St. Brendan High names nine Silver Knight nominees

By Tracey Taylor - St. Brendan HS

MIAMI | St. Brendan High School has nominated the following students as its 2015 Silver Knight nominees. In order to be nominated for this prestigious award, students must be seniors in high school who have demonstrated rigorous academic achievement and a passionate record of service to their school and community. The nominees are:

• Lucia Alvarez – World Languages: Influenced by her mother, a special-needs teacher, Lucia has dedicated her community service to the educational needs of younger students. She has been involved in tutoring students in both elementary and middle school throughout her high-school trajectory and today continues to support their educational growth. Lucia has an outstanding academic record at St. Brendan and is vice-president of both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society.
• Jessica Hernandez – Athletics: An accomplished cheerleader and captain of the St. Brendan varsity cheerleading squad, Jessica has dedicated her community service to training, guiding, and leading young cheerleaders through coaching, classes, and camps at Tamiami Park and other community organizations. She is an accomplished scholar, with an un-weighted GPA of 3.9, treasurer of the English Honor Society, and a member of both the Math and Italian Honor Societies.
• Madison Ramirez – English & Literature: A consistently top scholar, even while taking a high percentage of AP courses, Madison has focused her community service towards aiding the homeless. She started her own non-profit organization, Step-It-Up, which focuses on gathering and distributing shoes for homeless men, women, and children in South Florida. She has also dedicated a lot of her community service to Christian ministry. She is a member of National Honor Society, English National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, and enjoys writing in her free time.
• Mauro Braca– Music & Dance: Mauro is a concert-caliber violinist who has risen to become a top scholar at St Brendan, despite immigrating to the United States to flee the political instability of his native Venezuela at the age of 12, with little knowledge of the English language. He has an un-weighted GPA of 4.67, while taking a load of mostly honors and AP classes throughout his time at St. Brendan. He has focused his community service towards teaching music to budding musicians from impoverished communities in Miami-Dade County. He has also dedicated much of his free time to volunteering at a non-profit clinic that delivers free healthcare to new immigrants. Through the Miami Music Project and the Siman Orchestral Foundation, Mauro has proven himself an accomplished musician, even playing at the Vatican, Carnegie Hall and in venues such as the Adrienne Arsht Center and Florida International University. A well-rounded scholar, Mauro is also a member of the Italian National Honor Society, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Social Science Honor Society, English Honor Society and treasurer of National Science Honor Society. Also he is a starting player in the St. Brendan boys’ varsity soccer team, as well as his club team. 
• Riley Mullins– Mathematics: Consistently ranked amongst the top scholars of her class, Riley is president of the Math National Honor Society, an Alpha student, and has consistently taken honors and AP courses throughout her four years at St. Brendan. She has focused her community service towards youth programs at the Coral Gables Museum of Art and the Miami Children’s Museum. However, she credits her time spent in the Dominican Republic through a mission trip organized by the Belen Youth Mission Group, that focused on building a bridge in an impoverished community, as her most challenging and life-changing event.
• Toni Marie Gonzalez-Riano – Art: Not only is Toni Marie an accomplished artist, she is also a dedicated philanthropist who has continuously used her incredible talent for aiding the less-fortunate. Toni Marie has used her art to fundraise and, as a future medical student, she has targeted her community service not only towards the poor, but also towards those suffering from serious illness by volunteering at various hospitals and shadowing doctors to understand the human aspect of medicine. She strives to find ways to combine her passion for art with her interest in medicine. Toni has maintained high academic honors throughout her four years at St. Brendan and participated in multiple clubs and activities.
• Marisa Beltran – Social Sciences: Marisa has combined the leadership skills that she has learned in student government with her innate desire to serve others. Deeply touched by the death of her young friend, Sofia Blanco, Marisa has raised funds that helped provide horseback riding lessons to children battling cancer through the non-profit organization, Sofia's Hope, established by the Blanco family in Sofia's memory. Marisa has also devoted time to volunteering at Miami Children's Hospital where funds raised have helped organize monthly Arts & Craft sessions for those children who are undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital. Marisa is dedicated to keeping Sofia's memory alive by helping to improve the quality of life for all children dealing with cancer. 
• Giselle Gonzalez – General Scholarship: Consistently at the top of her class, Giselle combines a dedication to high academic standards with a long-term dedication to the welfare of children within the foster care system. Giselle volunteers regularly at the Children’s Home Society, providing after-school tutoring and weekend educational coaching to foster children. She has also volunteered at Miami Children’s Hospital and various summer camps. Giselle is an Alpha student who has carried an AP-heavy course load throughout her high-school years and is also vice-president of the Spanish National Honor Society.
• Isabella Ramirez – Science: Isabella has always dreamed of being a pediatrician and her concern for the health of children and interest in the sciences has been reflected in her many hours of volunteer work. She has carried out community service at Miami Children’s Hospital, and at local political campaigns. She is a member of the Art National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, treasurer of the French National Honor Society, and secretary of the Social Sciences National Honor Society. Isabella credits her mother for instilling in her the importance of helping others from an early age. Isabella’s commitment to volunteerism earned her the 2012 President’s Volunteer Service Award.