Student Spotlight: Elisabet Ortiz

First year student Elisabet Ortiz was born in St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago on Mexican Independence Day (September 16th). She attends Lincoln Park High School where she is in the double honors program. Her favorite subject right now is chemistry but she understands the math component and she enjoys doing experiments. “I love playing with fire,” she says, literally.

Elisabet says school is important because, “I need to go to school to be what I want to be. I’d die if I didn’t go to school. You have to work for your long-term goals,” and she does just that! Elisabet’s goal is to graduate high school with a 4.5 GPA. She plans to join the military (noncombat) after school, come back and go to Harvard, get a Ph.D. in Law, become governor, and become the first female president of the United States!

Elisabet got into politics through a political debate club called the Junior Statesmen of America. “We are all representatives and senators and we run it like our own little country,” she says. “There are bills, laws, conventions, debates in Wisconsin…” and in February she got to go to Washington, D.C. to see the real U.S. government in action.

In her spare time, Elisabet is much like any other 10th grader. She enjoys making friendship bracelets, browsing Facebook, hanging out with her friends, and eating at The Cheesecake Factory. If she could visit anywhere in the world right now, she would go to Puerto Rico. She also wants to meet Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber. Perhaps becoming president will give her the power to set up a rendezvous.

Elisabet was connected to Cabrini Connections via her mom who had another child, Kevin Cordero (Class of 2008), in the program. “It has been great so far,” she says. “More than I expected.” Elisabet works with veteran tutor Brea Adams on Thursday nights. “She is a really good role model to me… [and] you have to be qualified for me.”

We’re glad she meets your criteria! Good luck with school and congratulations on making the spotlight!