Three Mater Lakes Academy students were nominated for The Miami Herald’s Silver Knight Awards that were held on Wednesday, May 18 at the James L. Knight Center. One of the nominees, Sabrina Gonzalez, won the Silver Knight in the Vocational Technical category for Miami-Dade.
Gonzalez is part of the Early Childhood Education program at Mater Lakes Academy, and grew very fond of a particular student and their family while he was part of “Cub Academy” (the on-site pre-school that is part of the early childhood curriculum).
This student, who is autistic, was leaving the pre-school to attend another school for students with special needs, unfortunately the school was costing the parents several thousands and they were expecting twins.
Knowing the struggles the parents were going through, Gonzalez decided to start a non-profit, Heroes Miami, Inc., in August 2014, for families that have children with autism to assist them financially to cover some of the expenses they cannot afford. Through her non-profit, she has raised over $7,000 and has held several fundraising events.
Gonzalez is not only graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors in June, but with her Associates in Arts from Miami-Dade College as part of the Dual Enrollment program and with the CDA certification as part of the Early Childhood Education program.
She has done all this while being the 2016 Class President and involved in several organizations on campus including the Key Club and the National Honor Society. She will be attending the University of Florida in Fall 2016.