A gymnast with a 4.0 GPA, Vida Rosa trains from 20 to 25 hours a week and has been competing since she was eight years old. Her hard work and dedication to the sport has resulted in her reaching the highest level (ten) by the age of fourteen. Her parents encouraged her to balance athletic and academic endeavors and to focus just as much effort on school work as she did her workout. Additionally, on Vida Rosa’s “free” time, she chose to raise money for “Kids Walk for Kids with Cancer”, a cause close to her heart. She also volunteers at the Latino Action Center and has participated in Peer Alliance Leadership, a highly selective program at NYC Laboratory School for Collaborative Studies. Vida Rosa aspires to helping adolescent athletes and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. Though she did not think she could combine her academic aspirations with her love for gymnastics, her tenacity triumphed and this Fall, Vida Rosa will be competing on the 2007 gymnastics team at Brown University.