‘Something I never imagined’: 10 Miami Carol City High students head to White House
Ten Carol City High students are heading to Washington to welcome the Prime Minister of Australia at the White House this week alongside President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris — a trip some of the students said will be an “amazing experience.”
During a news conference Tuesday morning at the Miami Gardens school, Principal Bridget McKinney, School Board member Steve Gallon III, and state Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-34, Miami Gardens), among other elected and school district officials, sent off the students and congratulated them.
“It’s definitely not every day that students from our community are given this opportunity to partake in such an important diplomatic event,” said Jones, who was surrounded by the students. “But the hard work and dedication these students have put into their academics have afforded this opportunity and we should be very proud of this moment.”
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The trip comes after White House officials contacted Jones last week to select a school in his district to participate in the arrival ceremony this week. The 10 students, selected by school leaders, will join Biden, Harris, the first lady, members of Congress and others to be “part of the welcoming committee.”
The Carrie Meek Foundation, a local nonprofit that works to further the late Congresswoman Carrie Meek’s vision for “civically engaged, well-resourced and resilient communities,” is funding the students’ trip, Jones said. Meek was a longtime Democratic representative who championed Miami’s Black communities.
The students said the trip underscores their hard work and opens doors for all they hope to accomplish in the future. The students — all juniors and seniors — were chosen for their leadership; many are involved in the school’s Law Magnet Program, which attracts those hoping to pursue a career in law or government.
One student said the group represented the “future leaders of America: the next congresswoman [and] the next Supreme Court justice.” Another said the trip “means a lot to our school because it can show them who we really are and what we really do.” A third became emotional while speaking, attributing her emotions to seeing her friends speak publicly about their accomplishments.
Keon Francis, 17, said the trip will represent a “pause in history (and) something I never imagined” being able to do. As a “proud member” of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence, he said he was honored to be a role model for others in his school. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, founded 5000 Role Models as a mentoring program for at-risk young boys.
“No words can truly express how amazing this opportunity is,” said Sophia Nodarse, a student. “The first few years I struggled a lot coming into high school during COVID-19. So this opportunity has shown me that I gained back my potential, I’ve proven who I am and I’ve shown myself and the school that I am worth it and I deserve to be here today.”
“It’s not how you start, but how you end,” she said.
For McKinney, who will accompany the students, and Gallon, the trip represents a different kind of educational experience — one that often happens outside of the classroom.
Education, Gallon said, is about experiences and this trip can not only help the students understand their lives in Miami Gardens, but reflect on what their lives could be outside of it.
This trip will “insert a history in our books and will be etched in the hearts and minds of our community, our students, our parents (and) our leaders forever,” said McKinney. The students’ lives “will be changed the moment they step off of that plane.”
