Shode, Grullon top Davies’ academic list as valedictorian, salutatorian

LINCOLN – Tyra Shode of North Providence and Abigail Grullon of Johnston have been named the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at the William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School.

Shode, the daughter of Modin and Bilikis Shode, has majored in the Health Careers program and will graduate with an outstanding, weighted GPA of 4.4150. She will give the valedictory speech at commencement exercises at the Community College of Rhode Island-Flanagan Campus fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 9.

Grullon, the daughter of Felix M. and Elaine Grullon, finished her four-year stint at Davies with a 4.3934 weighted GPA. Less than 22 thousandths of a point separated the two.

Both have been members of the National and Rhode Island honor societies the past two years, and both have participated in the school’s SkillsUSA competitions.

“Throughout these four years, I have really, really tried to be the best student I could be,” Grullon said. “Our valedictorian, Tyra, was actually the first friend I made here at Davies, so it’s actually incredible that one of my greatest friends at Davies and I get to share in this accomplishment together.

“This makes me so happy.”

When asked what it meant to be named the Davies’ valedictorian, Shode responded, “It means that I’ve upheld all of Davies’ rigorous academic standards and values. I want to continue to be faithful to my education and try my best to do things beyond what is the norm.

“I’ll also say I spent most of this year kind of stressing out about it, like, ‘Am I going to be the valedictorian?’ I know how smart Abi is. When I found out in January, it was such a relief. I had been nervous about it.”

Shode went above and beyond to prepare herself for her next step scholastically. She took part in the Community College of Rhode Island’s Running Start program as a senior and earned 28 college credits in nursing, so when she enters Northeastern University in Boston this coming September, she will do so as a sophomore.

She also is currently gaining valuable experience while working as a CNA at The Village at Waterman Lake in Smithfield. She earned her Patient Care Technician status at Davies, and holds further certifications in Basic Life Support, First Aid and Alzheimer’s care.

Beyond the classroom, Shode is a passionate advocate for racial equity in healthcare through her work with the African-American Ambassador Group; she serves on the United Youth Subcommittee of the Mayor’s Coalition on Behavioral Health in Johnston; and contributes to several community organizations, including the NCNMO and R2EY4US Rhody Greeneers.

“My mom is a CNA; actually, a lot of family members are in the family, so they’re the reasons I want to chase nursing as a profession,” she said. “My dad suffered a stroke when I was seven, and my sister (Fatima) and I, we were always kind of taking on the role of CNA to begin with. My dad’s the reason we came to Davies in the first place; we wanted to get certified.

“Someday, I feel like my end goal is to enter psychology; I’d like to be a nurse practitioner in the psychology field,” she added. “It’s because my dad’s stroke affected his mental status, and, right now, I’m working in an assisted living facility in the dementia unit. I’m learning so much, so I feel like anything psych-related speaks to me more than anything else.”

As for other interests, she served in the school’s Environmental Club as a freshman before that was scratched, and she’s also a devoted volunteer for the annual “Davies Got Talent!” variety show, which is held as a fundraiser to send gold-medal winners from the SkillsUSA R.I. Competition to the national championship in Atlanta every June.

Grullon has served as the Davies’ SkillsUSA Chapter vice president as a senior, but her talents in her technical field have been evidenced by her success at the 2025 ProStart Competition (she snared goal in the statewide culinary competition at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick) and the 2026 SkillsUSA Rhode Island Competition, where she captured the silver medal in the Customer Service category.

If she had won gold, Grullon would have qualified automatically to join her fellow Davies’ champions at the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta in early June.

“I was actually offered the opportunity to go because the person who won gold in that category for Rhode Island stepped down, but I really wasn’t up for it,” Grullon said. “I really didn’t particularly want to do it because I knew it wouldn’t be my best work; to be honest, I’m just really looking forward to graduation.

“I was actually really happy I won a silver because that meant I didn’t have to go to nationals.”

She’s also quite busy now preparing to further her academic career at the University of Rhode Island; there, she will major in Pre-Veterinary Medicine.

“I really want to specialize in marine animals,” she said. “I’ve loved all animals since I was really small; I will admit I’m allergic to cats and rabbits, but that hasn’t stopped me from wanting to go down this path. There’s just something about them, and I want to care for them. After all, they are the majority population of this earth besides humans. They’re all around us and we never really notice them.

“I just want to appreciate them and take care of them,” she continued. “The ocean is so interesting; there’s so much to explore. There are hundreds of species we haven’t seen. One of my favorite marine animals is the octopus. I read a book about them, and they’re on par of having intelligence near humans. I find that really incredible.”

Class of ’26 School Counselor Jessica Plumer called Shode a bright, compassionate and extremely motivated young woman whose commitment to excellence sets her apart.

“Tyra is off to Northeastern to pursue a degree in nursing, and I am certain she will bring the same intelligence, empathy and leadership to caring for others as she has shown throughout her time here at Davies,” Plumer said.

“Davies’ salutatorian, Abigail, is a kind, thoughtful and dedicated student who leads with both heart and integrity. She’s heading to URI in the fall to study pre-veterinary science, and I am confident she will continue to make a meaningful impact through her compassion, curiosity and strong work ethic.”