High school senior is left heartbroken after being stripped of her valedictorian title after bizarre 'miscalculation'

A high school senior in Texas has been left heartbroken after she was stripped of her valedictorian title following a bizarre 'miscalculation.' 

Maya Veliz found out she was chosen as Blue Ridge High School's 2024 valedictorian in March, but last week, the school principal revoked her title. 

She was originally told her GPA over the last year drove her to the top of her class, but that was later corrected to number three.  

Maya had already written her valedictorian speech and accepted an offer at the University of Texas with the understanding that her first year would be covered by a scholarship. 

Maya Veliz was announced as the valedictorian at Blue Ridge High School in March, but last week the title was stripped from her over a 'miscalculation' of transfer credits

She was originally told by administrators that her GPA over the last year drove her to the top of her class, but now, she is number three in her class

'To hear those words, not even 30 days before graduation was gut-wrenching,' Maya told WFAA. 

Maya has since decided not to attend her graduation ceremony at the end of May.  

'She said she feels like the school keeps saying that they respect her and she's a big part of the community, but it makes her feel like she's not,' Jorge Veliz, Maya's dad, told People. 

According to her father, after Maya transferred as a junior from another school in Frisco, Texas, in 2022, he and his wife made sure to stay in contact with her new school counselor and make sure her credits and grades were in order. 

'[The counselor] had told us, 'Oh, don't worry. Maya's on the good road. The only way that I can foresee Maya not being valedictorian is if Maya fails her course completely',' Jorge said. 

Her father added that Maya 'hasn't failed anything', was enrolled in AP honors classes and was taking dual credit courses. 

'We even asked if it was necessary for her to take any extra courses, and [the counselor] told her, 'No, everything is good',' Jorge said. 

He then discovered that under a policy established in 2017 by the Blue Ridge Independent School District, Maya wasn't able to obtain credit for the courses she took at her previous school. 

Jorge said that credit is not given for classes from another school if they aren't offered at the Blue Ridge school district. 

'Well, some of those courses are in the catalog, but they're saying that they don't have any teachers to teach [them],' he said. 'So they kind of contradicted themselves on the policy.' 

She accepted an offer at the University of Texas with the understanding that her first year would be covered by a scholarship that is awarded to valedictorians. (pictured: Maya with a Student of the Month award in 2023) 

Her father discovered that under a policy in the Blue Ridge Independent School District that was established in 2017, Maya wasn't able to obtain credit for the courses she took at her previous school. (pictured: Blue Ridge High School) 

In preparation for what she thought would be her biggest moment, Maya had already written her valedictorian speech. (pictured: her speech that she typed on her phone) 

The school district told WFAA that they have 'investigated' the 'private student matter and communicated with the parents.' 

'The district reviews academic achievement, grade calculations, and class rank during this time period each year in accordance with applicable state law and board policies EIC and EIC Local,' the district added. 

'Miscalculations were originally made when finalizing GPA and Class Rank; then corrected to ensure compliance with both of those board policies. All students affected have been notified.' 

The district added that they have created plans to make sure that 'a mistake like this' does not happen again. 

It is unclear who the new valedictorian is. DailyMail.com contacted the school district for comment. 

Maya said that she has dreamed of becoming valedictorian and even set a goal to do so four years ago. 

'It's almost the end of the year and I kind of saw this going a different way,' Maya tearfully said. 

Jorge has expressed his disappointment with the situation and feels for his daughter. 

'This is something I wouldn't want any kid to deal with or any parent,' Jorge said. 

He said that he would 'understand' if the policy was in effect for 'a year or two,' but it was in place before Maya transferred to the school. 

Maya and her family, including members traveling from Guatemala and Switzerland, who booked hotels for the graduation, will not be attending 

At the University of Southern California, the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, 21, had her speech cancelled after the school banned her for being outspoken in her pro-Palestinian support

'She's worked her butt off,' he said. 'She used to be a dancer, and she put that dream to the side to dedicate her time to school because she knew it was going to be a hard task managing both.' 

Maya and her family, including members traveling from Guatemala and Switzerland, who booked hotels for the graduation, will not be attending. 

'This affects my future and I don't wish that upon anyone else,' Maya said. 

Recently, at the University of Southern California, the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, 21, had her speech cancelled after the school banned her for being outspoken in her pro-Palestinian support. 

Pro-Israel groups slammed her selection after it emerged the 21-year-old had made posts questioning the Israel-Hamas conflict, with links that promoted anti-Semitism. 

The college removed Tabassum, who is a Muslim, from their lineup stating that 'tradition must give way to safety.' 

Days later, the university announced that they canceled all speakers from the ceremony on May 10. 

The university said it was 'redesigning' the ceremony to make sure the focus remains on the graduates - and said the decision was taken after considering the 'highly publicized circumstances' that have arisen following Tabassum's ban.