As a scrawny teenager in 1963, Joseph Farina sat across from then-Miami Mayor Robert King High during his Silver Knight interview at Miami's Dupont Hotel.

The mayor posed a question that remains fresh in Farina's mind:

"If you were an elected official and a personal issue presented a conflict to your job, what would you do?" the mayor asked.

Farina's response -- that his responsibility would be with the citizens who voted for him -- has served him well during his 28 years as a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge and two years as Miami Shores mayor.

High was one of the Silver Knight judges who gave Farina the citizenship award.

It was a surprise to the studious teenager, described by teachers as "a pint-size dynamo" who presided over Miami High's student council, had a place on the swim team and graduated in the top 5 percent of his class.

"I remember that night, hearing them talk about the honorable mentions, and it wasn't me, so I was just thinking what an honor it was to even be nominated," Farina said.

"Then they started to describe the winner," he said.

"I didn't catch on until the very end that they were talking about me."

Farina went on to study at George Washington University and received his law degree from the University of Florida.

Being involved with the Silver Knights program helps students long after they leave high school, said Farina, 62.

"When a college director or prospective employer sees that line on a résumé, and they ask about it . . . they begin to appreciate that the person sitting across from them is really quite special," he said.

ABBE FINBERG

* YEAR WON: 2001 * CATEGORY: General Scholarship * HIGH SCHOOL: Nova High * NOW: Graduated from Harvard University in 2005, works in economic consulting. Lives in New York.

Once a Silver Knight, always a Silver Knight.

Judges gave Abbe Finberg the 2001 award in general scholarship partly because of her volunteer tutoring work, her aptitude on flute and her exceptional academics.

Six years later, at age 23 and living in New York, Finberg is still at it.

She tutors a fifth-grade public school student every week after work. She plays in a musical trio for fun and plans to begin performing in hospitals and senior centers. And she is considering a leap back into academia for a master's degree in economics.

"The process of applying [for Silver Knights] forces you to look over what you've done and what you hope to continue to do in the future," Finberg said. "A lot of that was the volunteering I did in high school.

"Volunteering is something I'm thankfully still able to do," she said.

Finberg, who has struggled to overcome dyslexia throughout her education, graduated from Nova High in Davie with a 3.98 GPA and majored in physics at Harvard University.

She found an interest in economics during her senior year and followed it to a consulting job in New York.

Finberg said she enjoys the arts and cultural events New York offers but misses the "green and warmth" of South Florida. She would like to move back at some point in her life.

Finberg met with first lady Laura Bush in 2002 after winning a National Achievement Award from a group that helps provide audiobooks to blind and dyslexic students.

Like the night she won a Silver Knight, meeting Bush was a moment Finberg says she won't forget. And it reminded her what she could accomplish, even when tasks seemed difficult at first.

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