Celita Cabrera, department chair of Foreign Languages and Spanish teacher at Monsignor Edward Pace Senior High School, is often visited by students, including those that are not her own. Cabrera is famous, among other things, for her "cafecito," a Cuban style expresso, an aroma that leads students to line up outside her door.
Cabrera, who has cleverly used her cafecito as an unconventional teaching tool, requesting that students who would like some coffee ask in Spanish, has been teaching for over 30 years. For 13 of those years she taught for free.
After a costly divorce and two young daughters left to care for, Cabrera thought about the Catholic phrase "Time, Treasure and Talent" and how, though she had no treasure, she would offer her time and her talent. For nearly 14 years Cabrera volunteered as a Spanish teacher at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, while driving her own school bus as a form of income to support herself and her daughters.
When Pace High School called one day to request a Spanish teacher as a substitute, Cabrera made the trip to Pace. One week became one month, which became a quarter. At the end of that quarter, Cabrera was offered a full-time job teaching at Pace.
"Immaculate lent me, and then they lost me!" said Cabrera.
Despite the job offer, Cabrera had to turn it down. At the time, Cabrera had only acquired 9 college credits and was not certified to teach in a paid position. Pace's principal at the time, eager to employ Cabrera after witnessing her natural teaching talent, found a scholarship for Cabrera at St. Thomas University.
Cabrera, in her mid-40's, was a college student once again. She received her B.A. degree in Secondary Education and Spanish in three years, while still volunteering her time teaching at Pace, running her bus driving business, and tending to her household. She graduated Summa Cum Laude.
"I graduated Summa Cum Laude, but in Cuba we don't have that, so I had no idea what it was. Everyone was congratulating me on graduation day, and me, not knowing that the special decoration on my robes meant something, I just said 'why, thank you, thank you'," said Cabrera with a laugh. "It wasn't until my daughter said, 'Mom, you graduated number one in your class!' did I understand."
Upon graduation, and after nearly 18 years of teaching, Cabrera was finally being paid for the job she loved doing, only she didn't stop there. Cabrera, in a spur of the moment decision drove up to Nova Southeastern University and signed up as a student that same day. She received her M.A. one year later in E.S.O.L Education.
Following, Cabrera continued on to receive her Ph.D. online from the University of San Pedro in Peru. Her thesis project, spawned from Cabrera's dislike of the Spanish teaching materials, was an instructional Spanish book for English speakers. She wrote a total of three books, which are used at Pace and other Catholic schools like Immaculate Conception and St. Louis Covenant.
"The first day the books were out was so funny," said Cabrera. "The kids would come in and ask 'can you sign my book?' and I would laugh and say 'stop being ridiculous!' I never wrote the books with the intent to publish them, I only ever thought of using them at Pace so that school wouldn't have to spend money."
Cabrera's generosity extends outside the classroom, in the many projects, drives, and fundraisers she holds for students and families in need. She is the owner of, what around Pace is called, "Celita's closet" where she collects used uniforms to wash and sew over the summer and sell for $5 dollars to students who can't afford the expense of retail priced uniforms.
"Celita is my inspiration," said Elvita Reigosa, director of Public Relations at Pace. "To come in every morning and to see the joy on her face in teaching these kids just makes it all come together. Celita makes even the toughest situations learning experiences. To Celita and all the teachers at Pace, my upmost admiration."
Students that have gone through Cabrera's classroom, like Miami Lakes Councilmember Tony Lama, are now bringing their children to the same Spanish classroom to learn from one of Pace's most beloved teachers.
"I try to inspire my students," said Cabrera. "They say they're going to be doctors and lawyers and that's great, but I tell them 'whatever you decide to do, would you do it for free?' That's the question you need to ask yourself. That's what I did, and not a day goes by where I am not excited to come in to work. Don't do it for the money, or the title, or because you want to be important. Whatever you decide to do, do because you love it."