Mariana Mendes Da Silva & Milena Autero

Mariana is 18 years old and has been a College Academy student at South Florida Bible College since her freshman year. She was brought up as a homeschool student her whole life and has taken college classes at South Florida Bible College, Broward College, and Florida Atlantic University. She is currently pursuing an associate's degree in psychology and aspires to further her studies in medicine and surgery by pursuing clinical jobs with her healthcare certifications and conducting research. Mariana is involved with the College Academy student council, math tutoring, and volunteering for the Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She has been accepted to the FAU Wilkes Honors College, University of South Florida, and Florida State University, all with merit scholarships. She is enrolled and set to start in the fall at the University of Florida, where she will be pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in biochemistry on a pre-med track.

Milena is 19 years old and graduated at the College Academy at South Florida Bible College in 2025. Upon her graduation, she received not only her high school diploma but also her Associates in Business Administration. Milena Autero is now a freshman at the University of South Florida, studying international relations. At USF, she is a member of the Future Strategist Program and is currently conducting research on Chinese and Russian intervention in the MENA region. Milena is also a former U.S. solo ice dance national champion and currently skates for the USF figure skating club. After her undergraduate years, she intends to go onto graduate studies in international relations with a functional focus on statecraft and a regional focus on MENA and pursue a career in the U.S. national security apparatus as a policy/intelligence analyst or in the Department of State as a U.S. Ambassador. 

Session

Homeschooler’s Guide to College Applications

Mariana and Milena will talk to other high school students on how to apply for college using the Common App, strategies on being successful on SAT/ACTs, and other very important information for the process of applying for colleges, such as extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and awards that will help students start their higher education journey with great scholarships.