Her name is Yoyslaisi De las Mercedez Fernandez Piedra, but you can call her Yoi. She is currently Circolo Italiano’s president and will continue reigning next school year.

President of Circolo Italiano  

“Since freshman year, Circolo sponsor Ms. Miranda told me about the club,” Yoi said, “so I joined, liked being involved, and later wanted to be president.” Her favorite thing about the club is that it teaches people about the Italian culture.

As president, Yoyslaisi makes sure all officers do what they’re supposed to, and she does jobs that no one wants or can’t do.

To anyone thinking of joining Circolo Italiano, Yoi says, “It’s fun being in the club. We usually have pizza parties and interact with each other in events.” The club meets every 3 weeks on Fridays for 20-30 minutes. They talk about events coming up and activities involving the club.

SGA Corresponding Sec

Yoi is presently SGA’s corresponding secretary, but next school year she will take on a new role as SGA’s historian.

  A huge part of why Yoyslaisi wanted to run for secretary was because of SGA advisor Ms. Puentes’ son Daniel Puentes, who was SGA president and graduated last year. “I would see him come in the room, and I wanted to be involved like him,” she said. After speaking to Ms. Puentes about the position, she was sure she wanted to do it. Also, Yoi loves the fact that SGA is involved in every activity.

Some of her SGA responsibilities involve texting all of the senators and getting in touch with clubs about meetings and events in progress.

One benefit of her positon is that she gets to be in all activities, helps out, and knows what everything’s about.

On the downside, she says, “Whenever something has to be done, we have to stay late after school to finish and sometimes work during the summer.”

Miami High student      

Yoyslaisi decided to come to Miami High because during her 8^th grade orientation, when Miami High was presented, she loved how the clubs were full of spirit. A bonus to coming here would be having her cousin with her. Having been here since freshman year, Yoyslaisi says, “I like Miami High’s history and how everyone looks like a big family.”

Some of her favorite classes include Italian, health science, and math. Yoi likes each of them for different reasons. For Italian, she said, “It teaches me another language and culture.” She enjoys health science because she has been in the program since 9^th grade, and likes how it teaches students step-by-step procedures. Regarding math, she says, “I like dealing with numbers, and I want to be an international accountant.”

Yoyslaisi does wish things could be improved at the High. She believes that teachers that don’t actually teach should be withdrawn. Also, she feels that the food, how it’s distributed and the huge lunch lines, needs to change.

Other clubs

Yoi is also a member of Beta, Circolo Italiano, and Future Educators of America.

“I joined Beta,” Yoi said, “because we would always be in club sponsor Dr. Hueck’s room after school, I started liking it, and my friend joined and made me join.” Yoyslaisi loves how Beta’s members are so involved and how their socials are really fun.

Regarding FEA, Yoyslaisi heard one of her friends talk about the club and that made her want to join. “FEA deals with appreciating teachers and doing services with little kids,” she said.

Life outside of school

   Yoyslaisi was born in La Habana, Cuba, on September 23, 1999.  Her parents and two older sisters are also Cuban. She dreams about being able to take care of and providing for her mother, who has done a lot for her and her sisters.      

After high school, Yoyslaisi is planning to go to FSU. “It looks like fun,” she said, “I saw it at the college fair.” In 10 years she sees herself as an international accountant, married with twins and a puppy.

Yoi has lived all over the country. She went to John E. Wright Elementary in Arizona, and later attended Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Kentucky.

Some of her favorite things to do outside of school are watching movies and going out to eat with her friends. Yoyslaisi’s bucket list includes traveling to Dubai, going skydiving, and using a flyboard.