Palmetto High School senior Lucia Miguel has an international background, having lived in Argentina and Mexico before moving to Miami in time for tenth grade.
“It was a huge change for me to move here in high school,” she says. “When I lived in Argentina and Mexico I went to bilingual schools. I’m good in Spanish and English.”
Moving to Miami was hard at first because of the language difference. Even though she knew English, it was different because she had to speak it all the time.
“I was a little self-conscious about it,” she says. “It didn’t take me long to get used to the environment of the high school.”
Initially, she focused on her academics but gradually became involved in the Spanish National Honor Society and now she’s treasurer of the new Psychology Club.
“Since it’s a new club, we’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to do,” she says.
One program they are looking at is a program called Music and Memory.
“The organization is a national thing,” she says. “We thought we could collaborate with them. In the future, maybe we could visit a home in Miami. So, we can help people here in Miami.”
However, the club will set things up so the program can go into effect next year because it’s too late in the school year to start something new.
One of the aspects of the program that they are going forward with now is the collection of old iPhones and iPods that they can use for the Music and Memory program.
Lucia is also a member of the Spanish National Honor Society.
“They host homeless shelter activities on the weekends,” she says. “I’ve been volunteering there a few times.”
The activities include feeding the homeless in downtown Miami.
“We pack food and clothes and we drive to downtown Miami,” she says. “We give them food and clothing. We do it every other week.”
She’s also vice president of the Capstone Club, which is made up of students attending the Capstone program. As a club, they recently hosted the Class of 1967 reunion. For that event, they made banners and gave the alumni tours of the campus. Capstone Club members also tutor students who take human geography and need help with the work.
She was also involved in community service in Mexico, where she worked with friends to grant a wish for a six-year-old child through the Make a Wish Foundation.
“My group of friends and I decided we would help a child with a terminal disease,” she says. “The girl wanted a Dora the Explorer themed party. We decided to make the wish come true.”
They had a few obstacles along the way but in the end, they were successful in organizing the party.
“It was a fun party,” she says. “It made me feel satisfied and good to be a part of that project. She also wanted a chance to paint a mural. We thought it would be something we could do for her and it would make her happy.”
Lucia plans to attend college in the U.S.A. She’s been accepted to the University of Florida, FSU, Washington University and Indiana University. She’s been offered scholarships to FSU and Indiana. Lucia plans to major in business management.
She’d like to work at a corporation interacting with people and working with numbers because numbers interest her.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
