Miami eighth-grader won NFL cleat design contest. This Dolphin will wear her shoes.
Miami Dolphins Defensive Tackle Christian Wilkins and Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho recently honored eighth-grade student Healy Barrientos of West Miami Middle School, as the winner of the Values Matter Miami Cleat Design Contest.
Through the Miami Dolphins’ Football Unites partnership with the school district and through Values Matter Miami, the cleat design contest was created to support the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats campaign — which allows players to wear custom cleats that support causes special to them.
Healy’s design, which supports unity, was selected out of 80 student submissions from K-12 schools across the district. Soles by Sir, a local artist, customized the cleats with the design and joined in unveiling them to students and staff at West Miami Middle on Dec. 3.
Wilkins will sport the cleats at the Dolphins game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 22.
“Her design represents different races, unity, and all the qualities that I stand for and the values we are trying to emphasize and instill in people through Values Matter Miami,” Wilkins said. “I am someone who always tries to emphasize that it is bigger than football. There is no sense in being a great football player if you’re not going to be a person of great character and high value.”
Healy also received a Dolphins jersey, matching custom sneakers and tickets to attend the football game.
“I am just really happy; I wasn’t expecting to get picked, and I can’t wait to see it on him,” Healy said. “I want to pursue my dream of art, and this is just a great start.”
2020 Coca-Cola Scholars
Kristina Alzugaray from Cutler Bay High School and Aisha Chebbi from Coral Reef High School were recently named semifinalists in the 2020 class of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Both students are now in the running for 150 college scholarships worth $20,000 each.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. Made possible through a joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the country and the Coca-Cola Company, the scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have demonstrated their ability to lead and serve. With the induction of the 2020 class, the program will have provided more than $72 million in scholarships.
Kristina and Aisha will have to complete Phase II of the application process, which includes essays, recommendations and transcripts. In March, finalists will be announced.
For information on The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, visit https://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/.
Miami Dade College registration is open
Registration is now open for Miami Dade College’s 2020 Spring semester, which starts January 7th. The school currently offers bachelor’s degrees, associate of arts and science degrees, and numerous training certificates in several fields.
For more information or to register, visit www.mdc.edu/register or call 305-237-8888.