Yanik Ariste
Yanik Ariste
Coral Gables High School Senior
Yanik Ariste
Latest Achievement: One of seven National Youth Awardees (out of 10,000 applicants) recently honored by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.
Back Story: Ariste won the HHF Business and Entrepreneurship category for her combination of smarts, skills, and strategic vision. With a 4.0 GPA, she is actively involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, the International Baccalaureate Honor Society, and the National Spanish Honor Society. But what won over the HHF committee was a series of essays she submitted on insurance and risk management in health care.
What She Says: “We all go to the doctor and we all are going to go a lot in our lifetime, but [risk management] is something we know nothing about,” she says. Risk management, she explains, is an objective way for people and businesses to protect themselves from catastrophes ranging from natural disasters to shaky financial markets, adding that insurance is the best way to mitigate that risk. This led her to zero in on healthcare. “We may not have all the experience that an older person may have, but teens are putting themselves out there... I’m going to prepare myself, [because] one day I want to be able to impact the community. One day I want to lead.”
Reported by Odalis Garcia
