Jose Marti senior shines inside and out of the classroom, with dreams of becoming a eco-friendly engineer
MIAMI — Daniel Ranaudo can solve equations some will never understand, and his GPA is well above 5.0.
"Every time I see that I get an A it's very rewarding and I know that my hard work paid off and it's important for just life maybe in the future people aren't going to see if you got an a in high school but it's very good because it helps set up a good work ethic for the future," said the senior at Jose Marti Mast 6-12 Academy in Hialeah.
That is something he strives for and says was instilled by his parents at a very young age.
"Ever since first grade, they always said you should get good grades," Ranaudo added. "They would always sit next to me and help me study, which I think was a big thing because being next to them at such a young age, and showed me the importance of school and the importance of getting good grades."
"Academically, he is [the] full package, and then beyond that his disposition, highly academic, ambitious, but also very subdued, mild-mannered and humble" added his Cap Advisor Eduardo Cruz.
That is how he is described by his advisors, teachers, and friends. But, this 18-year student doesn't only shine academically.
"Water, polo, and swimming," Ranaudo said. "I'm also a [part of] National Honor Society, and with the biggest things we do as we raise money for cancer awareness. I'm the president of the math, honor society, and recently we set up some sat tutoring help."
And Daniel's hard work has surely paid off — this son of Venezuelan immigrants is living the American dream.
"He's going off to a place people dream of going. He's going to UPenn and Ivy School for a family that came as immigrants to the country, and they look at this [as] the dream of success in America," Cruz said. "He defines that dream."
"Hopefully he doesn't forget where he's from and I know he is going to represent as well and make us proud," said Jose Marti Assistant Vice Principal Maite Robles.
Ranaudo says he hopes to be an engineer that will make an impact. And says in 10 years, he sees himself working on sustainable projects and making the planet a lot more eco-friendly.