Santaluces has many great students, but Alexandra De Souza-Rivera is definitely one student who stands up above the rest.

Alexandra De Souza-Rivera is currently the junior class president. De Souza-Rivera has been president of the class 2016 since her freshman year and is known as an ambitious student, always going above and beyond to help others.

She is currently a member of Key Club and has applied for National Science Honor Society. Even if she’s not in a club, she still volunteers and does activities with them – during Club Rush she helped Chiefs Against Cancer by bringing supplies and helping them with whatever they asked. She helps any club or person that is in need of guidance.

“I’m definitely a [hands-on] person,” said De Souza-Rivera. “I’m always there to help someone in need.”

She is a member of the golf team, and despite only having one year of experience playing golf, she has shown much skill, attending regionals twice.

“Alexandra always has taken initiative in class, she’s always respectful and kind to others,” said Ms. Conklin, her teacher from her sophomore year. “She’s also an amazing athlete.”

De-Souza Rivera plans on attending the University of Florida, and she has been enrolled at Palm Beach State since her sophomore year. De-Souza Rivera dreams of giving a speech at graduation.

“She has future goals and she plans to achieve them,” said Jean Joseph, a junior. “She doesn’t let any obstacles get in her way.”

Her goal is to become an orthodontist. On certain days, she plans on dressing up as the tooth fairy to make the children at her future job smile. She wants to go out once a week and devote the day to helping others, which she’s already shown in over 700 hours in community service. She volunteering ranges from helping children in need to helping out at animal shelters; this summer she volunteered as a counselor in training at a sports camp for children in need.

“I like everyone smiling, I think if you’re not smiling, what’s the point in life,” said De Souza-Rivera. “If I can make other people smile more, it’d be great.”