:: A b o u t - t h e - F o u n d e r ::

It is laudable that such a young lady, already burdened by a heavy academic workload, proposes a solution to a problem in the community.

This student carries a 5.59 GPA and will graduate from the challenging and extremely difficult IB program in the top 1% of her class. She is more than just a bright student, however. She has played varsity softball for the past 4 years, playing the sport since she was 9 years old. She began cheerleading at the age of 4 and has cheered for her schools and for the Step Ahead All-Stars, winning many State and National championships.

Lara was the 1997 Junior Orange Bowl Princess, the Sophomore Homecoming Princess, Valedictorian in middle school, is currently Editor-In-Chief of her Yearbook, a contributing writer to IBIS Connections, the school newspaper, and has been featured for two consecutive years in Who’s Who Among America’s High School Students. She has received the Scholar Athlete Award the last three years running, along with awards including “ Most Likely to Succeed”, “ Best All Around”, and “ IB Freshman of the Year.”

As a student photographer, her renditions have been on display at Pittman Photo Exhibitions and are currently on display at Miami International Airport. On the other end of the lens, she has modeled for years and has had her ads appear in many magazines, including People En Español.

Lara joined a group of students from Belen and Coral Reef Senior High School this past summer, traveling to a remote area in the Dominican Republic, called Yaroa. The five female Coral Reef Senior High School students assisted American doctors in extending medical services to an extremely impoverished area. “ The townspeople were lined up waiting for us, “Los Americanos ”, long before we actually arrived. It was very moving to see so many people standing in line holding babies in the heat waiting for medical attention.” This area had no toilets or running water and the students bathed in the river. The Belen students constructed an aqueduct for the townspeople, and students from both schools are already planning their next trip. The need is so great!

Lara just returned from a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, where she and five other students along with their teacher, Susan O’Connor, from Coral Reef High’s IB program , representing the State of Florida, attended the International Society for Human Values’ Conference on Youth & Human Values, sponsored by UNESCO. In this intense, five-day conference they exchanged views and impressions with 16 to 50 year old co-participants on how to solve or curtail violence; how to adapt to technological innovations; how to promote human rights, and how to foster self-esteem. The older participants were very impressed with the intelligence, compassion, diplomacy, and ability of this young group from Miami.

The “4 My Students, Inc.” story has been developing over two and a half years. It is noteworthy that it is an idea that is embraced by major international corporations with the emphasis on children, irrespective of their ethnic, racial or other demographic background. The company now counts on its Board of Directors, business people from the community, like Michael Miller of Community Newspapers, Carmen Corvos-Roig of Carnival Cruise Lines, Jesús Capó of El Dorado Furniture, and Linda Brown, of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The store is readying for its Grand Opening later this month. The Coral Reef Senior High School students are busy preparing for their clients, the teachers, so that they can have a richer teaching environment, and have the desperately needed supplies “4 My Students, Inc.”

Lara has prepared well, the entire concept is a win-win for everyone involved. The teachers receive supplies for their students from corporations and retailers with excess inventory. El Dorado is generously offering a discount to the teachers who wish to shop at the El Dorado Furniture location after “shopping” at “4 My Students, Inc.” The students who “ work” at the store stocking and assisting earn community service hours. Lara is arranging to add incentives for teachers that visit her store-such as weekly drawings for theater tickets, sporting event tickets, or dinner tickets at local restaurants. Winners will be notified via the Community Newspapers.