How
Opportunities
Shape Futures

Speakers

Five voices on opportunity

• 01Cesar BenemelisFounder & CEO @ Sparktech TutoringCesar Benemelis is a first-generation Cuban American student at the Florida Institute of Technology with a strong passion for aerospace. A member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he is also the founder of Sparktech Robotics Tutoring, through which he provides STEM education to children in Africa. His work was featured on CBS Miami Proud. Cesar is an alumnus of The Knowledge Society, a global program for high-achieving students, where he conducted research and projects involving companies such as IKEA, Walmart, and CRISP. Outside of academics and STEM, he enjoys composing music and spending time outdoors with family and friends.
• 02Clint John Jr.Executive Director @ Virtutem Populo, Inc.Raised by a single mother and a Jamaican grandmother who immigrated to Miami to clean homes and care for the sick, Clint learned early that opportunity is not distributed equally. He has since dedicated himself to opening doors for other students. Today, he serves as the elected Legislative Liaison representing more than 330,000 Miami-Dade students, advises the Mayor's Office on civic infrastructure, and has testified before the County Commission. In 2026, Clint was named Florida's Youth Advocate of the Year. He has keynoted for Teach For America and the Florida PTA, won Miami-Dade's Piano Slam spoken-word competition, and founded Catalyst Rising to advance civic causes through strategy and storytelling. His guiding belief is simple: opportunity is a chain of custody, and he intends to be the place it never breaks.
• 03Liliya StrongFounder @ Stocks for WomenAn investor, educator, and former equity research analyst, Strong helps women and the next generation understand how the stock market works. She immigrated to the U.S. with $600, no English, and no connections before graduating cum laude from Columbia University with a degree in Economics and spending more than 15 years in equity research. Through disciplined, long-term investing, she built her own financial independence and later had the opportunity to attend a private dinner with Warren Buffett. Today, she focuses on making investing accessible through calm, practical, evidence-based education, particularly for women historically excluded from financial conversations and young people seeking a clear, confident foundation for building wealth.
• 04Sandi HerreraCo-Founder & CEO @ HumanizEDUWith more than 20 years of experience leading culture transformation across industries, Herrera now focuses on strengthening education through educator wellbeing. As Co-Founder & CEO of HumanizEDU, she equips educators to build school cultures rooted in resilience, clarity, and belonging, addressing educator burnout and youth mental health at their intersection. HumanizEDU's next milestone is certifying 333 Culture & Wellbeing Coaches through investment, philanthropic sponsorship, and educator participation. Her work centers on building lasting capacity within schools, empowering each coach to positively influence thousands of educators and students over the course of their career and create ripple effects across families, communities, and future generations.
• 05Dr. Stacie HerreraCo-Founder & CIO @ HumanizEDUA licensed school psychologist and social impact entrepreneur, Dr. Herrera works to build psychologically safe learning and working environments where young people and the adults who support them can thrive. Her work spans student mental health, educator wellbeing, and culture transformation, partnering with schools, districts, and nonprofits to expand evidence-informed supports and resilience programming. Through her clinical practice, she works directly with children, adolescents, and college students while advising organizations on systemic approaches to youth mental health. Her work is grounded in the belief that sustainable student wellbeing depends on supporting educator wellbeing and creating cultures centered on safety, belonging, trust, and resilience.

Venue

Auditorium

8865 SW 16th St, Miami, Florida 33165, United States

ABOUT US

ORGANIZING TEAM

Alejandra Perry

Founder & Organizer

Miami, FL, United States

Perry is an education advocate, nonprofit founder, and neuroscience researcher expanding access to opportunity for students from backgrounds like her own. Raised in a first-generation, single-parent household in Miami, she saw firsthand how language barriers and limited resources restrict access to education. At 14, she founded Literary Speaking, Inc., a student-led nonprofit providing language support, tutoring, STEM mentorship, and college readiness for ESOL, first-generation, and low-income students across South Florida. A 2026 Regeneron ISEF Finalist and Research Science Institute Scholar at MIT, she studies neurodegenerative disease through experimental biology and computational analysis. She is also a Bezos Scholars National Semifinalist, Riley's Way Foundation National Fellow, and Carson Scholar.

Christine Mederos

Co-organizer

Miami, FL, United States

Mederos is the CAP Advisor at Miami Coral Park Senior High School, where she helps students navigate the path to college. She guides students through applications, scholarships, financial aid, and other resources that can make higher education more accessible. Her work is especially important for ESOL, first-generation, and low-income students who may face barriers not because of a lack of potential, but because of limited access to information and support. Through individualized guidance, she helps students understand their options, build confidence in the college process, and recognize that higher education is within reach.