Lake Buena Vista student receives Hispanic Youth Leadership Award

At age 14, Maria Daniela La Cruz Cegarra emigrated from her small city of Valera, located in Trujillo State in Venezuela, to come to the United States. 

She and her immediate family left everything behind when making the life-changing move to Orlando. 

Despite the challenges of moving to a new country, Maria exemplifies skills far beyond her age, and she has racked up a plethora of academic accomplishments and awards throughout her years.

Now, as a 17-year-old senior at Lake Buena Vista High School, Maria recently received the Hispanic Youth Leadership Award from the Hispanic Heritage Network of Orange County.

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson presented Maria with the award at the Sept. 10 Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting. 

“Receiving the Hispanic Youth Leadership Award shows me that I have been doing a good job in everything I have done,” Maria said. “It’s a recognition for all of my hard work, and it shows that, despite coming to a new country that’s not my original home, I can still spread my voice and inspire other fellow young Hispanics to pursue their dreams and to not give up no matter what happens and what challenges they’re put through. I want to be an example of, ‘You can be whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it,’ so they don’t feel discouraged, because I know what it’s like to be told that because you’re from another country you won’t have the same opportunities as the Americans. The Hispanic Youth Leadership Award is only the beginning of my journey, and I am so grateful for being given this amazing opportunity that I will never forget. I will keep working hard so I can inspire other people, while also feeling proud of myself.”

‘WE BRING HOME EVERYWHERE WE GO’

The Hispanic Heritage Network is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1999 by Orange County Government employees to promote Hispanic heritage and highlight the important contributions made by the growing Hispanic population in the county.

As part of that mission, the HHN asks each Orange County commissioner to nominate students from their area for the award. 

Before coming to the U.S., Maria attended elementary and middle school in Venezuela at the Colegio Republica de Venezuela.

As a freshman in Venezuela, Maria received a scholarship for holding the No. 1 GPA at her school. 

Maria then won a scholars award during her junior year at LBV for maintaining a 4.0 or higher GPA, and she has been working on earning her master’s degree in business since her sophomore year. 

To do this, she already has completed her entrepreneurship and small business certification, as well as her social media and marketing, and email marketing qualifications.

Maria was one of 3,911 students selected from a large pool of more than 16,000 high-school juniors for the College Prep Scholars program by QuestBridge, which is for low-income juniors who excel in high school and are at the top 10% of their class. The honor is based on academic excellence, personal qualities and financial need 

She also is part of Orange County Public Schools’ multicultural leadership scholars and is the representative for seniors.

She is part of OCPS’ Aspire to Excellence initiative, the Spanish National Honor Society and National Honor Society, where she is able to tutor fellow students and middle schoolers.

As part of her passion for music, Maria is part of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, where she volunteers to help in concerts held by the school.

She currently is a dual-enrollment student at Valencia College and also works a part-time job.

Maria hopes to major in finance and minor in music technology. Her goal is to open a music production company so she can mix her passions for business and music. 

She currently is working on applying for QuestBridge’s National College Match, and her top three university choices are Yale, the University of Chicago and Stanford.

“I want to demonstrate, despite every negative thing I’ve been told, that it hasn’t discouraged me,” Maria said. “I’m still determined to get what I want and to be able to give my family a stable financial support, so I can show my gratitude for everything they have done for me. They made many sacrifices with the purpose of having a better future for me and my little brother where we have more opportunities than in Venezuela.”

Maria’s family still maintains communication with their friends in Venezuela, and her family even was able to bring her grandparents to the U.S. this year so everyone can finally be together again.

“I am so proud of being Hispanic,” Maria said. “The culture, with its unique food and music, has shaped me in so many ways that I wouldn’t want to be from somewhere else. Being Hispanic is more than speaking Spanish and eating delicious food. It is a community where everyone is nice to each other, and no matter where you’re coming from, we will always receive you with open arms. We are all around the world, and even if you go somewhere far away, if you find someone who’s Hispanic, you’ll immediately feel at home, because that’s how our personalities are. We care about our family, we care about our friends and about bringing home everywhere we go.”