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Lara Carbajal's life has been incredibly eventful.....filled with awards, rewards, change, challenge and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Her experiences have included the highest peaks and the lowest valleys. With music and scholastic scholarships she earned a BS degree in music and education and taught secondary music while working on a Masters degree in choral conducting at The University of Houston. Her high school choirs won numerous sweepstakes and outstanding "Best in Class" honors. Lara took a five-year break from teaching and was a sales consultant for a fund-raising company. She earned many top national sales awards and was asked to assist in training new consultants. She then was invited to do quite a lot of keynote and motivational speaking for other companies. Before returning to education Lara traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, Egypt, Canada and Mexico. When she returned to teaching she innovatively built a choral program in a high school with many foreign and disadvantaged students. She was elected "Teacher of the Year" by her peers, and her students were responsible for her name appearing in two editions of "Who's Who in America's Teachers." Lara was acknowledged for creating a district wide curriculum entitled "Teaching Language to non-English Speaking Older Adolescents Through Music". Concurrently she was music and choral director in a large church and sang with the Houston Symphony Chorus. Her lifestyle was completely changed when she made the decision to close the door on that chapter of her life to move many miles away to be with her son who was fighting a losing battle with a terminal illness, Leukodystrophy. He was no longer able to teach high school, and disabilities were increasing. She was his advocate in medical and social services as well as being his companion and primary care giver for the last five years of his life.
Lara's often traumatic family needs have required her matriarchal love and wisdom and attention for the past few years, though she found joy in teaching voice and supervising student teachers on the university level, part-time. When Lara's granddaughter was born in Colorado she made the decision to buy a home and move to Colorado beginning yet another exciting chapter in her life. Her son also lives in Denver, and Lara has become involved once again with performing and volunteering. A recent highlight was 9/11 of 2006 when she assisted Denver based United Airline flight attendants with music for their national choral presentation at the crash site of United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. The music was an integral part of memorial ceremonies in honor of Flight 93's flight crew. She traveled with them to Pennsylvania.
Lara blesses the memories and lessons of the past but knows how vitally essential it is to live in the present. She has courageously accepted change throughout her life and has vowed to make a difference in every place and every phase. Lara sees life as a gift and has an "attitude of gratitude" for even the smallest things that are often taken for granted. She enjoys playing the piano, attending concerts, watching football, ballroom dancing, singing, observing her granddaughter's growth and development, reading non-fiction and historical books, and recognizing miracles. She believes that the decision to be happy contributes to health, vitality and quality of life. Exciting and wonderful things can happen if we have a loving, compassionate and grateful heart, a genuine respect for ourselves and others, and an eager anticipation for the future. There is no doubt that society needs the skills, experience, wisdom, contribution and perspective of its seniors. Lara loves being associated with "young", interesting, like-minded seniors who believe that life can be great, if we choose to make it so.........no matter what age we are!
The Ms. Senior
America Pageant is the world's first and foremost pageant to
emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the "Age of
Elegance." It is a search for the gracious lady who best
exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all
senior Americans. The Ms. Senior America philosophy is based
upon the belief that seniors are the foundation of America,
and our most valuable treasure. It is upon their knowledge,
experience and resources that the younger generation has the
opportunity to build a better society.
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