Dr. Amalia Alvarez, a triple Gator, educator, entrepreneur advocate, was born in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1946. Fleeing Communism in 1959, she joined the Pedro Pan program at 15, arriving in the United States.
Facing initial challenges, Amalia prioritized education, attending Miami Jackson High School and Miami Dade Junior College. The John F. Kennedy Scholarship in 1966 facilitated her journey to the University of Florida in 1967. Graduating in 1968, she pursued a Master’s and PhD in Arts & Sciences, teaching Spanish at UF from 1969 to 1975.
In 1974, she became the first Hispanic/Latino woman with a PhD from UF. Returning to Gainesville, she served as the first Supervisory of Foreign Languages for the Alachua County Public School System and the first coordinator of the Bilingual Program (now ESOL) and co-owned Alavarez Lehman & Associates (ALA) from 1981 to 2001.
Amalia, a dedicated alumna, served on the UF Alumni Association Board of Directors, is one of the founders of the Association of Hispanic Alumni where she served as secretary and eventually president, and played a crucial role in establishing "La Casita" for Hispanic-Latino students. In 2011, she was the first woman honored by AHA as a Gran Caiman which is highest honor for a Hispanic-Latino alumnus of the University of Florida.
Despite personal challenges, including the loss of her daughter, Amalia remains committed to fostering student success and leadership, especially among Hispanic-Latino students at the University of Florida and in their communities.
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