'One in a million'

Salutatorian Ella T. Garcia graduated from Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School on May 26. Her spectacular middle school career started three years ago as a sixth grader, obtaining straight A’s while playing three sports. As a seventh grader, she continued her success as a student-athlete maintaining her “A” average while playing sports year-round. She was also selected to the National Junior Honor Society.

Her Mother, Marisol Narvaez, said that Ella was a miracle baby. After her third son, the medical staff treating Marisol said she would never get pregnant again. But 19 months later, and with severe pain, she went to the ER and was told she was pregnant. She was forced to sign a waiver that if the medical staff could only save her or the baby, who would she want to be saved? “Of course, I chose her,” she said.

“By the grace of God, she was born premature and in better health than expected. She has a heart condition that we monitor, but it does not slow her down. She has always been very active since she was a toddler because of her three older brothers, who she always followed around,” she said. “Ella loves to compete with them, and this has made her the competitor she is today.”

“Her giving and caring ways have always been evident in her actions, from helping me clean around the house to cooking or going with me to feed the homeless or delivering food to the sick or elderly. The really important thing is that she does all of it from her heart and with a beautiful smile on her face,” Marisol said. I always tell her that she has the heart of a true servant, and that’s exactly what God wants of us — to be Christlike in all we do daily and those we encounter.”

Ella Therese has been a part of the Junior Catholic Daughters of America since she was five years old, and this also is something dear to her heart. “They do so many service projects from the nursing homes to The Ark to the Villa Maria residents to the Hope House and many other places. “It is a true testament to who she is when all her peers (including the faculty as well) look up to her and really value her as a friend and leader,” her mother said.
  Ella made her eighth-grade year one that could only be dreamed about. While maintaining her grades and as captain of the eighth-grade volleyball team, she led her team to a 20-5 record. She and her teammates held off a very talented Rockport Fulton MS team to win the Annapolis Annual Volleyball tournament.

It was another winning season to add to her fabulous year. Ella was named captain of her eighth-grade basketball team and was the team’s leading scorer. She also played shortstop for the Lady Crusaders and was named Bishop Garriga’s Female Athlete of the Year, and her classmates voted her their Prom Queen. On May 26, Ella delivered her speech as the Salutatorian for the class of 2022.

One would think you couldn’t have a better eighth-grade year, Female Athlete of the Year, Prom Queen, while maintaining a high “A” in all her academics. Quite an accomplishment that did not go unnoticed. On May 7, Father Peter Martinez, president of St. John Paul II High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School, announced that Ella would receive the General Marc Cisneros Academic Scholarship. This scholarship represents a full year’s paid tuition to St. John Paul II High School. This scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated leadership skills, high academic standards, and, most importantly, shares our Catholic values.

Marisol is thankful for sending all her children to Catholic School. She works three jobs, and many times she was unsure if she could continue sending her children to a Catholic school. But “through the grace of God and all the scholarship assistance, I have had two young men graduate from St. John Paul II High School and am working on the last two,” she said. “My brothers give me a hard time, but I always remind the children that it takes a village to help raise them, and that’s exactly what we have received in our Catholic church and school communities.”

“I can never, ever even begin to repay all the love, support, and financial assistance we have received. Ella Therese is one in a million, and I have to say that another characteristic I love about her is her humility. She is not one to brag or put others down or look down on them,” Marisol said. “She will help others no matter what and always gives them positive reinforcements.”