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Palmer Trinity School junior Caroline Zamek has volunteered with the Miami Bridge, a homeless shelter for teens since middle school. She became involved when her Mom was a member of the Miami Bridge board.
“I go there sometimes on Thanksgiving. They put on a show,” she says. “They have a lot of talented kids. Sometimes they sing, sometimes they act.”
Zamek and her family go to the celebratory lunch to support the kids and they hang out with them as well.
“They are not always homeless but they don’t always have a stable home environment,” she says.
She also volunteers at the Branches Miami summer camp for underprivileged children.
“We do activities with them and sing songs,” she says. “I usually do that for about three weeks every summer.”
She’s on the board of the all-girl community service club, Symphonettes Miami. The organization is connected to the opera and music.
“We do volunteer work around the community,” she says. “We raise money through a fashion show and silent auction. Members go and ask local business to donate items.”
The last fashion show and auction took place in February, just before the COVID shutdowns.
“This past year I’ve worked on the directory and before that I coordinated the silent auction,” she says.
At Palmer Trinity, Zamek is the founder of the Pre-Law Club.
“I started it my freshman year to connect students with members of the community who practice law,” she says. “Students can come and learn what it is to be a lawyer.”
The club holds monthly meetings and has occasional guest speakers. One of those speakers last February was Desmond Meade, the founder of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
“We invited him to come and do a convocation for the whole school,” she says. “He was one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine.”
Zamek decided in second grade that she wanted to become a lawyer. She met attorney Laura Russo that year, when her father, an architect, was helping open a new school in Coral Gables.
“I went to go watch her during a town hall. I was so inspired by everything she did. She was so confident,” she says. “He told me she’s a lawyer she’s paid to argue with people.”
Her father called Russo and asked if Zamek could do an interview with her. After meeting Russo, Zamek began interning with her almost every summer.
“I felt the internship wasn’t enough. I wanted to hear from other lawyers in the community,” she says. “So, we started the pre-law club. We are also planning some mock trials.”
Zamek’s been a member of the Student Vestry since sixth grade. The students organize the chapels at school.
“We help out during communion and read prayers,” she says. “We try to reach out to other students to get them to help out in chapel and get them involved in the religious aspect of the school.”
In addition to all her other activities, Zamek plays catcher and outfield for the varsity softball team. She’s also on the Lady Canes Miami travel team.
She was the Co-MVP for Palmer Trinity as a sophomore. And she was named to the First Team All-Conference in 2019. COVID-19 halted the 2020 season early.
She’s a Palmer Trinity Student Ambassador, giving tours to prospective families and a member of the Spanish Honor Society.
This past summer, she and her sister made drawings and wrote positive messages for the elderly residents at the East Ridge Retirement Community.
“Just something to brighten their day,” she says.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
