Meet Our Scholars

Melanie Camejo Coffigny was born in Matanzas, Cuba where she lived until moving to West Palm Beach, Florida, when she was 10 years old. As an immigrant, Melanie initially grew insecure of her accent and her background. However, she pulled through these insecurities and learned to be proud of every part of her identity. Melanie took her family's sacrifices and used them as the inspiration needed to succeed in all her endeavors. Melanie attended Lake Worth Community High School and joined their Medical Magnet as a stellar student. Her passion and dedication awarded Melanie with the position of President of four student clubs at her high school: Medical Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, SHAPE (Students Changing the World) Club and the school's first successful Gay-Straight Alliance, which she founded. She is also a nationally acclaimed poet by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and a regionally recognized artist. Melanie aspires to advocate for marginalized individuals, especially those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and continue to be an activist for LGBTQ+ issues.