A new Queens school campus was named Thursday for a Latin American Nobel laureate.
City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Chilean officials dedicated the Gabriela Mistral campus of the Corona Arts and Sciences Academy.
Mistral was born in Chile and won the 1945 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Officials say they chose the campus on 44th Avenue and National Street because the school district has a large Chilean population.
“I think having a school like this in the community brings pride to the community in a very special way so I'm thrilled to be here today,” Fariña said.
“I think to have a role model like Gabriela Mistral who overcame adversity almost her entire life is something very important for the children because children can learn that regardless of the difficulties you may encounter in life, there's always hope,” said Gloria Garafulich-Grabois of the Gloria Mistral Foundation.
The campus is located in a newly-completed $60 million building. It will serve nearly 800 students in 6th through 8th grades.
The Foundation will also be donating books by and about Mistral. The students will get to Skype with people in Chile to learn more about her birth place, as well.