TAMPA, Fla. — Jasmine Mazard, a Tampa teen who has risen above staggering adversity, is about to make history.
With a GPA of 8.07, Mazard will be the very first valedictorian at Patel High School, which has only been open for a few years.
Mazard is quiet, soft-spoken, and humble. She's also laser-focused and determined to become a doctor.
"Being an introvert isn't a weakness for me," she said. "It helps me power through all my emotions."
And there have been a lot of emotions in her 17 years.
Mazard has both ADHD and hearing loss, obstacles that are challenging enough.
But in 2019, the house she lived in with her father and mother, who was nine months pregnant at the time, burned to the ground.
The family was homeless, adrift.
Her baby brother Marlo was born soon after. There were severe complications; her mother, Nidta, almost lost her own life during the birth.
Mazard would absorb these difficult times — and turn them into towering strengths.
"Marlo is my motivation," she said about her little brother. "I want to be a role model for him. After my mother and father almost passed away, seeing my brother allowed me to get that drive."
Mazard crushed all four years at Patel High School; kept to herself and her studies.
On top of her high school workload, Mazard even achieved her associate's degree at Hillsborough Community College.
In an amusing twist, Mazard's cousin Dylan Mazard was last year's valedictorian at Gaither High School. His GPA? 11.84, a state record.
Mazard laughs when asked if there's something magic in the family water.
"We just have our own personal drives that drive us," she said.
Mazard would like to be a pediatrician someday.
Her mom Nidta said don't bet against her.
"She's my rock," Nidta said. "Whenever I'm going through something, she's my rock."
