Scholar Performance
Tessa was featured with her chamber group on the national radio program 'From the Top'.
Paola F. Mariselli
“Every immigrant has a story: a story of language problems, culture shock, and education barriers, but also of love for family, hope, and perseverance.”
- Program: 2008 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
- Hometown: Lima, Peru
- Community College: Broward Community College
- Four-year College or University: New York University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Management Information Systems, Political Science
Biography
PROFILE: Paola was 15 when she and her family came to the United States from Peru. “From the moment we arrived at the airport, I was the one who had to speak English. I soon realized I had become the head of my family. From taking a taxi to shopping, moving, and registering for school, everything became a fearful venture. I did my best to keep a calm face to reassure my mother and brother that everything would be okay.”
Long active in the arts, having performed in marching band and acted in school plays in Peru, Paola especially loved writing, which often took the form of horror stories inspired by such masters as Poe. She changed as a person and a writer when she came to the US. Inspired by writing coach Viola Canales, author of Tequila Worm, Paola came to realize that “art allows for people of different backgrounds to come together.”
INSPIRATION: Seeing her brother struggle to learn a new language inspired Paola to establish a chapter of the Teen Trendsetters Reading Mentors, helping 3rd grade students with their reading skills.
ASPIRATION: Paola is interested in how computers and technology affect people’s lives. She hopes to start a nonprofit organization for children in third world countries with centers where they will be fed, clothed, and given access to computers to aid in their education and expand their opportunities.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Paola founded and served as chapter president of the Business Professionals of America Technical Honors Society. She was also community service chair for the campus Blue Hawks Student Ambassadors Organization, and vice president of her Phi Theta Kappa chapter.
ACCOLADES: Paola won the Phi Theta Kappa short story contest for Florida, received the National Torch Award from the Business Professionals of America, and won third prize in a constitutional art contest for art related to Constitution Day.
INTERESTING FACT: Paola’s favorite pastime is reading newspapers and following politics.
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