Congratulations To The Freedom High Graduating Class of 2025! 

By the time you read this, the Freedom High Class of 2025 will already have had its graduation ceremony, which was held on May 23 at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall. 

Every graduate has a story that has led them to this exciting milestone in their lives. Listed below are highlights of some of the extraordinary students from this class. 

Outstanding seniors were recognized in the school’s annual Red, White, and Blue Awards Ceremony, held his year on Apr. 24. 

Congratulations to Freedom High School’s top 10 students, according to their weighted grade point averages (GPAs). 

1. Roham Farhardi Valedictorian 

GPA: 11.04 

College plans: 

University of Florida, 

Biomedical Engineering 

Note – Roham Farhardi’s 11.04 GPA is the highest ever at Freedom, and is also the highest in all of Hillsborough County this year. GPAs above 4.0 are attained by taking college-level classes, including dual enrollment, advanced placement (AP) and AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education, a program offered by Cambridge Assessment International Education). Roham began taking dual enrollment high school classes in sixth grade and completed a total of 47 courses, while only 25-28 is typical. He is leaving high school with 96 college credits already earned, scored a 1580 out of 1600 on the SAT, and was named a National Merit Finalist, ranking among the top 15,000 students nationally of the 1.3 million who took the PSAT as a qualifying exam. 

2. Rose Khosh 

Salutatorian 

GPA: 9.36 

College plans: 

University of Florida, Biology (Pre-Dental track) 

3. Elena Le 

GPA: 8.96 

College plans: 

University of Florida, Health Science 

4. Zachary Harmon 

GPA: 7.96 

College plans: 

University of Florida, Environmental Science 

5. Joseph Afiat 

GPA: 7.629 

College plans: 

University of Florida, Astrophysics 

6. Gregory Murashkin 

GPA: 7.44 

College plans: 

U.S. Naval Academy, Mechanical Eng. or 

Quantitative Economics 

7. Sunjay Bale 

GPA: 7.359 

College plans: University of Florida, Engineering 

8. Anthony Murashkin 

GPA: 7.345 

College plans: 

U.S. Air Force Academy, Mechanical Eng. or military & strategic studies 

9. Emma Schroeder 

GPA: 7.219 

College plans: 

University of Florida, 

Sports & Business Mgmt. 

10. Jorge Gonzalez 

GPA: 7.023 

College plans: 

Hillsborough CC, then 

University of Florida, 

Criminology 

In addition to naming its top-10 students, six scholarships were presented at the school’s Red, White and Blue Awards Ceremony. Given by the Freedom Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), each honoree below earned a $500 award: 

Joseph Afiat is a leader in chorus, honor societies and campus initiatives. He will attend the University of Florida and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in STEM, hoping to work with innovative companies to use science to solve global problems. 

Sarah McAveety is a campus leader who participates in clubs, sports and rigorous academics. She plans to attend the University of Central Florida and hopes to have a career in aerospace engineering, space exploration, or serving her country as a fighter-jet pilot. 

Andrew Switzer is involved in student government, honor societies and created an e-sports program at Freedom. He plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at USF. 

Nico Baisley was the manager for the softball team, participated in theatre, Best Buddies and other organizations. Nico plans to attend Hillsborough Community College and hopes to become a special education teacher. 

The Radiance Orthodontics Community Service Award was presented to Emma Schroeder, recognizing her commitment to serving others. Emma served more than 400 hours during her high school career as a volunteer with RAISE, tutoring students in reading, writing and spelling, and participated in other organizations such as Key Club and Mu Alpha Theta. She will attend the University of Florida. 

The PTSA also offered the anonymously funded Bridge Forward Scholarship, honoring a graduating senior who has demonstrated personal growth, resilience, and commitment to building a brighter future despite challenges. This scholarship was awarded to Jonathan Assefa, who plans to attend USF and pursue a career in cybersecurity. As a student with autism, Jonathan joined chorus to build social confidence and remained open to new experiences,. He hopes to inspire others with autism to break barriers, too. 

Congratulations to the entire Freedom High School class of 2025! 

Editor’s Note – Although photographer Charmaine George was able to take photos at the awards ceremony for Wharton High, neither myself nor Charmaine was available to attend the awards event at Freedom, so the top-10 photos, which were borrowed from Freedom’s Instagram page, and the information on this page were all we were able to provide for the school. 

We apologize for not being able to do more to honor the graduating students at both of New Tampa’s high schools. — GN 

Freedom High To Be Home To Hillsborough’s First Business Academy 

(l.-r.) Freedom High Business Academy director Brian Nanns, business teacher Natalie Lozada, marketing teacher Derrick McCoy, accounting teacher Stacey Polhill and Freedom assistant principal of curriculum Matthew Smith . (Photos by Charmaine George) 

From charter schools and private schools to public school magnet programs, there are plenty of options for high school students in New Tampa to find a customized high school curriculum that will prepare them for the next step in their lives that isn’t always the closest school to where they live. 

But now, Freedom High in Tampa Palms is hoping to attract more New Tampa students to choose their local public school with a brand new attractor program that will be the first Business Academy in the Hillsborough County School District. 

Students who finish all of the classes in the Business Academy will graduate with a certification that recognizes them as a program completer. Along the way, each class they take will earn them either an industry certification or college credit. 

Courses in the Academy include a series of classes in accounting, marketing, business principles and entrepreneurship, many that are either Advanced Placement (AP) or Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), which can result in students earning college credit if they pass an exam. 

Freedom’s assistant principal of curriculum Matthew Smith says one reason this program is poised for success is because it actually pays for itself, rather than requiring money to operate. 

That’s because the Florida Department of Education (FDoE) provides a stipend to schools that prepare students to do jobs that are needed in the workforce. So, when students earn industry certifications or college credits, that state-provided stipend goes back to the school, where it is used to enhance those programs. 

“We applied for a state grant to expand into this area because there’s a big shortage in accounting in Florida,” Smith says. “We are planning to transform our regular classrooms into high-tech accounting labs.” 

He says this will include seating where students work together collaboratively and have technology to project to the walls, for example, and that the room will likely feature a live stock market ticker. 

“This could be a game-changer for Freedom,” Smith says. “We’re hoping to retain neighborhood kids so they don’t have to get on a magnet bus and go somewhere else in Hillsborough County for a different program.” 

Smith explains that the Business Academy will be overarching and encompass the school’s Digital Academy, which has been in place for several years and prepares students for careers in game design, web development or related fields. 

“Our Digital Academy labs are already well equipped,” he explains, “with more than $200,000 per year in funding from industry certifications that our students receive.” 

This allows the labs to be continually updated with the latest technology. 

“We are adding AI next year, too,” he says, referring to teaching students about artificial intelligence. 

The Hillsborough County School District’s Chief of Innovation and Strategic Planning Marcos Murillo says these and other career and technical education classes have set the foundation for the Business Academy to be built on, and that it will be unique in the District. While other schools offer entry-level classes in subjects such as accounting and marketing, the Business Academy will be more comprehensive. 

The Business Academy also will encompass the school’s existing Digital Academy

“Freedom will offer more classes in that area than any other school in the District,” Murillo says. “The higher level classes won’t available anywhere else and will allow students to have a more robust transcript to apply for college.” 

Murillo’s job is to innovate at every school throughout the county but, he says, “Freedom is dear to my heart. My daughter graduated from there and my son is there now.” 

Instructors for Freedom’s Business Academy are already in place and are training for new courses that will be offered for the 2024-25 school year. 

For example, Stacey Polhill has worked as an accountant in the private industry and at the school district and has decades of real-world accounting experience. 

“She currently teaches math and accounting honors,” explains Smith, “but next year, she will teach additional accounting classes, such as managerial accounting honors or AICE accounting.” 

Not all classes will be available next year, but classes will be added as the program grows and students in the program need them. 

Other teachers include Brian Nanns, who is the chair of the school’s Career Technical Education Department. He currently serves as director of the Digital Academy, teaching classes such as AP Computer Science Principles, and will be director of the Business Academy, too. 

Social studies teacher Eric Galante has a business degree and is now working to get certified to teach AP and AICE business principles and global business classes. 

Derrick McCoy currently teaches marketing and television production and will expand the marketing classes that will be made available to students. 

Natalie Lozado will teach business ownership and entrepreneurship, which Smith says will teach students how to fully develop a new business, execute their plans, and compete in the marketplace. 

To participate in the Business Academy, all students — even if they currently attend Freedom — must apply through Hillsborough County’s “school choice and magnet application” available online at HillsboroughSchools.org/choice. 

In addition to the Business Academy, Smith says many students use the choice application to join the Digital Academy, which does not carry the “attractor” designation, or to participate in the school’s popular veterinary science program, where students can graduate high school as a Certified Veterinary Assistant. 

Freedom will appear on the application as an option during the next choice/magnet application period, which is typically in Feb. 

Smith says that if it happens that there is space available in the program, it may be possible for current Freedom students to take some of the classes in the Business Academy. However, seats are reserved for those who are chosen for the attractor program and commit to completing the entire track. 

“I can’t wait to build out the program,” Smith says.

Freedom Run Raises $2K For Athletic Booster Club

(Above) Nearly 100 runners took part in the first-ever Freedom Firecracker 5K run & 1-mile fun run at Freedom High in Tampa Palms on a hot and humid July 4. (All photos by Charmaine George)

Our first Freedom Firecracker 5K (and 1-mile fun run) turned out to be a huge success on the morning of the 4th of July. When all was said and done, 98 people had registered for the race — after the numbers were much lower (at only about 30) until the last several days before the event.

Eight-year-old Lochlan Lawley finished the 3.1 miles in 24.48, or almost exactly 8 minutes per mile

Race day was bright, clear, sunny, hot and humid and there was lots of red, white and blue. America-themed pop music played over the loudspeakers. Several members of the Freedom PTSA were there to help with setup, face painting and providing course directions for the runners. A number of student volunteers from Freedom’s Key Club also came out to help with face painting, handing out bead necklaces and providing water to runners at stations along the route.

After the playing of the national anthem, the race began promptly at 8 a.m., with an actual firecracker start!  The course took the runners off Freedom’s new track, and then twice around the back of the school, up past the New Tampa Recreation Center along Commerce Park Blvd., and back through the parking lot, finishing up back on the track.

The overall winner at the Freedom Firecracker 5K was Mason LaBlance. 

Hot dogs and red, white and blue popsicles were enjoyed after the race ended!

Medals were given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in male and female categories. The fastest runner overall was Mason LaBlance, who finished the 3.1-mile (5K) run in a time of 17:35.2.  Mason, a student at King High, finished more than a minute ahead of his nearest competitors!

The other 5K medal winners were:

Male:

2. Joseph Kuhns – 18:44.5 (Freedom student)

3. Noah Brucculeri – 18:51.5 

Female:

1. Elsi Rehberg – 22:08.5  

2. Madelyn Ammirati – 23:22.3  (Freedom student)

3. Abigail Lawley – 23:27.2  

The top-three male finishers were (l.-r.) Joseph Kuhns, Mason LaBlance & Noah Brucculeri.

The top-three female finishers were (l.-r.) Elsi Rehberg, Madelyn Ammirati & Abigail Lawley.

The link at the end of this story will take you to a complete listing of the race results. Thanks to Freedom’s track coach Alex Hernandez for providing the link so everyone who participated can check their official results!

The 5K was followed by a 1-mile run/walk around the Freedom track. Mostly parents and some staff members participated in that event.  

Freedom assistant principal Jenna Lamour and Coach Hernandez did an outstanding job organizing our school’s first-ever Firecracker 5K event.  Thank you to them, the runners and their families, the Freedom PTSA and Freedom Key Club for their participation and support of the Freedom Athletics program. 

Ms. Lamour says that the event generated about $2,000 in proceeds, which will be used to purchase athletic equipment, supplement uniforms, support coaches at clinics, recognition banquets,  varsity letters/pins, etc.

To check your Firecracker 5K results, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/147920#resultSetId-390901;perpage:100.

It’s Been All About The Experience For Freedom Valedictorian


The pressure for many high school valedictorians can be stifling. While mostly grateful for finishing at the top of their respective classes, the journey is usually one that provides them with a sense of relief when they graduate.

But, Freedom High Class of 2022 valedictorian Pascale Carvalho says that, for her, there never was any pressure. She loved the journey. And, she has made putting in a ton of hours to earn her Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Hillsborough Community College and compiling an 8.5 high school grade point average actually sound, well, fun.

“I was never aiming for a certain spot,” Pascale says. “It was never motivation to do better in school. It was just a perk.”

From the very start of high school, which officially ends with graduation Thursday morning at 8 a.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds, Pascale made sure to take classes she would enjoy, not just classes that would beef up her GPA. 

Her freshman year, she took music theory because despite already playing the guitar (jazz fusion and rock) and cello — and cymbals in the high school band — she wanted to learn how to read music, too. And now, she writes her own music as well.

“It was an irreplaceable experience,” she says.

As a sophomore, Pascale took a heavy load of dual enrollment classes, because one of her major goals was to earn her A.A. degree prior to actually starting college. Her junior year, she took Japanese at the University of South Florida, because she had an interest in that culture and language.

Her senior year, Pascale took a pair of 4000-level health science classes at USF, another strong area of interest for her. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do in college prior to her senior year, but her wide range of interests and classes has helped clarify that vision. 

While undecided on which college she will attend, she is mulling over acceptance letters from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, for its outstanding music composition programs, or Brown University in Providence, RI, or Washington University in St. Louis, for health sciences.

“My goal was just to give myself the best possible education I could, and provide myself with the best college opportunities, and that’s what I did,” she says.

The groundwork for a successful high school experience was laid by her family. Her parents Chantal and Daniel stressed education — Pascale laughs at the math books and essays Chantal assigned during the summer — and older brother Antoine, a Freedom grad, is at Boston University, while older sister Dominique recently graduated from USF after studying biological health science. 

“They definitely emphasized being good at what you do,” Pascale says. “If you do anything, try to be the best at it.”

Pascale also strove to be her best, but was never consumed with her academic standing. “Being No. 1 is just one of those hoops you go through,” she says. “Once you reach it, (you should) look back, and see if your experience equates to that number. Because it should.”

Pascale’s high school experience also included athletics. While she couldn’t compete her sophomore and junior years due to an undiagnosed neurological problem, she still managed to play two seasons of soccer and, as a senior, was on the swimming and cross country teams.

While she ponders college, Pascale spends her spare time with friends, watching anime and playing her guitar.

But if you ask her to play a tune, don’t expect a rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama.” She didn’t take music theory and Japanese for nothing.

“Well, I like a lot of Japanese music,” she says, laughing, “so it’s probably going to be a random Japanese heavy metal song that nobody’s ever heard.”