If Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC) recognized valedictorians, senior Flavia Cuervo would take the title for the 2013-2014 school year. The senior, who ranks as top student with a 6.39 weighted grade-point average, now has to decide which Ivy League school to attend.
Cuervo was admitted into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Johns Hopkins, in addition to the in-state schools she applied to including the University of Miami, Florida International University, Florida State University, and the University of Central Florida.
Cuervo's father, a native of Cuba and unfamiliar with some schools' reputations, sought his daughter's approval for the quality of the universities that admitted her, to which Cuervo happily assured him they are among the best.
For a student whose superiors affectionately note her strengths as tenacity and fearlessness, Cuervo doesn't disappoint.
A member of Key Club, National Honor Society, and Student Government, Cuervo somehow finds the time to engage in extra-curricular activities that not only look ideal on college applications, but that give back to the community.
Apart from her in-school activities, Cuervo volunteers every summer at His House Children's Home, a private, non-profit organization that provides residential care for abused, abandoned and neglected children.
In academics, Cuervo has taken so many AP courses that a letter was mailed to the College Board requesting additional make-up days for AP exams since many of her exams overlapped. Cuervo also takes online Ace courses, dual-enrolled at Miami-Dade College, and is a student of the rigorous Cambridge Academy program at MLEC which first introduced her to journalism, and to teacher and mentor Neyda Borges.
“She is a force of nature,” said Borges. “There is nothing she can't do. She is a holistic learner, she absorbs things and applies her knowledge from one topic to another like how history affects literature. She is very bright, you can see her mind working during discussions.”
Cuervo is Editor-in-Chief of MLEC's newspaper The Harbinger, which has garnered the attention of M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago, and New York Times writer and Columbia professor Mirta Ojito through a series of web discussions on global and local topics moderated on Twitter, aptly named "Twitter Talks."
“Everything I've done is because of Ms. Borges. I applied to the M.I.T.E.S program because she encouraged me to do so. She has been instrumental in getting me to where I am and taught me to be a leader for the newspaper, being able to delegate and keep writers interested,” said Cuervo. “She has been the most amazing person.”
Cuervo noted that her teachers Erika Evans-Desimone and Joseph Walpole have challenged her in the classroom, much like Borges, and through their guidance she has learned to be passionate about English, history, journalism and science.
Though her talent for words seems to come naturally, as do many of her qualities, it was Cuervo's time spent at M.I.T. for the M.I.T.E.S program (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) under the direction of professor Joshiawa Paulk, that convinced her to pursue biochemistry as her major.
Cuervo is one of a handful of students at MLEC who have been accepted into prestigious schools, a commonality that MLEC principal Jim Parker suggests is the right combination of career academies, perseverance, and courses that encourage interdisciplinary skills.
“The secret is being a full academy model school and the students who work on their core requirements, but also apply those skills to career and education strands. They're not just sitting on topics without almost immediately applying it, like applying chemistry in culinary arts,” said Parker.
The school has earned an “A” grade seven times, six of which were consecutive, and with students like Cuervo, it's easy to see why.
“It is extremely gratifying to see Flavia's acceptances into these schools. She listens closely and defends opinions carefully. She's tenacious without being aggressive. She is not presumptuous, almost bashful, and extremely intelligent. I admire her perseverance,” said Parker.
Cuervo received the Jorge Mas Canosa scholarship to aid her in the financial transition to an Ivy League, and she is now waiting to hear back from different scholarship organizations she applied to including the Gates Millennium Scholars program for which she is a finalist, the Ronald McDonald Scholarship program, and The Miami Herald's Silver Knight Awards.
“I am incredibly happy, thrilled and terrified,” wrote Cuervo in an email to friends and family. “As I reflect on all of the hard work, the marathon studying, writing, calculating and rewriting that helped me achieve this, I also know that I am very blessed to have the support of family, friends, teachers, mentors and colleagues.”