Miranda has a vision for herself: She wants to go to medical school, even though she knows the rigor will be daunting. She says that where you come from should not determine what you do with your life, and that finding the right community that believes in you is essential to achieve your goals.

She is an SEO Scholar; a NYS Attorney General “Triple C” awardee; a three-year National Honors Society member; a Seal of Biliteracy, Seal of Civic Readiness, and Seal of Service recipient; a three-time Principal’s Scholar; an art contest winner; and even a science fair medalist for creating a gel electrophoresis machine.

Her friends would say she has perseverance, is maybe even stubborn. But Miranda calls herself relentless, always striving for the highest quality. “I am willing to work as hard as needed,” she says, “to get where I want to go.”

Holding her sister’s hand, at age 14, she returned to America, leaving the comfort of family — only to feel foreign in the land of her birth. Her tenacity helped her find the needed resources so she could find her way. Proud of her Mexican heritage, Miranda continued to use both of her last names.