When Valeria Antunez arrived in the United States in 2014 from Honduras as a 13-year-old she spoke no English. All she knew was that she had dreamed for years of coming to America and that this was the land of opportunity.
Antunez made the most of that dream after being placed in the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program. She did so well that she eventually was removed from ESOL classes and moved into the gifted program where she flourished, graduating with a 4.37 GPA — in the top 2 percent of her class — serving in several honor societies and becoming president of ASPIRA (the only national Hispanic organization dedicated exclusively to developing the educational and leadership capacity of Hispanic youth).
But when she walked into the senior awards assembly at Booker T. Washington, the Outstanding AP Spanish Award winner who worked after school and on weekends volunteering at the VA Hospital, still didn’t know how she was going to pay for college.
That’s when the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club, one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, made her American dream come true.
In front of her classmates, teachers, family and the media, Antunez was stunned when her name was announced by the Kiwanis Club’s Rick Freedman as the winner of a four-year, fully paid college scholarship valued at $30,000.
“I can’t believe it’s me, I can’t believe it’s me,” she sobbed after being hugged by classmates. “My mother always told me I could do anything, accomplish anything in America if I put my mind to it. This is my American dream. This is what America means.”
The event marked the sixth full scholarship presented the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club — a 67-year-old community service organization serving disadvantages children in Overtown, Allapattah, and Midtown Miami — and Antunez was the first Hispanic winner. When she starts Florida International University in the fall majoring in finance, she will become the first member of her family to attend college.
“We’re so proud of what Valeria has been able to accomplished since arriving in this country not speaking a word of English,” said Freedman, who, along with his committee, reviewed nearly 400 pages of information supplied by the 15 scholarship finalists. “This, indeed, is what America is all about. She worked hard and took advantage of the opportunity this country presented to her. Now, we’re excited for her and for the opportunity to help make a difference in her life.”
For more information about the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis or to join in one of their community service projects, text or phone the club at 305-814-2225.
