MIAMI -- Dr. Miguel Escanelle has always loved science.
As an elementary school student in Cuba, he remembers excelling in his science and math courses, while struggling in Spanish. When he was 9, his father left Cuba for the Dominican Republic and he and his mom were left by themselves.
After his mother lost her job as a special education teacher, they applied for asylum, waited a year to get a visa, and arrived in Homestead during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He was 15 and entered Coral Gables Senior High midway through his sophomore year, staying there until graduating.
