Mr. Ivan Orlando Giraldez
Ivan O. Giraldez was born on November 23th, 1994. He is the son of Mr. Ivan A Giraldez and Deyanira Giraldez and also brother to younger sisters, Viviana Giraldez (15) and Veronica Giraldez(13) .
In 1999 the family decided to move to the community of Kings Bay in Coral Gables, Florida which they have called home for the past 14 years.
All three kids attended Pinecrest Elementary and Palmetto Middle in the city of Pinecrest. At 13 years of age, Ivan joined the Civil Air Patrol where he learned about military careers in the Air Force and took flying lessons. Also during this time, he discovered his passion for the sport of rowing. He joined the Miami Rowing Club in Key Biscayne and began competing- first as a coxswain and then as an oarsman- at local and regional regattas, earning him numerous awards throughout the 6 years of his involvement. Under the guidance of Coach Andy Parrish, Ivan transitioned from the Miami Rowing Club to the Coconut Grove Rowing Club at Ransom Everglades where he ended his last year in crew.
Ivan enrolled and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School, an all-boys Catholic prep school in Miami, FL. While at Columbus, he initiated and spearheaded the Conservative Rank of Students (C.R.O.S.), a school club dedicated to engaging students in the political process. During his high school years, he also garnered more than 1,000 community service hours by volunteering and dividing his time equally between fundraising and clinical research. Through his involvement with the non-profit, Little Help Inc., he was able to raise money to help kids with cancer, while also raising awareness and collecting medical supplies for the wounded veterans of Miami. In the summer of 2012, Ivan was recognized by the Miami VA Hospital with the Shining Star Award for his work and dedication to the less fortunate in our community. At the University of Miami, Department of Hematology, he was able to explore his academic interests in science and research by studying blood diseases in cardiac patients and performing clinical laboratory experiments.
Ivan finished his studies at Columbus High School in 2013 as an Honors student. He was praised at the graduation ceremony for his acceptance to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Ivan received four congressional nominations from the Honorable Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and two service academy appointments, including one for USMA and the other for the U.S. Air Force Academy. He will be attending West Point in the fall of 2013 where he hopes to continue crew and pursue a Bachelors of Science in Behavioral Science.
http://www.columbushs.com/club_conservative-rank-of-students