Gustavo White

May 6, 2022, will mark Gustavo White’s 26th year at Ransom Everglades. Throughout that time at RE, Mr. White has gone from working in the dining hall to cleaning our halls and classrooms at night to becoming an essential member of our facilities staff – the position which he holds today. Mr. White has seen RE grow and evolve physically throughout the years; he says its architecture is increasingly beautiful. However, since his first days at the school, a constant element has been the respectfulness of the student body towards members of staff. Both in work and in life, Mr. White holds an undeniable spirit of youth through humor and energy. He states that he enjoys living “la vida de jóvenes (life of the youth),” listening to current music, keeping up with the latest fashion, and going out almost every weekend. He also praises the freedoms of expression, belief and free movement in the United States. Mr. White loves the streets of Miami. It is there that he finds he can take advantage of those freedoms that are so important to him: he is free to spend his hard-earned money dressing well and attending events of his liking, he is free to go wherever he wants, and, most importantly, he is free to interact with whomever he likes and to express his opinions regardless of what others might think.

 

Mr. White was born and raised in Cuba, where he lived until October 1993. It was then that he escaped the country’s repressive political and economical environment. He swam for over seven hours (7 p.m. to 4 a.m.) to the American military base in Guantanamo Bay to live the American dream of democracy, freedom and opportunity. He laments having to leave behind his family, four siblings, and many nephews and friends, including his lifelong best friend, Juan Alberto. Though he states he would like to visit Cuba one day to see his loved ones again, Miami seems to have become more of a home to Mr. White than his native country ever was. He believes Miami is “the best place to be” and has no desire to live elsewhere. He greatly appreciates the interconnectedness of its Cuban community due to the ability to remain in contact with his native culture.

 

Thanks to Mr. White’s willingness to fight for a better future, both of his sons have been given the opportunity to freely pursue their interests. His oldest son now runs his own business, driving trucks, and his youngest is currently studying and working as an assistant teacher. Mr. White speaks with great pride about his accomplishments. On a usual weekday, he wakes up at 5 a.m. to face the dreaded I-95 traffic and arrives to work at Ransom Everglades by 6:30 a.m. He works throughout the day alongside his team members mostly outside, all around campus. When asked about the greatest reward he has gained from his years at Ransom Everglades, Mr. White states that his coworkers have become his closest friends as they have spent most of their time together throughout the years and can trust each other with everything. According to one of his colleagues, Mr. White is a companion and mentor to members of his team. Mr. White is curious about the technicalities that go into his job. He states that his favorite part of working in maintenance is the opportunity to constantly acquire new skills and knowledge. An independent thinker, community builder, free-spirit, and persistent learner, Mr. White represents many of the values that students are encouraged to uphold throughout their education at RE.