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Lydia Rykard and Lindsey Rykard represented Lincoln High School's Class of 2017 as co-valedictorians during the graduation ceremony held on Thursday, May 25. Lydia and Lindsey are the daughters of Mike and Regina Rykard, of Tallahassee and the granddaughters of the late Frank Rykard and Peggy Rykard, of Madison. They are also the granddaughters of James and Frankie Bush, of Greenville.
Lydia ended her high school career with a 4.71 GPA after taking nine AP classes and 17 dual enrollment courses. Lydia will be going into college with over 60 hours of college credit. She has been involved with American Cancer Society as a volunteer for over a year.
She was named the 39th annual Tallahassee Democrat Volunteer of the Year this year for her amazing service to the American Cancer Society. Lydia was a part of the Lincoln Varsity Cheerleading team her sophomore and junior years. In the fall, Lydia will be attending the University of Florida, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology. She plans to attend medical school to pursue her interest in becoming a dermatologist one day.
Lindsey also completed 17 dual enrollment courses and nine AP classes and graduated with a 4.71 GPA. She has earned over 60 hours from her dual enrollment and AP credits. Lindsey is an AP Scholar with Distinction and received the AP Excellence Award in 2015. She is the recipient of the Best and Brightest award for Science and Health. From Lindsey’s heavy involvement with the American Cancer Society, she was named Tallahassee Democrat’s 39th Annual Volunteer of the Year Winner for the Student category. Lindsey was a part of Trousdell’s competitive gymnastics team for over six years training 25 to 30 hours a week year-round.
She was training level nine, when a knee and shoulder injury forced her to retire at the beginning of her junior year. After two knee surgeries, Lindsey was determined to not give up on athletics. She tried diving her junior year, but her shoulder was not strong enough to handle the water pressure exerted on it, causing a dislocation. Lindsey’s frequent visits to the Orthopedic Clinic has led her to want to become an orthopedic surgeon and help many people faced with similar situations. Lindsey will attend the University of Florida in the fall and plans to major in biology at the hopes of attending medical school afterwards.