was number one along with her GPA" before the school notified her family about the mistake.
When Maya received the official announcement about her class rank on March 28, she thought that she could finally tell her friends and family members. She thought it would be a great opportunity for her loved ones to come together and celebrate, and some of her relatives had already booked their flights.
Maya also told WFAA that she had already planned out her speech for the graduation ceremony, since the valedictorian typically has the opportunity to speak at graduation.
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Her dad told People that the school's principal called on April 8 to say "there was a miscalculation on Maya's GPA." An issue regarding Maya's transfer credits reportedly impacted her GPA, but she was not made aware of this until right before her graduation. In the past, though, her school counselor had even assured her that the transfer credits wouldn't be an issue.
Jorge explained to People that their family spoke to the school counselor after Maya transferred from another school, and the counselor reportedly told them that "Maya's on the good road. The only way that I can foresee Maya not being valedictorian is if Maya fails her courses completely."
Maya told WFAA that she attended several different high schools, and being valedictorian has been her goal since the beginning of her freshman year. Speaking to the outlet, she explained that the mistake will also affect her future because she chose her college thinking that she would receive a scholarship that's awarded to valedictorians who attend state schools in Texas.
Maya said the mistake is "gut-wrenching" for her, especially because she found out so close to the date of her graduation, when she had already informed her loved ones about her class rank.
She doesn't plan to attend graduation after being informed of the "miscalculation."
"She feels like the school keeps saying that they respect her and she's a big part of the community, but it makes her feel like she's not,” her dad told People.
Maya explained that at a previous school, she had taken honors classes, which added "weight" to her GPA. However, her current high school has a policy that if a class is not offered at Blue Ridge, it will be counted as a "regular course" without "weight" added. In other words, the honors courses she took at another school are not being counted as honors courses at her current school, which "significantly brought [her] GPA down," she explained to WFAA.
Maya also told the outlet that before she made the decision to prioritize her education, she was a pre-professional ballet dancer. She decided to give up dancing to focus on school since it was hard to balance dancing and taking challenging courses. However, she was able to join the cheer team while still focusing on her schoolwork.
Now, she's not sure if giving up on dancing was worth it, her dad told People. The school district shared a statement with WFAA that said:
“Miscalculations were originally made when finalizing GPA and Class Rank; then corrected to ensure compliance with both of those board policies. All students affected have been notified. And in addition, plans have been initiated to ensure that a mistake like this does not take place in the future.”
