Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, Isabella Ferreri learned how to adapt. Her parents divorced when she was four years old, and she lived with her mother, who moved frequently. Vera was always getting used to a new school and a new apartment. As she navigated this uncertainty, her dreams were formed that continue to guide her today.
“Ever since I was a child, I wanted to come to the United States to study at a university and experience high school,” she said.
Four years ago, that dream became a reality when she moved to Sarasota with her father and his new family. However, shortly after her move, the pandemic broke out and she was trapped in her new home in her new country, leaving her unable to do anything.
Bella began learning English by watching movies and translating the lyrics of popular pop songs. She learned from Adele and Miley Cyrus and, coincidentally, she has since gotten her As in English.
When school resumed, Bella began attending Riverview High School. She was shy, she was new to school, and she was not confident in her English.
Although it took her a while to find friends, Bella excelled academically and chose to enroll in Suncoast Technical College's nursing program during her junior year. She loved studying to be a nurse and she was “just helping people,” she said.
Although Vera made friends and did well in school, her home life was complicated. Two years after she left São Paulo, she returned during the summer and spent a month with her mother, which Vera says was “a difficult time.” The two were never close.
As Bella struggles to come to terms with her home life, her father wants her to stay with her mother. She is still convinced that Bella wants to follow her own dreams, and this summer her mother and father agreed to release Bella.
In Sarasota, Bella was designated as an independent homeless and unaccompanied youth. She found a temporary place to stay before securing a stable and safe living environment an hour away from her school. “It's quite far away, but it's peaceful,” Bella said.
She is now independent and has made the difficult decision to leave her favorite nursing program and pursue her dreams of higher education at a four-year university. She hopes to pursue a degree in psychology, which interests her the most. After earning enough of her high school credits, she enrolled in a on-the-job training program and began working at her fast food chain. To help pay for her living expenses, she re-employed as a restaurant hostess at Lakewood Ranch, where she currently works as a waitress.
Bella drives an hour to the high school and leaves around noon for her first job. When she finishes her shift, she drives to Lakewood Ranch to start her next shift. Most days, she works her nine hours, then drives home and starts her work again in the morning.
Every day before Bella leaves Riverview High School and goes to work, she stops by Tina Asadourian's office. Tina is a school registrar and since meeting Bella, she has found a reliable adult she can always rely on. That steady, caring support helped me get through some tough times. As Bella said of Tina, “She's more like my mother than my mother.”
“She's my child. I love her and I won't let her go,” Tina said.
Bella also found Laura Williams, a social worker at Schoolhouse Link, a program by the Safe Children Coalition that supports young people experiencing difficulties at home. This program helps students access resources and support to succeed in school. Laura helps Bella navigate the complexities of adult life and acquire items that many children take for granted, such as a cap and gown and prom tickets, and she, as Laura said, We will enable students to “enjoy high school life'' to the fullest.
Bella is grateful that Laura is there. And Laura said of Bella: “She's phenomenal. She's outstanding.”
As the 2024 recipient of the STRIVE Award, which recognizes students who have overcome significant challenges to succeed, it's amazing how Bella has continued to stand out through so much change and turmoil. But her dreams are strong and her dreams keep her going.
Although her high school experience wasn't what she imagined as a child, she plans to attend Florida State University in the fall and then transfer to college to earn a degree in psychology. She doesn't know how she'll afford it or what awaits her in college, but she knows she can be persistent and adapt to make it happen. She said: She said, “It has always been my dream to study here, so I don't want to give up on that.''
Vera's advice for students facing challenges: Do what's good for yourself and don't worry about what others say. Because it's not worth your time. Be yourself and try to be happy. ”
About the Sarasota County Education Foundation and the STRIVE Award
Because education changes lives, the Sarasota County Education Foundation (EdFoundationSRQ.org) has been supporting students and teachers for 35 years. As champions of life readiness, the Education Foundation provides comprehensive, personalized resources and relationships to help students find purpose and intentionally progress through their K-12 schooling. Its mission is to advance student potential, promote educational excellence, and inspire innovation in education based on strategic philanthropy.
The STRIVE Award was born out of H. Jack Hankel's vision to recognize students who have overcome tremendous challenges to succeed in life. To learn more about the STRIVE Awards and this year's notable winners, visit EdFoundationSRQ.org/STRIVE.
