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The Class of 2026 graduates at 123rd Ransom Everglades Commencement

Before the confetti cannons fired and blue and green balloons descended from the rafters at Ransom Everglades' 123rd Commencement, the Class of 2026 sat together on stage – attentive and contemplative. They listened to words of wisdom, received congratulations and, one by one, crossed the stage to receive their diplomas from Head of School Rachel Rodriguez and Chair of the Board Miguel Dueñas ’95.
Valedictorian Charlotte Gould ’26, Founders’ Alumni Award winner Matthew Beatty ’01 and commencement speaker Ron Magill had offered a mix of advice, reflection and inspiration in their addresses, and all carried a common theme: encouraging the graduating seniors to go out into the world and leave it better than they find it.

“True accomplishment goes beyond graduating,” said Magill, Zoo Miami’s Goodwill Ambassador and recently retired Zoo Miami communications director after 46 years. “It is reflected in the choices you make when no one is watching. It is defined by how you treat others, how you respond to adversity, and how you use your abilities to make a difference in the world around you.”


Gould’s remarks included reminiscences about shared experiences and gratitude to teachers, administrators, family and classmates. “As Ransom Everglades students,” Gould said, “we know that it is not the diploma we are about to receive that matters. It is what we do with everything we have been given.”


RE’s Chief Operating Officer David Clark ’86 presented the Founders’s Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to the Community to Beatty 25 years after his graduation from Ransom Everglades. Currently the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Carrie Meek Foundation, Beatty helped turn Give Miami Day into one of the city’s most important fundraising instruments, and he also helped launch the State of Black Philanthropy during his tenure with the Miami Foundation. Beatty has also been instrumental in the Meek Mobilized Grants program, which saw a $100,000 investment turned into $8 million in county funding in less than a year. 

“Matthew reminds us that true success is measured not only by achievement, but by service and the positive impact we have on others,” Clark said. “His leadership and commitment to the community make all of us at Ransom Everglades incredibly proud.” 

Beatty noted that he was honored to receive an award recently given to service-minded alumni including Joshua Williams ’18, Annie Lord ’97 and Meg Daly ’78, and he encouraged the seniors on stage to remain true to the values instilled in them at Ransom Everglades and “carry that torch so that this entire world can see the light that burns right here at Ransom.”

“You have got what it takes,” he said. “You have the empathy, you have the intellect, and you’ve got the passion for hard work that it’s going to take to change the world.”

Rachel Rodriguez noted the family ties that strengthen RE, sharing that 38 members of the Class of 2026 were about to become the second child in their families to graduate from Ransom Everglades; 12, the third child; and three, the fourth child. She urged the entire senior class to head out into the world with confidence, boldness, courage and kindness.

“Move forward with the knowledge that your faculty, your parents, your friends, your family, all of us, we believe in you, and we believe in you completely,” she said. “You've got this. We believe in your strength, your potential and your heart.”

Rodriguez and Clark presented the senior awards: Ana Gonzalez ’26 and Max Grunwald ’26 each received a Faculty Cup; Lola Pegg '26 received the Head of School’s Cup; Sofia Rhone-Fernandez ’26 received the Swenson Cup; and Lucas Jaffee ’26, the Ransom Cup. Head of the Upper School Donald Cramp presented the Valedictory Cup to Gould and the Salutatory Cup to Chloe Dubose '26, who addressed her peers during the Baccalaureate/Senior Send-off.

The ceremony included the singing of RE’s alma mater and the song “The New World” by Austin Sayfie Aagaard ’26, Charlie Derick ’26, Gustavo do Valle ’26, Daniela Garcia ’26, Bella Sayfie Ranawat ’26 (who also sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"), Miranda Silva ’26 and Morgan Williams ’26. Faculty member Jon Hamm conducted the 2026 Ransom Everglades Commencement Symphony Orchestra, and Performing Arts Department Chair Cecilia Gonzalez directed the vocalists. Faculty member Arn Xu served as an accompanist. 

The board chair Duenas presented a diploma to his daughter, Alexa Dueñas ’26 and let seniors know they would be leaving RE with a built-in support system: the rest of the alumni community.
 
“Remember, Ransom Everglades will always be behind you,” Dueñas said. “This place is more than a school. It's a community, one that spans a lifetime and across generations.”
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Phone: 305 250 6850

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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. It is rated the top private school in Miami and among the 10 private schools in North America. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.


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