She once roamed the halls of Miami High as a student; now she’s a proud alumna and staff member here. Ms. Mabel Garcia is responsible for much of the work that happens in the attendance office.

Work

   Ms. Mabel has worked at Miami High ever since she graduated 27 years ago and has loved it the whole time. There’s nothing that she dislikes about her job; instead she says that this school is her “alma mater and my
second family.”

She enjoys that her job allows her to interact with students. Ms. Mabel wants students to know that she’s always in the attendance office if they need anything or if they simply want to talk. She also reminds students to check the attendance office for any lost items because that is where the “lost and found” is located.

Working in the attendance office comes with multiple responsibilities and it’s not always easy. “I answer phones, assist parents and students, input attendance and so much more,” she said.

MHS Alumna

Ms. Mabel graduated with the class of 1989. “I enjoyed everything about this school from the school spirit and activities to the large population of students,” she said.

Back in high school Ms. Mabel was part of a club called “Little Women, Little Men” which was a service club. “I tried out for the Stingarettes also, and
made the cut, but unfortunately I was unable to participate, because I started working,” she said.

Joining a club back then was completely different from what it is like now. “Now students fill out an application and wait for an approval, but not when I was in school,” she said.

There was something called a “club rush” in which each club had people that wanted to join do different things before officially being named a member. She said that club officers would use students that wanted to join as servants, like sending them out to get their lunch.

During the time that Ms. Mabel came to Miami High, the students did have the privilege of going out for lunch, which is something that today’s students aren’t able to do. She says that all students went to lunch at the same time, and instead of 30 minutes, lunch was 45 minutes long.

“Overall, from being a student and staff member here, Miami High has made me into a respectable person,” Ms. Mabel said. She added that she’s learned to deal with different personalities and she’s “become humbler to her surroundings.”

Away from Miami High

Today Ms. Mabel is happily married with her husband of 22 years and currently has two sons: Steven who is 18, and Alexander who is 11.

“When I’m not working you’ll find me with my family whether we’re at home, at the movies, or out to a restaurant,” she said. She also travels a lot for her son’s sake. “My son plays baseball and during the summer we do a lot of in state traveling for his tournaments,” she said.

Ms. Mabel was born on November 21, 1971, in Cuba and later came to the United States on the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. She attended Kensington Park Elementary and Citrus Grove for middle school.

She says that she had a happy childhood. “When I was younger, there was no technology,” she said. “We played outside a lot.” She enjoyed going to Venetian Pool, playing with Barbie dolls, and roller skating with friends.