UT Tyler University Academy Recognizes 2024 Graduating Class

June 3, 2024 | Hannah Buchanan

The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy recognized 58 graduates during its 2024 graduation ceremony Friday, May 31, at the UT Tyler Herrington Patriot Center.

Past UT Tyler President Kirk Calhoun gave the commencement address. Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, UA
superintendent, and Dr. Pradeep “Max” Dass, UT Tyler Roosth Endowed Chair and dean of the
College of Education and Psychology, gave opening and closing remarks, respectively.
Graduates by campus are:

LONGVIEW – Annie Kim Tran (valedictorian), Andrea Ortiz-Sampallo (salutatorian), Mariah Antonese Carter, Elisabeth Grace Richardson Collins, Eli Thomas Erwin, Gabriel Vazquez Fajardo, France Nicole Faries, Michael Aaron Gibson, Dylan Kacey Green, Shelby Mikayla Hanks, William James Hawkins, Elias Martinez Jimenez, Jacob Landon Joyner, Campbell Rose Kendall, Wade Ryan Mauer Jr., Seth Joseph McGregor, Andrea Anne Rhudy, Isis Alicia Rocha, Emma Dyan Schimmels, Mia Adriana Sousa, Peyton Mills Sullivan, Wylie David Tharp, Seth Williams Weeks and Garrett Kyler Westbrook.

PALESTINE – Ava Elizabeth Chaladpru (valedictorian), Talon James Slindee (salutatorian), Hannah
Marie Branson, Jalyah Alexis Crist, Fred Garland Henson III, Conner Donovan Huffman, Emilee
Brianne Jackson, Hope Izabelle Kizer, Anthony Lopez, Elizabeth Brooke Pence, Adrian Maximus
Toscano, Anastaja Christine Lorraine White, Melissa Catherine Barraza and Allyn Rae Crawford.

TYLER – Rebekah Katheryn Le Daniel (valedictorian), Umama Khan (salutatorian), Anna Gabriella
Awbrey, Emma Rose Case, Amayrani Liset DuBose, Elysia Brooke Halberstadt, Olivia Lydia Hall,
Jeremiah Cadet Humphries, Ceresa Jane Jones, Joshua Scott Kennemer, Valorie Rose Lobo, William
James Martinez, Tyler James Mellor, Haylee Elizabeth Nolan, Tristian Alexander O’Sullivan, Ian
Hudson Orr, Giovanni Daniel Pinedo, Camille Grace Reyes, An Ngoc Tran and Hayden Allan Burns.

The UT Tyler University Academy provides free, innovative and rigorous K-12 education using
Project-Based Learning designed to prepare students for university study and the STEM workforce.
Operated by the College of Education and Psychology, the district currently serves more than 1,000 students in Tyler, Longview and Palestine. For more information, visit uttua.org/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT
Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students.
Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has
unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent
patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World
Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.