It was there that she and her older brother Chris ’14 became good friends with the younger neighborhood children and began to form tight bonds with them. When their grandmother told them the English program at the school the children attended was closing due to poor funding, the Quinteros knew they had to help.

 

Enlisting the help of their mother, a teacher, Stephanie and Chris embarked on a program that was initially a one-week English class for elementary-aged children. Since then, Chicos and Kids, the nonprofit they started, has grown into “a youth led organization that urges kids from around the world to help others through sharing knowledge, language, culture, sports, and games.” Currently, the organization is operating in Colombia, Guatemala, and the Washington, D.C., area.

Because of its outreach and impact, Chicos and Kids has recently received a grant from GenerationOn, a global youth service movement dedicated to igniting the power of all young people to make their mark on the world, and a $10,000.00 award from Nickelodeon. It has also been recognized by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett for its efforts.

Since its inception in 2011, Stephanie and her brother have increased the scope of the organization to provide mentoring to young immigrant and at-risk children who attend Gaithersburg Elementary School and invests in Colombian students’ futures by providing them with classes on English, STEM, nutrition and health while encouraging them to seek higher education opportunities.

With her brother now moving into his junior year at Dartmouth College, Stephanie continues to make a difference on her own in her community as well as abroad. She plans to organize a summer program for children enrolled in the after school organization called Linkages to Learning at Gaithersburg Elementary school where she hopes “to give these children a fun and exciting summer, but also prepare them for the next school year.”

For her significant efforts, Quintero, who will join her brother at Dartmouth in the fall, has been awarded a grant from the Annpower and Vital Voices partnership. She was selected to participate in leadership events and conferences in Washington, D.C., New York, and London, and was recently featured in Bethesda Magazine for her service to the public. She was also a finalist for the 2015 Peace First Prize, which recognizes young people ages 8 through 22 for their contributions as peacemakers.

Quintero’s commitment to public service is a natural extension of her upbringing and her Colombian heritage. Her parents immigrated to the United States in 1993. As she notes, “From a very young age, my parents have taught me to cherish the many things we were privileged to have. Although my family has struggled financially, I would always compare myself to others who had less than I had, and I would feel grateful for having hardworking parents who supported me. I was fortunate enough to be enrolled at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, yet I felt guilty because I knew other children did not have the same opportunities. This influenced me to share my own knowledge with others and allow other children to learn what I was learning.”

According to her mother, Martha Galvis, Stephanie’s personality is such that she extracts joy from the littlest things in life. “She is always eager to help in her community, whether here or abroad,” Galvis said. “Stephanie treats everybody with love, kindness, and respect.”

“My sister has always valued the opportunities that she has been given in her life,” said Stephanie’s brother, Chris. “I think that this is why she is so committed to serving others. She knows how fortunate she is to have so many opportunities, so she wants to help those who are not as fortunate. She is shocked to see how difficult life is for some people and she wants to do whatever it takes to help better their lives. Coming from humble beginnings, Stephanie has been so thankful for all the help that she and our family has received along the way. She has experienced first-hand how a little help can go a long way to better someone’s life and future, so she wants to pay this forward by helping others.

“She also just really enjoys helping others. Putting smiles on the faces of kids who have had difficult lives is very rewarding to her. It is something that makes all the hard work that she constantly puts in worthwhile.”

Galvis attributes her daughter’s compassion and deep empathy for others in part to the significant time she has spent in Colombia.

“Despite the country’s internal conflicts, she has had the opportunity to see the poverty that forces many children to work in order to help meet the daily needs of their families, which unfortunately results in making education a secondary priority,” Galvis said. “Stephanie understands their problems, and she feels their pain. Her Colombian heritage has helped Stephanie to have her unique perspective, and she knows there a lot of people who need help, not only in Colombia but around the world.”

Galvis also credits Stephanie’s time at St. Andrew’s as significantly influencing her passion for public service through its service learning program, math instructor Gregg Ponitch’s summer service trip to Chicago, and her senior community service commitment, where she will dedicate two weeks to helping a local school with a high population of refugee children.

“The values she learns at home and at St. Andrew’s, such as self-discipline, respect, honesty, and empathy, have influenced her positive relationships with people around the world,” Galvis said.

Upper School Head Ginger Cobb has been impressed by Quintero’s selflessness. “She tackles every challenge and goes above and beyond,” Cobb said. “Stephanie is the change we need in the world. She gives me so much hope.”

Quintero thanks former Latin teacher Racquel Yerbury for “inspiring me both in the classroom and my commitment to public service. She was very supportive of me throughout her time at St. Andrew’s. Her enthusiasm for Latin inspired my love for learning languages and I give her much credit for sparking my creativity and helping me see my true leadership potential.”

In her time at St. Andrew’s, Quintero has been a varsity tennis and lacrosse player, a member of the Lion-Cub Program, a Peer Leader, and a participant in the Hispanic Heritage Club. In addition, for her junior Oral History Project, she interviewed Maria Teresa Kumar, the CEO of Voto Latino as well as a contributor on MSNBC, who is a major advocate for the importance of voting and mobilizing young Latinos to become politically active, a cause which Quintero is actively involved.

When she is not at St. Andrew’s, volunteering, or traveling in Colombia, Quintero interns at the Koch Cancer Research Building at Johns Hopkins where she helps research about the effects and migration of Glioblastoma in the human brain.

With graduation only a few weeks away, the Ivy-League bound Quintero is contemplating her future. She plans to study neuroscience or international relations at Dartmouth and minor in Latin American studies. Her dual interest in medicine and public service has led her to consider a career either working as a doctor or on Capitol Hill.

Despite moving on to the next stage of her life, Quintero’s commitment to public service remains strong as she plans to continue working with her brother to expand Chicos and Kids while in college.

“I am committed to public service because I hope to inspire other young girls to take on leadership positions, and even to inspire young people that they have the power to make a change in the world,” Stephanie said.

Whether she realizes it or not, Stephanie is already an inspiration to the St. Andrew’s community.