When Maria Ines L. was eight years old, she immigrated to the United States with her mother and two sisters, triplets, where she had to learn a new language and new culture in an unfamiliar place surrounded by unfamiliar people. She used it as an opportunity to begin a new journey, to grow into the best version of herself.
To help her reach her goals, she enrolled in Champions For Learning’s College and Career Preparation Program. With intensive workshops, hands-on lab sessions, and one-on-one coaching, the program empowers students like Maria Ines to establish a strong roadmap to achieve post-secondary credentials and/or degree attainment as close to debt free as possible.
Now, Maria Ines is a senior student at Barron Collier High School on track to graduating with straight A’s, a weighted GPA over 5.0, and more than 13 accelerated college credits. However, in her opinion, her greatest achievement is having earned more than 500 volunteer hours to serve her Collier County community.
“Every single day, for as long as I can remember, my mother reassured me of one single thing: ‘Ines, tu y tus hermanas’—Me and my sisters—’cambiaran el mundo’—we will change the world,” Maria Ines said. “What she meant was that I would change the lives of people I met—each their own world—so that one day we could all change the world, together.”
She has volunteered at her school as the President of the Potters Guild Club to fight food insecurity in Naples during the yearly Empty Bowls event, Special Education classes to decorate their rooms for the holidays, and Grace Place for Children and Families to lead educational experiences. Despite focusing on her academics and helping her sisters around the house while her single mother works two jobs, she made volunteering a priority in her life because of the lasting impact it makes. Maria Ines knows firsthand what it means to be blessed by strangers who gave their time to support her family when they first moved to the United States.
Maria Ines’ desire to uplift her community will continue even after she graduates from high school, as she plans to study architecture. She has not made a final decision about which university she will attend next fall, but her top two choices are the University of Florida and the University of South Florida.
“I believe architecture to be an act of kindness, just like volunteering, through which I can lead my community in creating affordable, sustainable, and accessible building like houses, schools, libraries, and other public spaces—ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to safe and comfortable spaces.”
Your investment in students like Maria Ines not only empowers them to achieve their dreams but also strengthens our community. With your generous support, education will change lives and will change the world.