From the president

Nicole Viloria is a 2nd year student at Miami Dade College (MDC) majoring in English Literature. She has overcome adversity, demonstrated resilience, and is a passionate and inspirational advocate for justice, human rights, and civic engagement. Ms. Viloria immigrated to the United States from Venezuela in 2017. She uses the challenges she has overcome to serve and inspire others. In addition to maintaining an almost perfect 3.95 GPA in MDC’s rigorous dual language Honors College program, Ms. Viloria has an extensive and exemplary track record of engagement and civic leadership at MDC. She is president of the Gamma Eta English Honor Society; co-editor of the Urbana Literary & Arts magazine; and co-vice president of Hermione’s Army, a social justice club that raises awareness about human rights violations; and much more. Additionally, she serves as a tutor, an Ambassador, and a “volunteer training lead” with ENGin, a nonprofit organization that pairs Ukrainian youth with English speakers as mentors and tutors. She also leads MDC’s Interactive Bilingual Reading Program where she oversees tutoring, civic engagement and fundraising to support children in Chacraseca, Nicaragua to learn English and expand their horizons via regular video chat sessions.

Madeline Pumariega

President

Miami Dade College

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Personal Statement

Living in a constant state of uncertainty and overthinking has set any piece of paper around me on fire. Without writing, I would be the one who burns. Throughout my life, I have always been surrounded by advocates who believe more in me than I do. I carried with me this passion for literacy that started at a young age when my family and I moved to Miami, Florida in 2017. When others judged my intellect based on my accent, I faced a new insecurity. However, I channeled my family’s and personal struggles with language through service. For a long time, I have underestimated my knowledge of English because of how much backlash I have received for my accent. That changed when my Ukrainian student Valeriia voiced her fear of having an accent, and soon after, English was all she had as the bombardment of her city forced her to flee. Because of my empathy for her and the situation in Ukraine, I needed to make others understand their plight. As a Venezuelan and queer storyteller, who has faced obstacles and still lacks self-confidence, my goal is to continue uplifting others to be where I want to be.

Nicole Viloria

English Literature

Miami Dade College