Mariana is 17 years old and attends Coronado High School. Her father lived in Tijuana, so she went down there on most weekends. There, she saw many Haitian refugees sleeping in the streets and saw their extreme suffering. She was moved to help them. She collected hygiene and clothing items and gave them to shelters who were helping the refugees. She volunteered for over 10 nonprofits while in high school.

Mariana’s will use her award money from SIC to purchase more items for the refugees.