Gloria Estefan

1.1. Birthplace and family background

Gloria Estefan was born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García in Havana, Cuba, on September 1, 1957. Her parents were José Fajardo (1933-1980) and Gloria García (1930-2017). Her maternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants; her maternal grandfather, Leonardo García, emigrated to Cuba from Pola de Siero, Asturias, Spain, where he married Consuelo Pérez, who was from Logroño, Spain. Consuelo's father, Pantaleón Pérez, served as the head chef to two Cuban presidents. Estefan's paternal side also had musical talent, with a famous flautist and a classical pianist in the lineage.

Her mother, Gloria Fajardo, nicknamed "Big Gloria", won an international contest as a child and received a Hollywood offer to dub Shirley Temple's films in Spanish, but her father did not permit her to pursue it. Gloria Fajardo earned a Ph.D. in education in Cuba, but her diploma and other papers were destroyed by Cuban officials when she left for the United States.

Estefan's paternal grandparents were José Manuel Fajardo González and Amelia Montano. José Manuel was a Cuban soldier and a motor escort for the wife of Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban president. Amelia Montano was a poet. As a result of the Cuban Revolution, the Fajardo family fled and settled in Miami, Florida, in 1959, where they ran one of the city's first Cuban restaurants. In 1961, Estefan's father, José, participated in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. He was captured by his cousin, a member of Fidel Castro's army, and imprisoned in Cuba for nearly two years. Upon his return, he joined the United States military and fought in the Vietnam War.

After returning from the Vietnam War in 1968, Estefan's father became ill with multiple sclerosis, attributed to Agent Orange exposure he suffered in Vietnam. Estefan helped her mother care for him and her younger sister, Rebecca (born 1963), while her mother worked as a schoolteacher for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system after regaining her teaching credentials. When Estefan was nine, she alleged that a music teacher sexually abused her, threatening to kill her mother if she spoke out. Estefan informed her mother, who alerted the police, but charges were not pressed to spare Estefan further trauma from testifying. When Estefan was 16, her father's illness led to his hospitalization at a Veterans Administration medical facility. Estefan became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1974 under the name Gloria Garcia Fajardo.

1.2. Childhood and education

Estefan was raised Catholic and attended Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, where she was a member of the National Honor Society. She attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, graduating in 1979 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in French. During her time at the University of Miami, Estefan also worked as an English, Spanish, and French translator at Miami International Airport's Customs Department. Due to her language abilities, she was once approached by the CIA as a possible employee. In 1984, she was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Miami.

2.1. 1975-1988: Miami Sound Machine

In 1975, Estefan and her cousin Mercedes "Merci" Navarro (1957-2007) met Emilio Estefan, Jr. while performing at a church ensemble rehearsal. Emilio, who had formed the band the Miami Latin Boys earlier that year, learned about Estefan through a mutual acquaintance. While the Miami Latin Boys were performing at a Cuban wedding at the Dupont Plaza Hotel, Estefan and Navarro, who were wedding guests, performed two Cuban standards impromptu. Their performance impressed the Miami Latin Boys so much that they were invited to join the band permanently, leading to the band's name change to Miami Sound Machine. Estefan, who was attending the University of Miami at the time, agreed to perform only during weekends to ensure her studies were not interrupted.

In 1977, Miami Sound Machine began recording and releasing various albums and 45s on the Audiofon Records label in Miami. Their first album was titled Live Again/Renacer (1977). After several more releases on the Audiofon, RCA Victor, and MSM Records labels, the band was signed to Discos CBS International and released several albums beginning with the 1978 self-titled album Miami Sound Machine. In 1978, Gloria married Emilio Estefan Jr. after two years of dating. Growing in popularity in both the U.S. and around the world, the group continued recording and issuing various works for Discos CBS International through 1985.

In 1984, Miami Sound Machine released their first Epic/Columbia album, Eyes of Innocence, which included the dance hit "Dr. Beat" and the ballad "I Need Your Love". Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985, and contained three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Conga" (U.S. No. 10), "Words Get in the Way" (U.S. No. 5), and "Bad Boy" (U.S. No. 8), as well as "Falling in Love (Uh-Oh)" (U.S. No. 25). "Words Get in the Way" reached No. 1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads as successfully as dance tunes. The song "Hot Summer Nights" was also released that year and was part of the film Top Gun.

Their next album, Let It Loose (1987), went multi-platinum, selling 3 M copies in the US alone. It featured the hits: "Anything for You" (No. 1 Hot 100), "1-2-3" (No. 3 Hot 100), "Betcha Say That" (No. 36 Hot 100), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (No. 5 Hot 100), and "Can't Stay Away from You" (No. 6 Hot 100). "Can't Stay Away From You", "Anything for You", and "1-2-3" were all No. 1 Adult Contemporary hits as well. In that same year, Estefan took top billing and the band's name changed to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. In 1988, after the worldwide chart success of single "Anything for You", the Let It Loose album was repackaged as Anything for You.

2.2. 1989-2019: Solo career and global success

In 1989, the group's name was dropped, and Estefan has been credited as a solo artist ever since. In late 1989, Estefan released her best-selling album to date, Cuts Both Ways. The album included the hit singles "Don't Wanna Lose You" (Hot 100 No. 1 hit), "Oye Mi Canto", "Here We Are", "Cuts Both Ways" (No. 1 on the U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart), and "Get on Your Feet".

On March 20, 1990, while touring in support of Cuts Both Ways, Estefan was critically injured, suffering a fractured spine when a semi-truck crashed into her tour bus during a snowstorm near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Estefan was returning from a meeting with President George H. W. Bush to discuss participation in an anti-drug campaign. She was taken to Community Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit in Scranton and flown by helicopter the following day to the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Health in New York City, where she underwent surgery that included implanting two titanium rods to stabilize her vertebral column. Her rehabilitation included almost a year of intensive physical therapy, and she said "there were times when the pain was so bad I prayed I'd pass out." However, she ultimately recovered completely.

In January 1991, Estefan released the concept album Into the Light. That same month, she performed "Coming Out of the Dark" for the first time at the American Music Awards to a standing ovation, the performance coming ten months after the crash. "Coming Out of the Dark" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Other notable singles from Into the Light were "Seal Our Fate" and "Live for Loving You". The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard albums chart and at No. 2 on the British albums chart. The album eventually went double platinum in the US and platinum in the UK.

On January 26, 1992, Estefan performed in the Super Bowl XXVI halftime show. Estefan released Greatest Hits in 1992, and the album included the U.S. hit ballads "Always Tomorrow" and "I See Your Smile" along with the international hit dance track "Go Away". That same year, Estefan sang backup vocals on fellow Cuban-American singer-songwriter Jon Secada's breakthrough single "Just Another Day" and received songwriting credit for the Spanish-language version Otro Día Más Sin Verte.

In June 1993, Estefan released her first Spanish-language album Mi Tierra. Mi Tierra peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard album chart and No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart. In the US, the singles "Mi Tierra", the romantic-tropical ballad "Con Los Años Que Me Quedan", and "Mi Buen Amor" all reached No. 1 on the "Hot Latin Tracks" chart. The album sold over 8 M copies worldwide, going on to become multi-platinum in Spain (10 times) and in the US (16 times; Platinum - Latin field), and earning the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.

In September 1993, Estefan released her first Christmas album, Christmas Through Your Eyes. It was also notable as being the first album from Estefan that was not produced by her husband. The album included the singles "This Christmas" and "Silent Night", and went Platinum in the US.

Estefan released Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me in October 1994, a cover album featuring some of her favorite songs from the 1960s and 1970s. The album included her remake of the disco hit "Turn the Beat Around". In December 1994, Estefan gave birth to her daughter, Emily.

In 1995, Estefan released her second Spanish-language album, Abriendo Puertas. The album earned Estefan her second Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album. It spawned two No. 1 dance hits ("Abriendo Puertas" and "Tres Deseos") and two No. 1 Latin singles ("Abriendo Puertas" and "Más Allá"). In 1995, Miami Sound Machine made their second appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show.

In 1996, Estefan released her platinum-selling album Destiny, which featured "Reach". The song served as the official theme of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Estefan performed "Reach" and "You'll Be Mine" at the Summer Olympics closing ceremony. On July 18, 1996, she embarked on her first tour in five years-the Evolution World Tour-which covered the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia, and Asia.

On June 2, 1998, she released her eighth solo album Gloria!. The album blended disco with Salsa music percussion and Latin flavor. The album peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold. The single "Oye!" peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play and the Hot Latin Tracks charts. The other major single releases were "Don't Let This Moment End" (which peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Heaven's What I Feel" (which peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100).

In early 1999, Estefan performed in the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show, her third appearance in a Super Bowl halftime show. In 1999, Estefan performed with 'N Sync on the single "Music of My Heart"-a song featured in the film Music of the Heart in which she also appeared. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard chart and was nominated for an Academy Award. She also released a Latin hit with the Brazilian group So Pra Contrariar called "Santo Santo", which she sang with Luciano Pavarotti in Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo.

Alma Caribeña (Caribbean Soul) was released in May 2000. It was her third Spanish-language album with a focus on Caribbean rhythms. The album featured several Latin Hits such as "No Me Dejes De Querer", "Como Me Duele Perderte", and "Por Un Beso". The album earned Estefan her third Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album in February 2001.

In 2003, Estefan released Unwrapped. To promote the CD, she toured Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. "Hoy" and "Tu Fotografía" both reached No. 1 on Billboard's Latin chart and "I Wish You" reached the Adult Contemporary Charts top 20. Estefan embarked on the Live & Re-Wrapped Tour in support of the album; the tour was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment and played 26 cities upon launching in Hidalgo, Texas on July 30, 2004.

On April 7, 2005, Estefan participated in Selena ¡VIVE!, a tribute concert for the "Queen of Tejano" Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. She performed Selena's hit song "I Could Fall in Love". Also that year, Estefan sang "Young Hearts Run Free" on the soundtrack for the television series Desperate Housewives. In late 2005, the club mash-up "Dr. Pressure" was released; the song combined Mylo's No. 19 hit "Drop The Pressure" with the Miami Sound Machine's "Dr. Beat". It reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart and No. 1 on the Australian dance chart.

In October 2006, Sony released the compilation The Essential Gloria Estefan, featuring her hits from 1984 to 2003. Estefan made several radio and television appearances to promote The Essential Gloria Estefan. She released two additional similar compilation albums that year for other markets. The Very Best of Gloria Estefan was released in Europe and Mexico; this compilation was certified Gold in Ireland. Oye Mi Canto!: Los Grandes Exitos featured a collection of her Spanish-language hits and was released in Spain.

Estefan released the Spanish album 90 Millas on September 18, 2007. The album was produced by Emilio Estefan and Gaitan Bros (Gaitanes), and composed by Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, Ricardo Gaitán, and Alberto Gaitán. The title alludes to the distance between Miami and Cuba. The album peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 list, selling 25 K units in its first week. In Spain, it debuted at No. 3 and was certified gold. The album won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album and "Pintame de Colores" won the award for Best Tropical Song.

In 2008, Estefan appeared during the seventh season of American Idol for the special charity episode "Idol Gives Back". She performed "Get on Your Feet" along with Sheila E.. Estefan became the headliner of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino's new venue. She then headed to Canada to perform at the Casino Rama. In August, she started her 90 Millas World Tour. Estefan played concerts in London, Rotterdam, Belfast, and Aruba. Estefan performed several concerts in Spain, specifically Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Tenerife. Two of these concerts, in Las Ventas, Spain, and in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, were free to the public. Back in the States, Estefan performed a special concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to raise funds for the Education of South Florida. Estefan was a headliner for Bette Midler's "Annual Hulaween Gala". The event benefited the New York Restoration Project. During the Thanksgiving season, Estefan appeared on Rosie O'Donnell's television special Rosie Live singing a duet with O'Donnell titled "Gonna Eat for Thanksgiving", an alternate version of "Gonna Eat for Christmas" from O'Donnell's album A Rosie Christmas.

In 2009, Estefan announced plans for her "farewell tour" of Latin America and South America. The tour continued with a concert at Guadalajara in Mexico, as part of a program designed to improve tourism in Mexico, and a series of appearances at music festivals throughout Europe, including headlining at the Summer Pops Music Festival in Liverpool on July 27, 2009. The same year, Estefan opened the "In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina 2009" with "No Llores". At the end, Estefan together with Jennifer Lopez, Thalía, Marc Anthony, and José Feliciano, performed a rendition of her Spanish-language hit, "Mi Tierra".

Estefan began 2010 with a charity single: she and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan Jr., invited artists to record "Somos El Mundo", a Spanish-language version of Michael Jackson's song "We Are the World". The song, written by Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones, was recorded and premiered during El Show de Cristina on March 1, 2010. All of the proceeds went to Haitian relief. On March 24, 2010, Estefan led a march down Miami's Calle Ocho in support of Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), a group advocating for human rights in Cuba. Later that year, Estefan took part in Broadway's "24 Hour Plays", performing alongside actors Elijah Wood, Diane Neal, and Alicia Witt in the play I Think You'll Love This One, written by Elizabeth Cruz Cortes.

On April 7, 2011, Estefan made an unannounced appearance at the auditions for The X Factor in Miami, and gave encouragement to the 7,500 participants gathered outside the Bank United Center. That year, Estefan was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. She performed at a special concert on June 17, 2011; proceeds from the event went to benefit the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute's education programs.

Estefan's dance-oriented album Miss Little Havana was released in the U.S. on September 27, 2011, with the physical CD available exclusively at Target. Estefan described the album as resembling her 1998 hit album gloria!; For the album, she collaborated with producers Pharrell Williams, Motiff, Emilio Estefan, and Drop Dead Beats. The first single from the album, "Wepa", premiered on May 31, 2011, at AmericanAirlines Arena in a special music video of the song for the Miami Heat. The Heat video was released on YouTube on June 1. The song went on sale for digital download on July 24. Both "Wepa" and the album's second single "Hotel Nacional" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Songs and Dance/Club charts. In the fall of 2011, Estefan expressed her views on gay rights and gay marriage and said that she was a strong supporter of both. She said: "I think everyone should be able to marry who they love, and it should just be." Estefan also recorded a video for the It Gets Better campaign. In November 2011, Estefan began hosting Gloria Estefan's Latin Beat, a seven-part series for BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom that explores the history of Latin music.

In August 2012, Estefan starred in the CW Network reality show The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep opposite Joe Jonas, Nelly, and John Rich. The same year, Estefan appeared as a musical guest in Tony Bennett's compilation of duets with Latin-American musicians, Viva Duets with "Who Can I Turn To". Weeks later, she released the charity single "Por Un Mundo Mejor" with Mexican singer Lucero, Dominican rapper El Cata, and Mexican pop band, Reik. The song was marked as the official hymn for the American division of Teleton.

In May 2013, she appeared on Paul Anka's Duets album with the song "Think I'm in Love Again". In September 2013, Estefan released The Standards. The album features collaborations with Laura Pausini, Dave Koz, and Joshua Bell, and a selection of songs from the Great American Songbook. The album reached No. 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart, marking her first top 20 album on the chart since 1994's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. The first single from the album was "How Long Has This Been Going On?".

In April 2014, Estefan and her husband were honored at the 2014 "Power of Love Event for Keep Memory Alive" in Las Vegas, where other musicians, including Ricky Martin and Rita Moreno, offered the couple a tribute to their music. Estefan joined Carlos Santana on his new album Corazon in a song called "Besos de lejos". Estefan released the compilation Soy Mujer on June 23, 2015, which consists of Estefan's Spanish-language hits.

2.3. 2020-present: Brazil305

Estefan announced she was working on re-recording her music catalog with Brazilian rhythms and four new songs on an album titled Brazil305. She released the first single for the album, "Cuando Hay Amor", on June 12, 2020.

In April 2020, Estefan released "Put on Your Mask", a parody of her 1989 song "Get on Your Feet", with the lyrics changed to reflect the importance of wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Estefan wrote and released "We Needed Time" to reflect her feelings around the COVID-19 global pandemic. The video for the song was shot in Star Island, Miami, by socially distanced cinematographers using drone cameras.

In 2022, the Estefans released a Christmas album titled Estefan Family Christmas. The album includes Gloria Estefan, her daughter Emily, and her grandson.

The soundtrack single "Gonna Be You" from the film 80 for Brady was released on January 20, 2023. The song was written by Diane Warren, and performed by Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, and Gloria Estefan. The official music video shows Parton, Carlisle, Lauper, and Estefan performing while wearing football jerseys similar to the ones worn by the women in the film, interspersed with clips from the film.

2.4. Musical style and influence

Gloria Estefan is hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop" by the media. Her musical style is characterized by a unique blend of Latin rhythms, particularly Latin pop and tropical music, with elements of dance-pop. She is widely credited with popularizing Latin music globally and achieving significant crossover success, introducing Latin sounds to a mainstream English-speaking audience. Her signature song, "Conga", exemplifies her ability to fuse high-energy dance beats with Latin percussion. Her influence extends to contemporary music and culture, inspiring numerous artists and contributing to the global recognition of Latin music.

3.1. Stage musical

A jukebox musical, On Your Feet!, about the life of Gloria and Emilio Estefan premiered on Broadway on November 5, 2015. The musical premiered at the Oriental Theater, Chicago, running from June 17, 2015, to July 5, 2015. Directed by Jerry Mitchell, the choreography is by Sergio Trujillo, and the book by Alexander Dinelaris. The Chicago cast featured Ana Villafañe as Gloria and Josh Segarra as Emilio. The musical opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on October 5, 2015 (preview shows) and November 5, 2015 (official release date). In June 2019, the show played at The Curve in Leicester, UK, before moving to the West End's London Coliseum in London for June-August 2019.

3.2. Film and television appearances

Estefan has appeared in two live-action films, Music of the Heart (1999), where she made her acting debut as Isabel Vazquez, and For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000), where she played Emilia. Estefan made a cameo appearance with her husband in Marley & Me (2008). Estefan starred in a made-for-TV movie on HBO, a remake of "Father of the Bride" with Andy Garcia, which had a Latin/Cuban America twist and premiered on June 16, 2022, on HBO Max.

Estefan was cast to star as Connie Francis, a U.S. pop singer of the 1950s and early 1960s, in the biographical film Who's Sorry Now?. Filming was supposedly to begin in late 2008, with a planned release in 2009. However, the film project was dropped as Connie Francis had irreconcilable differences with Estefan over the film's writer, with Francis wanting to hire Robert L. Freedman, and Estefan refusing to consider him.

Estefan appeared in the ABC television special Elmopalooza (aired February 20, 1998), in which she sang the song "Mambo, I, I, I". In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company's program American Idol as a guest mentor for the contestants during Latin Week. After campaigning heavily for the part on her social media accounts, Estefan was invited to guest star on the Fox television series Glee as Mrs. Maribel Lopez, the mother of cheerleader Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera). She also appeared as a mentor for the CW Network reality series The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep. Estefan played Mirtha, the baby sister and nemesis of Lydia Margarita del Carmen Inclán Maribona Leyte-Vidal de Riera, in the first episode of season 3 of the Netflix series One Day at a Time in 2019.

In 2020, Estefan began co-hosting Red Table Talk: The Estefans, a spin-off of the Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk alongside her daughter Emily Estefan and niece Lili Estefan. Estefan voiced the character of Marta Sandoval, a legendary singer on the verge of retirement, in the animated film Vivo. The film, which features songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was released in theaters and on Netflix in 2021.

3.3. Books

Estefan has authored two children's books: The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005) and Noelle's Treasure Tale (2006). The latter spent a week at No. 3 on the New York Times Bestseller list for children's books. She also collaborated on a cookbook with her husband entitled Estefan Kitchen, which was published in 2008 and contains 60 traditional Cuban recipes.

3.4. Business ventures

Gloria and Emilio Estefan have owned several business establishments, including Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Café; Larios on the Beach). These restaurants are located in Miami Beach, downtown Miami (part of the American Airlines Arena), at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Walt Disney World's Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, and in Miami International Airport. They also own two hotels, Costa d'Este in Vero Beach, which opened in 2008, and The Cardozo in Miami Beach.

In August 2019, the Estefans closed their restaurant Bongos Cuban Cafe that had been located at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World for 22 years. The business was re-imagined as Estefan's Kitchen, which opened at the Sunset Walk at Margaritaville Resort Orlando in February 2020.

Estefan was appointed to the board of directors for Univision Communications Inc. in 2007. The Estefans' estimated net worth has been reported variously as between 500.00 M USD and 700.00 M USD. In June 2009, Estefan and her husband became the first Hispanics to buy a minor ownership stake in an NFL team, the Miami Dolphins.

She spoke at TEDx Via della Conciliazione on April 19, 2013, on the theme "Religious freedom today". In December 2022, Estefan was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Epcot, Walt Disney World.

4.1. Marriage and family

Estefan became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976, noting he was her first and only boyfriend. They married on September 2, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980), and a daughter, Emily (born December 5, 1994). Emily was conceived after Gloria's tour bus crash in 1990, despite doctors having told her she would not be able to have any more children. The family lives on Star Island in the city of Miami Beach.

Estefan's daughter, Emily, is a recording artist, and her son, Nayib, is a filmmaker and owner of the Nite Owl Theater in Miami. In June 2012, Nayib's wife gave birth to a son, making Estefan a grandmother.

4.2. Philanthropy and activism

Gloria Estefan is dedicated to charitable work through the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which promotes education, health, and cultural development. Her activism extends to various social and political issues. In 2010, she co-wrote and recorded "Somos El Mundo" to raise funds for Haitian relief. She actively supported Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco, leading a march in Miami in 2010 to advocate for human rights in Cuba. Estefan is also a strong supporter of gay rights and gay marriage, having recorded a video for the It Gets Better campaign in 2011. Her commitment to public service was recognized with the Common Wealth Awards in 2023.