Hispanic trailblazer collecting accolades
With three years in the U.S., Venezuelan immigrant makes her presence felt

By C. Ron Allen
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Maria Gabriela Alvarez recalls her adviser asking her to find a speaker for a high-profile community seminar at her school.

"It was really tough because I didn't know where to start at first," said Alvarez, 18, a senior at Cypress Bay High School, who at the time had been in the United States only one year. "I had never done anything like this before."

Alvarez, a member of PRIDE -- Promoting Relationships In Diversity Education -- a multicultural club that helps new foreign-born students and their parents adjust to the school system, culture and country, combed the Internet for tips on Hispanic education. She found a link to the White House and fired off an e-mail requesting a speaker. A short time later, she received confirmation from the White House that Denise Rodriguez-Lopez, the deputy White House director for an initiative on Hispanic education, would speak.

Having the President Bush appointee address educational opportunities for Hispanics would be appropriate considering the large Hispanic population in Weston, including many who are new to the country and school system, Alvarez said.

"There are so many people who are not aware of what is going on and they are not aware of the importance of education," said the teen, who lives in Weston.

Organizing the event, which was attended by more than 600 parents and community residents, was among a string of Alvarez's impressive accomplishments since enrolling at Cypress Bay three years ago, said assistant principal Priscilla Ribiero.

A trailblazer in the Student Government Association, the teen encouraged other Hispanics to get involved in the political process on campus.

"We have workshops every day on how to do a project and how to handle money, so I want to share that with them," said Alvarez, who recently was named a South Florida Sun-Sentinel Kid of Character for responsibility in a program that recognizes students in the Broward County school system.

She quickly went from being non-English speaker to English speaker, to vice president of the [PRIDE] club to president of her school's chapter of the National Honor Society.

And she didn't just stay with the Hispanic culture, as many Hispanic students do, Ribiero said. She explored other organizations, including student government, and soon learned how to run meetings and other skills.

"She was the first Hispanic to be involved with SGA," Ribiero said. "Now, all the leaders of PRIDE are members of SGA because they're learning how to use the organizational skills. She mixes completely, she blends and then she brings." The aspiring politician's philosophy on life and studies is just amazing, her teachers said, adding that one would never know that she has adversity because she doesn't use it as an excuse.

"The kids really respect her because she knows how to play but she is very organized and serious about things that are important," Ribiero said. "Gabriela is such an amazing young lady. She has been in the United States for only three years. Her family was chased out of Venezuela by the current government. To me, she is the immigrants' success story."


This is one in a series of stories on students who best exemplify the Broward County School District's eight character education traits -- cooperation, responsibility, citizenship, kindness, respect, honesty, self-control and tolerance -- and patriotism as part of all eight.

C. Ron Allen can be reached at crallen@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7917.