Sarasota student: Working hard to pursue her dream
Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, Isabella Ferelli learned how to adapt. When she was four, her parents divorced, and she lived with her mom, who moved frequently. Bella was always adjusting to new schools and new apartments. As she navigated this uncertainty, a dream formed, one that continues to guide her today.
“Since I was kid,” she said, “I wanted to come to America to study in college and have the high school experience.”
Four years ago, that dream materialized when she moved with her dad and his new family to Sarasota. But right after they moved, the pandemic hit, and she was stuck in a new house, in a new country, with nothing to do.
Bella set to work learning English by watching movies and translating the lyrics of trending pop songs. She learned from Adele and Miley Cyrus – and, incidentally, has earned As in English ever since.
When schools reopened, Bella started at Riverview High School. She was shy, new to the school and self-conscious about her English.
While it took time to find friends, Bella excelled academically and during her junior year she chose to dual enroll at Suncoast Technical College, in the nursing program. She loved studying to be a nurse, “just helping people,” she said.
Bella made friends and thrived in school, but her home life was complicated. Two years after leaving São Paolo, she returned during the summer and stayed with her mom for a month, but, as Bella said, “It was a hard time.” The two had never been close.
As Bella struggled to negotiate her home life, her dad wanted her to stay with her mom. Yet Bella was certain that she wanted to follow her dream, and this past summer her mom and dad agreed to emancipate her.
In Sarasota, Bella was designated as a self-supporting, homeless, unaccompanied youth. She found a temporary place to stay before securing a steady, safe living situation an hour from her school. “It’s pretty far,” Bella said, “but it’s peaceful.”
On her own now, she made a difficult decision to leave the nursing program, where she was excelling, and pursue her dream of higher education at a four-year university. She wants to earn a degree in psychology, the subject that most fascinates her. Having completed enough high school credits, she enrolled in an on-the-job training program and started working at a fast-food chain. To cover living expenses, she took a second job as a restaurant hostess in Lakewood Ranch, where she’s now waitressing.
Bella makes an hour-long drive to her high school, then leaves around noon to clock in at her first job. After she finishes her shift, she drives to Lakewood Ranch to begin the next one. Most days, she works nine hours before driving home and starting over in the morning.
Every day before Bella leaves Riverview High to go to work, she stops by Tina Asadorian’s office. Tina is the registrar at the school, and since Bella met her she has found a trusted adult who she can always turn to, someone whose steady, caring support has helped her through painful times. As Bella said of Tina, “She’s more like my mom than my mom.”
“She’s my kid,” Tina said, “I love her, and I won’t let her go.”
Bella has also found Laura Williams, a social worker with Schoolhouse Link, a program through the Safe Children Coalition that advocates for young people experiencing difficulties at home. The program assists students in accessing resources and support to succeed in school. Laura helps Bella navigate the complexities of adult life and get items that many kids take for granted, like a cap and gown and prom tickets, so she can, as Laura said, “get the full high school experience.”
Bella is grateful to have Laura in her life. And of Bella, Laura said, “She’s phenomenal. She’s a stand-out.”
A 2024 recipient of a STRIVE Award, which recognizes students who have overcome significant challenges to succeed, how Bella has continued to stand out after so many changes and so much turmoil is remarkable. But dreams are strong, and hers keeps her going.
While her high school experience hasn’t turned out the way she imagined as a kid, in the fall she plans to attend State College of Florida and then transfer to a university to pursue a degree in psychology. While unsure how she’ll afford it or what awaits her in college, she knows she can persist and adapt to make it happen. As she said, “It was always my dream to study here, and I don’t want to give up on that.”
Bella’s advice for students experiencing challenges: “Keep busy. Do stuff that’s good for you and don’t care what anyone else says because it’s not worth your time. Be you—and try to be happy.”
About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County & STRIVE Awards
For 35 years, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County (EdFoundationSRQ.org) has supported students and teachers because education transforms lives. As a champion for life readiness, the Education Foundation provides personalized, comprehensive resources and relationships so that students can find their purpose and progress intentionally through their K – 12 schooling. Its mission is to enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching, and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.
The STRIVE Awards were born out of H. Jack Hunkele’s vision to recognize students who have overcome tremendous challenges to succeed in life. Learn more about the STRIVE Awards and this year’s remarkable recipients at EdFoundationSRQ.org/STRIVE.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota student: Working hard to pursue her dream
