BeLegend: Mrs. Carol Vila | Alumni Magazine Summer 2025

Fresh out of college and just two weeks after marrying her life and soul mate, Mrs. Carol Vila, upon the advice of a friend, decided to apply for a position at a small Jesuit school located on 8th Street. She had recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Math, when she sat across from then President Fr. Felipe Arroyo, S.J., who at the time was interested in hiring native English speakers for the mostly Hispanic student population. She was hired to teach Algebra 2 to juniors and Physical Science to eighth graders. 

 

At the time, Mrs. Vila knew some things about the school. She knew it was a Jesuit school with a long history in Cuba that reconstituted itself in Miami in 1961. She was very familiar with Jesuit education because St. Joe’s Prep. in Philadelphia was the sister school of her own high school, Ravenhill Academy of the Assumption, a Catholic school for girls. Her original intention was to teach for a couple of years and see where life would take her. That was fifty years ago.  

 

Back then her classroom, a converted garage with wooden doors referred to as the “Wild West” campus, was located near the senior section also known as “the barn.” She recalls one day opening the doors to her classroom, and to her surprise there was an actual Volkswagen Beetle parked inside and crammed with students who jumped out when she entered. “It was really hilarious!” said Mrs. Vila. 

 

In her time at Belen, Mrs. Vila has taught all levels of math and science, including a section of Biology to tenth graders. Within a few years of starting, the principal at the time, Fr. Alberto García, S.J., appointed her as Math Department Chair. 

 

“She committed her life in service to those students who had just recently tried to establish a foothold in Miami. With the zeal of a missionary, Carol was going to make sure the students and teachers at Belen were going to thrive,” said Mr. Patrick Collins. 

 

Another fond memory of her early days at the school was the time she approached her Algebra 2 class in the E section of the current main building, and an unusual yet savory aroma immediately met her. The students had received permission from Fr. Izquierdo, an infamous disciplinarian, to get Pan con Lechon for her birthday, which they were keeping warm in a fleet of toaster ovens inside the class. Anything to get out of class, but it worked like a charm. 

 

Mrs. Vila returned to college to get her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from F.I.U., and just in time for the next phase of her career. In the mid-80s, with a sudden rise in technology, she founded the Computer Science Department and continued down this path until 1996, when Fr. Marcelino García, S.J., asked her to bring the school into the 21st century with respect to technology. This was a very tall order, because not only did this mean she would be bringing computers to the school (at the time, there was a small computer lab in the E section for the Computer Science classes), but also technological resources for the teachers to use in their classrooms as well.  

 

Early decisions to get the ball rolling included the establishment of a Computer Resource Center for use during the school day and after school. A small lab was set up in the Faculty Room for the teachers, and Smart Boards were placed in all the classrooms. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, every classroom and every teacher was equipped with the necessary hardware and software to teach.  

 

Beyond the classroom, Fr. Marcelino requested that all school processes such as Student Information Systems, Finance Systems and Fundraising tools be automated. The Business Office went from a paper system, mostly consisting of a very large ledger, to a fully automated software package called Accounting for Nonprofits. Mrs. Vila also spearheaded the automation of employee payroll from a manual system to an ADP system. All the while, she continued to teach a couple of AP Calculus classes until 2005, when it became clear that she needed to devote all her time to continuous learning, maintaining, and growing the school’s technology.  

 

“I was humbled and honored that Fr. Marcelino trusted me with this role, which did not exist when I started my journey at Belen,” said Mrs. Vila. 

 

A team of very knowledgeable alumni, some of whom had been her students, helped her along the way by providing insightful advice and technical assistance. Alumni such as Antolín Cossío ’73, Luis Valladares ’85, Germán Delgado ‘90, Julio Rodríguez ’95, Bryan Lorenzo ‘03, and Augusto Venegas ’85, whom she considers to be her right hand right now, helped the initiative and some became members of the Tech Team.   

 

“All those alumni were very instrumental in helping me to get to where I am today”, said Mrs.Vila. 

 

In 2012, under the leadership of Principal Fr. García-Tuñón, S.J. ‘87, Mrs. Vila put together an ad hoc committee to decide on the best device for a one-to-one program. The committee decided on the newly released iPad, and the Technology Department rolled out this device to all students at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, in addition to implementing all digital textbooks for all the courses that same year. The roll out was difficult, but it went smoothly under the guidance of the Tech Team, who took care of any rising situations from digital book downloads to faculty training.  

 

Mrs. Vila is the current Executive Director of Technology, managing a team of four people who do an incredible job on a daily basis. It is a monumental task, considering the expansion of the campus, the large number of employees, and the amount of technology for students, faculty and staff. The Tech Department also takes care of the ever-expanding fiber optic network in addition to all the Audio Visual equipment. 

 

Fifty years of memories at the school include some funny moments, such as a group of her students talking their way into South Miami Hospital to visit her and her first-born of four daughters, Katie, who was dubbed “the glow worm” by her students because of a photo she had on her keychain. The nurses thought it was adorable that a bunch of high school juniors (class of 1986) were so thoughtful to visit their teacher while bearing gifts.  

 

Another fond memory is in 1987, when she unexpectedly gave birth to twins, and her colleagues at Belen rallied to make sure she had what she needed for the surprise, such as a double stroller, twice the number of clothing items, another car seat, etc.  

 

“It was amazing and just one example of the community at Belen. A group of them delivered them to our home and my husband and I were overwhelmed with the kindness of my colleagues,” said Mrs. Vila. 

 

Additionally, she earnestly believes that her students and their wonderful and supportive parents have made a tremendous impact on her life. Some of the alumni and their parents have become lifelong friends over the years. She has also made lifelong friends with colleagues who started with her in the original building, and have been working together ever since. 

 

“She’s a rock, dependable and always willing to help. Fifty years is a lifetime and friendships like ours are a blessing,” said Maria Elena Cartaya. 

 

Looking back through all those years, she recognizes that the school has changed tremendously. The obvious change is the physical plant, an amazing evolution from a converted carpet warehouse on 8th Street and 7th Avenue to the modern state-of-the-art facility just a few miles west. However, it was exactly the challenges that each of her superiors put in her path that kept her moving forward. Even when they were difficult, she was reminded of the Magis.  

 

“This miracle in Sweetwater was the vision of the Jesuit who hired me, Fr. Felipe Arroyo, S.J., and carried out by his successors, Fr. Marcelino García, S.J. and Fr. Willie García-Tuñón, S.J. It is truly a testimonial to Fr. Arroyo’s foresight and the risks he took to make this happen,” said Mrs. Vila. Despite the increase in size and evolution to a premier preparatory school in South Florida with a unique mission, the school has never lost that sense of community among the alumni, students, faculty, staff, and parents. If anything, the network has become stronger. Along with her family, Belen has become her life. 

 

“The one fear I have is not coming to this place that I have called home for 50 years. It has become home not only to me, but to my husband and daughters,” said Mrs.Vila. 

 

Today, under the leadership of President Fr. García-Tuñón, S.J. ‘87 and Principal José E. Roca ‘84, along with the academic team, the Technology Department is revisiting that decision about the best devices for the students that will help to better prepare them for college and life in general. Mrs. Vila, who is also celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary to her husband Luis, is a proud mother to daughters Katherine, Kristen, Kelly and Elizabeth, and an even prouder grandmother to her four grandchildren Olivia (6 years old), Luke (2 ½ years old), Oscar (2 years old) and Harper (18 months old). The fifth grandchild will arrive sometime around her 50th wedding anniversary.   

 

“She always faced a problem head-on. She’s adaptable and always willing to go the extra mile to find a solution with a positive attitude. Additionally, she’s been a good friend who has been a great source of support and encouragement through my hardest times,” said Teri Elías. 

 

Mrs. Vila’s advice to new faculty and staff at Belen is to learn and embrace the Jesuit mission in education, to ask for advice from a variety of people, and to trust that colleagues and superiors want you to succeed and always have your best interest at heart.  

 

“What a blessing it has been for me personally to have experienced Mrs. Vila as both a math and computer science teacher in the 80s and, now, as a colleague. Today, like it was back then, she is an expert in her field and faithfully committed to Belen Jesuit. She has given her all to our school for 50 years and we have been blessed to have her with us,” said Father Willie García-Tuñón, S.J. ‘87. 

 

It is clearly evident that Mrs. Vila has always strived to live her life, personal and professional, in the spirit of the Magis. Her service and dedication to the school for the past 50 years are a true testament to the Jesuit ideal of Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, or as Father Marcelino once told to her during counsel, “to whom much is given, much will be required,” -Luke 12:48.