They received high school diplomas Friday morning and will receive an associate degree Friday night

Friday was a busy day for students graduating from State College of Florida Collegiate School.

They had their high school graduation Friday morning at Neel Performing Arts Center, and in the evening they will head over to the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto for the SCF graduation, where they will receive their associate’s degrees.

“The amount you’ve accomplished is tremendous,” said Ryan Hale, the dean of SCF Venice.

Collegiate School graduate Julia Cardinale exemplifies the school’s efficient approach toward earning degrees. Cardinale will enter a three-year business program at Hofstra University, in Long Island, New York, and the plan is to receive both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees by the time she is 21.

She said she has focused on accounting during her time at the Collegiate School, and Hofstra officials were impressed with the Collegiate School.

“They were really shocked by the program I was a part of,” Cardinale said.

State College of Florida Collegiate School

Graduates: 74

Graduating class from this school: Fourth

Speakers: A.J Cali and Leah Riggle

Shining moment: Riggle said she came to the school as a sophomore to escape bullying. In her speech she issued both understanding and an apology to her tormenters.

“I just want to tell my old friends that I forgive them and I’m sorry, too,” Riggle said. “We were all battling our own things and didn’t know how to handle them.”

Interesting fact: This class includes the first students to complete their entire secondary education at the Collegiate School. Twenty-three students in the class began as sixth graders in 2010 when the school opened.

Best quote: Cali, who will be studying musical theater at the University of Tampa, left his classmates with the motto of the International Thespians Society: “Act well your part; there all the honor lies.”

This story was originally published May 5, 2017 at 1:50 PM with the headline "They received high school diplomas Friday morning and will receive an associate degree Friday night."