From Springview to Princeton

Miami Springs has produced many great leaders, innovators, students, and educators over the years.  As you know, Miami Springs was founded by the legendary inventor, entrepreneur, and aviation pioneer, Glenn Curtiss.  So it should be no surprise that Miami Springs continues to produce top flight talent.

However, geography alone doesn’t make a determining factor.  It takes a lot of hard work, grit, and determination to be successful.  So today, I couldn’t be more proud to share a personal story of a young man who grew up his entire life in Miami Springs and is now headed to Princeton University, one of America’s most prestigious universities.  I’m talking about my son, Nestor M. Suarez.

Nestor started his education at Springview Elementary (a top rated A school in Miami Springs).  I give all the credit to his mom, Mrs. Suarez, who is also a teacher at Springview Elementary.  She has always been instrumental in ensuring every assignment was done on time and that nothing was ever missed.  She has always been a hawk reviewing the school portals to ensure our kids were maintaining their grades and getting all their assignments done on time.  Add an amazing set of teacher’s and Nestor’s own self discipline and he was able to achieve straight As throughout his elementary schooling.

In deciding what Middle School to go to, we had several choices.  When considering a school for your child, it’s important to understand your child and what will help them grow.  For example, we chose a school which had a balance of athletics and academics for our older daughter.  However, Nestor was never too crazy about team sports.  He wanted to be challenged academically.

After touring a variety of schools, he chose a sometimes overlooked school located in Hialeah:  Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy.  You probably have never heard of it before, but this school is ranked as the 8th best High School in the State of Florida according to U.S. News and World Report.

He did incredibly well at the school, but what people may not understand is the discipline Nestor had in achieving his results.  Lots of sleepless nights.  Missing fun events to do homework.  More sleepless night.  Sleeping in all day Saturday to make up for the lack of sleep during the week.  Lots of studying, reading, online tutorials, and good old fashioned problem solving.

I hate to admit it, but Nestor surpassed my ability to help him with math during his freshman year in high school.  By the time he completed high school he had already finished two years of calculus.

Obviously, he’s our son and we’re incredibly proud of the opportunity his hard work and discipline has afforded him.  We wanted to share this as parents ask us, “How did he get into Princeton?”  The answer is boring, but true.  Hard work.  Discipline.  Sacrifice.

The other thing is, the student has to want it.  They have to enjoy the hard work and discipline and sacrifice.  Let’s be honest.  It’s not for everybody.

This is no different than a student that is putting in hard work, discipline, and sacrifice for a sport.  They have to want it.

And all that hard work, discipline, and sacrifice hasn’t done anything but grant him a unique opportunity.  There’s no guarantee of success in life.  Hard work, discipline, and sacrifice simply open up more opportunities that can lead to success.

Okay, so what’s Princeton like?

Well, the first thing to realize is that Princeton University is older than the United States.  You see, Princeton was established in 1746 or 30 years prior to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The architecture is amazing.  You feel like you’re at Hogwarts.  And it’s not just one or two buildings.  You are surrounded by stunning architectural building after stunning architectural building.

Speaking of history, Albert Einstein used to lecture at Princeton.  Below is a picture of Nestor in the Albert Einstein classroom.

Nestor will be studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.  In other words, he will be using that high end math most of us never use on a daily basis.

Of course, he draws modern day inspiration from NASA, SpaceX, and Lockheed Martin.  But I’ve gotta believe that the father of naval aviation, Glenn Curtiss, and founder of Miami Springs also contributed to Nestor’s journey to Princeton.

To my son.  Congratulations!  Mom and dad couldn’t be any prouder of you.  Now go make your dreams come true!  That means more hard work.  More discipline.  More sacrifice.

God bless you my son.

And thank you to the Miami Springs Community for indulging me in this proud daddy moment.