Central High seniors headed to UF, FIU after standout years

Hernando County’s top seniors are closing out the school year with clear next steps: Central High School valedictorian William Morales is headed to the University of Florida for biochemistry on a pre-med track, salutatorian Autumn Hernandez is bound for Florida International University to major in international business, and Faith Christian Academy valedictorian Aidan Lloyd Reynolds plans to start at Pasco-Hernando State College before transferring to UF for geomatics.

Morales finished with a 4.6296 GPA and said years of after-school tutoring and helping students in classes outside his own shaped his high school experience. His path points directly into UF’s biochemistry program, which the university says prepares students for careers in research, medicine and other fields. That makes Morales’ choice a strong pre-health route for a student leaving Central with one of the county’s highest academic marks.

Hernandez earned a 3.94 GPA while balancing a part-time job, volunteering at BayCare and staying involved in clubs and community life. BayCare says it offers volunteer opportunities at 16 hospitals and also provides student experiences and shadowing for students pursuing medicine and nursing, giving her service work a direct link to the kind of professional exposure many families want to see from high school programs. Hernandez said she is looking forward to new challenges, new people and new places, and credited her mother for steady support.

Reynolds posted a 4.1371 GPA and split his time among flag football, basketball and trumpet while planning for a career in surveying. He said he hopes to work for his grandfather at Braden Land Surveying after graduation. UF says geomatics covers surveying, GIS, GPS, mapping, cadastral principles, remote sensing and photogrammetry, and the university says the program reaches students in Hernando County, making Reynolds’ route a local fit as well as an academic one.

The bigger picture is what these three students say about Hernando County’s pipeline. The district says a high school diploma opens doors to postsecondary education, workforce entry, scholarships and greater career choices, and its 2025-26 calendar lists the last day of school as June 2, 2026. As the year ends, Central High and Faith Christian Academy are sending out graduates headed into medicine, business and surveying, with college plans that reflect both achievement and practical opportunity.