Amalia Alvarez, was the first Hispanic woman to graduate from UF with a Ph.D. in 1974. She was a founder of the Cuban American Student Association, among other leadership positions. COE alumna Amalia Alvarez (BAE ’68), the first Hispanic woman to receive a doctorate from UF, was presented the 2011 Gran Caiman Award May 14 by the University of Florida Association of Hispanic Alumni. She was honored for her many efforts to improve education and for her continuing support of UF. Alvarez, a Spanish teacher at Gainesville High School, worked with the Alachua County Public Schools to create a first-of-its-kind bilingual education program that helped both Hispanic and non-Hispanic children integrate into the public school system. The ESOL program soon became a model for public schools statewide. Alvarez, a Cuban immigrant, also helped found the UF AHA and La Casita, the Institute of Hispanic Latino Cultures. (Her 1974 Ph.D. degree was in Spanish language from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.)