Giselle La Hoz was a name that carried a lot of respect attached to it at my High School. Not only was Giselle Valedictorian of Pembroke Pines Charter High School’s 2016 graduating class, she was also extremely involved in our school. There was not one person in our class that did not know who she was. She was our Class Historian for three years in a row. That is just proof of how much our student body appreciated her as a leader. Her leadership doesn’t stop there. Giselle also worked her way up to become the Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, and played a huge role in designing the yearbook I came to purchase my senior year. She was also the Secretary for Model United Nations as well as ESE Tutoring Club Vice President. How she managed to keep up with all these responsibilities and manage to have the highest grade point average in a class of over 400 students is remarkable in my opinion.
The most impressive part about her isn’t all that she put on her application to the University of Florida; it actually is the type of person she is. I always thought that someone who had this much extra-curricular alongside outstanding grades would have close to no social life, but Giselle is not your average Valedictorian. Cameron, a friend of hers who has know her since 1st grade says she is one of the most caring and trustworthy friends he has ever come to known. He mentioned: “Even though she was Valedictorian, she made a lot of time for her friends”. It is obvious that she managed her social and academic life extremely well.
She’s not only nice to her friends, but to all those around her. She spent her free time tutoring kids in the special needs program and her senior year she completed her own volunteer job involving collecting household items for an orphanage she visited in Peru. What’s not to like about this girl?! I’m almost positive the admissions office here at UF didn’t think twice when admitting her to the school.
Technically I have known of Giselle for a while now, since we attended the same elementary school. However, I never had any classes with her until high school, and even then I never became close to her. When I heard that she was choosing to come to the University of Florida, I still didn’t think we would become friends. It’s a big campus and she was coming to this school with a group of friends she has known for along time. To my astonishment, as fate would have it we ended up floor mates and I have come to known her pretty well. She’s everything I thought she would be and is an amazing and caring friend. She literally made us all Mac & Cheese one time at 4 in the morning and that was when I barely knew her!
Giselle is currently Biology Major with Pre-Vet and hopes to become a veterinarian one day! She is a really inspirational friend to have, and the best part about her is - she’s actually a ton of fun!
Giselle if you’re reading this: I obviously think you are pretty awesome and thanks for everything you do!
