Gabriela Ponce had been dreaming about her 15th birthday since she was 12.
In Hispanic cultures, the quinceañera coming-of-age ceremony marks the transition from girl to womanhood.
Gabriela’s 15th birthday finally arrived this May, but her Mexican immigrant parents could not afford to give their only daughter a lavish party. Since her father, an agricultural worker in the Homestead area, was recently laid off, the family has been struggling to make ends meet.
“It has been very difficult,” said Rosa Ponce, Gabriela’s mother. “She really wanted a party, but we just could not afford it.”
Enter the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida.
The council recently organized a grand quinceañera celebration for Gabriela and five other young ladies enrolled in the Girl Scouts’ “Uniquely ME!” self-esteem program. The six-week program is designed for girls ages 14 to 16, with activities like community service, and lessons in goal-setting, etiquette, personal hygiene, health and nutrition, and cultural traditions.
“I learned that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty,” said Roxana Zervantes, 15. “Not everybody is going to look like a model, but everybody is unique in their own way.”
The Fiesta de Quiceañera , in its third year, also symbolizes graduation from the program.
“We saw a need in the migrant community for a self-esteem program,” said Nydia Gonzalez, program services director for the Girl Scouts. “Television and magazines portray unrealistic images. We want to let them know to be happy with themselves.”
Held at the ballroom in the Homestead Community Center, the reception featured music, Mexican food, cake, flower arrangements and professional photography. The girls wore traditional poofy princess dresses, tiaras and pink tennis shoes. They later slipped into high heels with the help of their parents, a typical component of quince ceremonies.
“For me, this means showing everybody we’ve grown up, not just physically but mentally, too,” said Estefania Laredo, who celebrated her seventeenth birthday the day of the event.
The “Uniquely ME!” Program is sponsored by the Ford Motor Co. Foundation. Other local businesses pitched in to help as well, such as BJ’s Wholesale Club, Pink Champagne and Roses, Demi and Desi, and The Guayabera Lady.
Beauty Schools of America’s Homestead Campus treated the quinceañeras to a day of pampering, including manicures, pedicures, hair and makeup. The school also provided breakfast and lunch for the girls.
“They approached us about hair and makeup, but we took it a step further,” said Alexandra Salazar, director of events for the school.
The girls, originally 10 in total, were selected by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Migrant Education Program. Parents didn’t have to pay for the program or costs associated with the ceremony, but some were skeptical and pulled their daughters out anyway.
When it was time for the traditional waltz, fathers smiled down at their beaming daughters in spite of economic hardships due to months without work. For those who stuck with the program, it was rewarding to see their children’s hard work pave the way for a better future.
“I feel very proud and grateful,” said Enrique Rodriguez.
His daughter, Karina, turned 15 this year.
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