![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_103MDCStudentMIT25NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"David")
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David Alejandro Ram\u00edrez N\u00fa\u00f1ez celebrates during a Miami Dade College graduation ceremony at loanDepot park in Miami on Saturday, April 25, 2026. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering. <\/p>\n
Pedro Portal<\/p>\n
pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
David Alejandro Ram\u00edrez N\u00fa\u00f1ez\u2019s mother often told stories about his early love for math \u2014 like the time he was just 5 years old riding a bus and asking her to pull out a calculator so she could quiz him.<\/p>\n
Now 20, Ram\u00edrez left his home in Havana, Cuba, at 17, determined to pursue his dream of studying in the United States. On Saturday, he walked across the stage at loanDepot park during Miami Dade College\u2019s commencement ceremony, graduating with a 3.95 GPA and a degree in mechanical engineering. He is also a co-author of a mathematics paper published by Cornell University.<\/p>\n
His next stop: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n
![\"MDC](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_102MDCStudentMIT25NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_102MDCStudentMIT25NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
David Alejandro Ram\u00edrez N\u00fa\u00f1ez and other Miami Dade College graduates celebrate at loanDepot park in Miami on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
While several factors influenced his decision to leave Cuba, Ram\u00edrez said the most important was his desire for a stronger academic future. In doing so, he left behind his mother and grandmother \u2014 who raised him \u2014 as well as childhood memories of afternoons spent playing with friends before dedicating himself to Math Olympiad training in high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always dreamed of studying here,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said in Spanish.<\/p>\n
His journey began with a flight to Spain, where he stayed for four days before continuing on to Florida. He spent a month in Orlando with his sister before moving to Miami.<\/p>\n
There, he lived with his mother\u2019s best friend, sleeping on a couch in the living room while finishing his junior year of high school. Later, he shared rent with a roommate.<\/p>\n
After graduating from Killian Senior High School, he found a job and began living independently. Adjusting to life in a new country was far from easy, but his determination carried him through.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I struggled with the most, without a doubt, was English,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said. \u201cI consider myself a fairly sociable person; when I arrived, I made friends very quickly \u2014 even in Orlando during the short time I spent there. I moved down to Miami and made even more friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were nights he would stay up studying until 4 a.m., just to have to get up a short time later to go to work, he said.<\/p>\n
Although he had always dreamed of attending a prestigious university like MIT, Harvard or Stanford, it once felt out of reach. That changed when he discovered Miami Dade College\u2019s Honors College, known for sending its graduates to top universities and for providing full academic scholarships.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200bIt was the first achievement I attained here in the United States,\u201d he said of his acceptance to MDC\u2019s Honors College. \u201cIt meant a great deal to me \u2026 because I could now see an opportunity to get into these major universities, which had previously seemed impossible to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
A mentor<\/p>\n
The first class that Ram\u00edrez took at MDC was with Professor Jyrko Correa-Morris, who would introduce him to the world of research and become his mentor.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez credits much of his success to Correa-Morris, saying it would not have been possible without him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with David has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career,\u201d Correa-Morris told the Miami Herald. \u201cFrom the very beginning, he demonstrated a level of mathematical maturity and intellectual independence that is exceedingly rare at the undergraduate level.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"MDC](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MIA_105MDCStudentMIT25NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_105MDCStudentMIT25NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega, left, looks on as Bryan Stewart, president of MDC’s Kendall Campus, greets David Alejandro Ram\u00edrez N\u00fa\u00f1ez, far right, during a graduation ceremony at loanDepot park in Miami on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n