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Miami Palmetto High School senior Aiden Barreras is the school’s Silver Knight nominee in Athletics. Barreras plays both varsity golf and lacrosse.
“I made the varsity golf team my freshman year,” he says. “I always made it to district.”
Barreras has been playing golf since he was around five years old.”
“I started playing with my dad,” he says. “It’s a big thing in my life. It’s given me so many new opportunities in my life. It’s shown me how to talk to others, kindness, and respect.”
He’s also been on the lacrosse team since freshman year.
“We’re one of the best public schools in the county and our district,” he says. “Palmetto lacrosse has a name for itself.”
He says the secret to success is discipline and to practice every day.
For his Silver Knight project, he created a golf initiative called Driving for Inclusivity. The goal was to give access to golf for special needs kids.
The program began as his Boy Scout Eagle project. He completed the project last June.
“I started because of my Eagle Project, and it grew into more,” he says. “It grew into going into the state tournaments. It became Driving for Inclusivity.”
He worked with special needs students with the organization First Tee during the summer.
Then he partnered with special Olympics to create a Miami Palmetto Branch of Special Olympics which has its own golf program.
“I became a coach and a unified partner. That’s the name for volunteers.”
He takes time out of his classes to coach the kids.
“I teach them skills,” he says. “I go out and I do training. I did my first training with Top Golf. I invited students from my school and Rising Start – it’s a like a program when students get out of schools and their parents can’t pick them up, they go to this program.
They go on field trips exposure how to be independent and give them new opportunities in life.”
The program will continue once he’s gone on to college.
“One of my friends, Lucas Levy, he’s been coaching with me. He’s getting the certification and is a unified member. He’ll be the one teaching and practicing with them next year.”
Barreras is president of the National Honor Society, which is the biggest club at school. He’s a member of the Science National Honor Society. He competes in science contests, including the Dream and Green Competition.
For that competition, the students are given a plot of land to transform. In his case, it was the Miami Marine Stadium. They had to create a more sustainable way to maintain the property. They present their vision of the project in March.
“The idea is promoting environmental awareness,” he says.
He has also competed in the Fairchild Challenge.
He’s been both secretary and treasurer of the Robotics team. The team has placed highly in competitions including third place in the generator category for the Vex Robotics competition.
He built his own computer in seventh grade and now he’s teaching other team members how to build their own computers. They are also teaching them programing languages like C++, Python and programs such as Auto Cad.
He’s already been accepted to the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida. He’s also applied to Florida International University, Florida State University and the University of Florida. He plans to major in either Civil Engineering or Environmental Engineering.
Barreras is a member of the Youth Advisory Committee for the Children’s Trust.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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