A devastating turn of events recently caused Gables to lose one of its brightest Cavaliers. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, Bryan “Alejandra” Agredo passed away at the age of seventeen when she was hit by a train on the Tri-Rail tracks. Agredo was in her senior year of high school and had a bright future ahead of her, advocating for the issues she was passionate about and lighting up the lives she touched. She will be missed by the many students and teachers that had the pleasure of knowing her personally.

Agredo was a very determined person and went out of her way to improve her community. Being an active supporter of public transit in Miami-Dade County,  her goal was to make traveling, easy, safe, and affordable. She was a founder of the Miami Riders Alliance, a non-profit organization that advocated for improved public transit and safer streets. Her efforts in aiding others granted her an honorable reputation of being a selfless and caring student.

“I’ve never met anyone so interested in the community and the city’s transportation, and it was inspiring to see her tackling issues with the city head-on. She was a natural-born leader, brilliant, strong, and inspiring,” senior Virgil Davila said.

Agredo also worked on several transit-related projects in her spare time. She developed a new design for the county transit pass that was decorated with an original miniature rail map. Alejandra was also busy creating her website, wayline.co, which was going to track the different modes of transportation available in the community along with describing their routes. Ultimately, she planned on using the software to turn her site into an app.

Not only was Agredo a pioneer with her transportation innovation, but she was also making great strides in the LGBT+ community. As a member of Paradigm, Gables’ Gender-Sexuality Alliance Club, she wholeheartedly supported the idea of acceptance of others. She strove to create a welcoming environment in the school and wanted to connect students with each other, while still promoting self-expression and individuality. This was just another one of the many ways she used her actions to positively impact the world.

On top of her productive schedule, Alejandra also found the time to maintain a busy life around school. Being part of the On-the-Job-Training program, she worked at the Belle Fleur flower shop. She was also known as an excellent student by all of her teachers and did very well academically. As a senior applying to colleges, her hard work earned her the privilege of being considered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was well-known and loved by fellow students at the school, and is currently missed greatly during these trying times.

“Alejandra had a presence in my life. Even when we did not talk often, all her adventures, which turned into stories, her memes, and jokes made a difference. It was little things but they impacted my day-to-day. She was there for me in her unique way and I appreciated that a lot,” junior Zedd Alvarez said.

Alejandra’s father, Freddy Agredo said that he did not know she was suffering from depression, and found her to be happy. However, a few hours before the incident he had been researching suicide prevention. Her father wants to spread awareness about this situation to stop something like this from ever happening again and help others. If you or a loved one is going through a difficult time, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via their website or contact their call center at 1-800-273-8255.

“She called me and told me she was sad, but I never knew she was depressed. My baby was on her transition to becoming Alejandra after reaching her legal age. Unfortunately, she did not have enough time but we want to grant her last wish in life,” Freddy Agredo said.

Alejandra Agredo was an incredible person with a beautiful soul. She contributed so many great things to the world and left a lasting impact on the people in her community. Losing her was saddening, but the only way to move on is to honor her story and celebrate her memory.

Alejandra’s family will be holding a life celebration ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 2:00 P.M. to 6 P.M. It will be located at the Maspons Funeral Home, 3500 Southwest 8 Street. All are welcomed for this opportunity to say goodbye. There is also a GoFundMe to support the Miami Riders Alliance, to keep her legacy going. Any donations to support her cause will be greatly appreciated. Through her advocacy and kindness, Agredo changed the lives of her peers, and it can surely be said that the community at Coral Gables Senior High was proud to call Alejandra Agredo a Cavalier.