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Palmer Trinity School rising junior Isabella Bayas recently spent a month and a half in at St. Catherine’s in Sydney, Australia on an exchange program. While there, she took four core classes – Chemistry, English, Australian History, and a math class.
“I also took a class called textiles which was truly amazing because I had never been able to use a sewing machine and not only did I learn how to but also took part in making my own skirt,” she says.
She was excited to be reunited with her exchange sister and meet her exchange family.
“I was also extremely nervous because I was about to stay with people who had known nothing about me, but they turned out to be such an amazing and generous family,” she says. “I made many new friends and learned that I didn’t have to overthink or be scared of meeting new people. By the end of the experience, I left with a new mindset and love for my new friends and the Australian culture and people.”
As a result, Bayas is looking into starting a club at PTS to help the organization RELove, started by her exchange sister’s mother, even though it may be challenging since the organization is far away.
“This organization’s goal for now is to help women who have suffered from domestic violence move into homes and completely furnish them,” Bayas says. “I was fortunate enough to meet two of these women at a fundraising event that she held.”
Last summer, Bayas volunteered at the St. Thomas Episcopal Summer Camp.
“First, I was with pre-K Three,” she says. “I had to change their diapers if they needed. A lot of them missed their moms and we had to help them engage.”
She switched to Pre-K Four and taught the children fundamental things they need to know in school. They also did water activities and indoor golf.
“It was really fun,” she says. “They were so cute.”
She also volunteered with her sister at Our Pride Academy (OPA) in Kendall, an academy for kids with disabilities.
“We went during Valentine’s Day,” she says. “We had extra candygrams, so we gave it to them.”
She also volunteers at the Special Olympics at Palmer Trinity in partnership with OPA.
“We host track meets, and we partner up with them,” she says. “It’s a fully functional track meet. We run the events with them. It’s a good opportunity to help the kids show their passion for sports. It’s about helping them to figure out how and what they like and how to achieve things in life. The older kids are taught how to cook and how to make candles. And they are taught how to navigate the world.”
Bayas is the Junior Class president. She’s been class president since middle school.
“With my lead advisor, we’re planning community service opportunities for the rest of the grade. There is an organization called Breakthrough Miami. We’ve worked together to see what we can do during school hours. We saw a way that we could organize their office. We made little notes saying things like ‘Have fun learning!’”
They are also working on increasing school spirit, which has suffered since the COVID school shutdowns.
“We’ve been trying to get people to bond more,” she says. “We’ve been trying to organize fun activities to get people to know people. We’re seeing an improvement.”
Bayas is an athlete. She participates in soccer, track and field and cross country.
Since returning from Australia, she also visited family in Ecuador, her first visit since 2018.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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