Ainara Gomez put it simply: “My identity is a superpower, not an obstacle.”

The 17-year-old senior from Sickles High School often reflects on that quote from actress America Ferrera’s 2019 TED Talk. Gomez even recreated it for speech and debate class during her freshman year.

“It’s become pretty symbolic for me because look where I am now,” she said.

This October, Gomez was one of six high school and middle school students recognized for their contributions to their communities in Hillsborough County’s “Youth Excellence and Achievement (YEA!) Awards.”

The recognition is divided into three categories: volunteer and community service, leadership, and success despite difficult odds. Gomez was awarded in the leadership category.

Besides taking college level-courses in high school and maintaining a high GPA, Gomez also serves as president of the Sickles High School choral program and has worked for the Community Food Pantry, the student-led nonprofit Love in Layers, and Bags of Hope.

Her inspiration remains the same throughout all of it: to use her past “as a catalyst” for the change she hopes to see in the world.

Gomez, who was born in Spain to a Cuban mom, moved to the United States when she was 5 years old. Her mom, Anabel, left Cuba when she was pregnant with Gomez hoping to create a better future for her family.

Moving out of the country involved some firsts, including learning English from scratch, she said. But Gomez wasn’t alone –– her mom and twin brother Alvaro have always worked together “to figure things out.”

Now, she dreams of representing the Hispanic community in government –– whether that’s from a judge’s bench or Congress. When she gets overwhelmed, Gomez just thinks back on her endgame.

“It’s just really important to remember your original reason as to why you start your journey,” she said.

Being a role model is also an added bonus. Gomez said she hopes to inspire other kids who grow up in low-income households or who don’t speak fluent English, as she once did.

“They might think that they’re not good enough or they don’t have enough opportunities or not enough networking. I’m here to make a better future for myself and so others know that ‘Hey, you can do this.’”

Sickles High School Principal Krista Luloff believes Gomez’s outlook on life is inspiring. “She’s an all around good student that is always spreading positivity,” Luloff said. “She’s always got a smile on her face.”

Luloff sees her innate leadership qualities on campus and on stage when it comes to the choral program. “Her poise and her personality up on that stage just draws you to look at her and want to get to know her,” she said.

School isn’t the only way she gets to exercise her music chops. Gomez is also part of Toast of Tampa Show Chorus, an all-women acapella ensemble.

But one of her other passions is volunteering. Gomez has worked with Bags of Hope and the Community Food Pantry, which provides food, hygiene bags and health screenings for those in need.

She also served as a volunteer coordinator at Love in Layers, a nonprofit that supplies clothing to underserved communities. While working there, she spearheaded a collaboration with Bags of Hope to create more complete support packages.

Seeing the impact her work can have and knowing she could become a safe space for others makes it all worth it, she said.

“The truth is that their smallest impact can become something really, really large for others,” she said.

All of Gomez’s extracurricular work –– from choir to volunteering and the Model United Nations Club she founded –– can keep her busy, but she tries to prioritize rest as much as possible, whether that is by sleeping in or playing Roblox.

When she gets overwhelmed, she tries to remind herself and others that perfection isn’t realistic. She said she’s not ashamed to have to leave an Advanced Placement course for an honors class if that’s what’s best for her.

“Nowadays, there’s so much pressure on high schoolers to be well-rounded, to have this many APs, to have this high of a GPA,” she said. “Failure is OK and it’s perfectly acceptable because it basically happens to every single person.”