Tampa Bay's brightest high school graduates take on the world
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Jude and Jacob Delikat (left) and Tyler Hale at their graduations on Wednesday. Photos courtesy of Jemy Delikat and Tevia Hale
How do you one-up your valedictorian older brother? Jacob Delikat did it by becoming valedictorian and setting a school record with a 10.12 GPA.
- Meanwhile, Tyler Hale competed with only himself — graduating high school at 15 years old.
Why it matters: Delikat and Hale are among thousands of high school students graduating around Tampa Bay this month — the last class to start high school before the coronavirus pandemic.
- If Delikat and Hale have proven anything during the ups and downs of the last four years, it's that there's still a bright future ahead.
Sibling rivalry
Delikat graduated as valedictorian from Bloomingdale Senior High School in Hillsborough County on Wednesday after completing more than 50 combined dual enrollment and AP classes. Oh, and he earned a near-perfect 1590 SAT score.
- "I just liked taking all the classes," he told Axios. "I thought they were interesting, honestly."
Yes, and: Delikat founded his school's computer programming club, led the Science National Honor Society, participated in competitions with the robotics team, played varsity tennis, and joined a bowling league.
- He also volunteers with several local organizations and is president of a nonprofit that donates money to a small village in India, according to his mother Jemy Delikat.
What they're saying: "Most importantly, he's just a sweet, sweet person," she told Axios. "That's what I'm most proud of."
What's ahead: Delikat wanted to stay close to family, so he only applied to the University of South Florida.
- He'll join his brother Jude there in the fall, where they will be roommates in the honors dorm and take classes together.
- "It's nice to have a good support system around you where you're able to drive each other to be the best version of yourself," Jude told Axios.
Hernando's Doogie Howser
A lot of students had trouble adjusting to virtual school during the pandemic. Not Tyler Hale.
State of play: The 15-year-old graduated from Hernando eSchool on Wednesday with a 4.0 GPA after flying through middle and high school online.
- Hale started the eSchool in 2019, completed his middle school requirements in one year, and finished high school in three.
How he did it: At 11 years old, Hale had a better work-from-home routine than most adults.
- He'd wake up around 9am each morning, pour himself a bowl of Reese's Puffs or grab a muffin, and then do his schoolwork until around 3pm. Then he'd hang out with friends, ride his four-wheeler, play Nintendo Switch, volunteer at a local church, or work on his driving.
- "I just like getting things done quick," he told Axios. "I'm very motivated."
His advice for anyone else tackling online school? "Stay at it, and don't give up."
- "You may not feel happy to do it at first, and it may be hard," Hale said. "But after a while it just becomes normal. You don't regret it after you do it."
What's ahead: Hale's not headed to college quite yet, but he wants to keep doing school online and follow in his father's footsteps with a hands-on career like welding or auto mechanics.
- His father works on small engines at home and taught Hale how to take motors apart and put them back together.
- "Anything with his hands, he really enjoys," his mother, Tevia Hale-Woodie, told Axios.