A team of dedicated 8th grade students from Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls is taking their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills far beyond the classroom, straight to the international stage. What began as a school enrichment activity has evolved into an opportunity of a lifetime, shaped by years of persistence, teamwork, and growth.
Nayli Hernandez Cruz, Sofia Thames, Cora Moffett and Roxy De Leon have been invited to the Destination Imagination summit in Beijing and Shanghi, China this July. They are Edgewood's first teinternational DI team.
For Hernandez Cruz, who has been at LPLSG since fifth grade, the excitement is as much about the experience as it is about the destination.
“I am most excited about just going to a new country with all my friends,” she said with excitement in her eyes.
Getting an invitation for this international trip didn’t happen overnight. The excited 8th grader says it required trial and error adaptation, and commitment.
“It took a lot of experimenting. We started off with a bunch of different groups and it just took a lot of work to see what fit best for our group,” said Hernandez Cruz.
Destination Imagination (DI) is a global program that challenges students to think creatively, collaborate, and solve complex problems through team-based competitions. Participants tackle a variety of challenges, including performances, engineering tasks, and spontaneous “instant challenges.”
As she wraps up her final year at LPLSG, Cora Moffett describes being invited to compete against teams from across the globe, as both thrilling and demanding.
“It’s fun and exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking because you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to do all these challenges,’” Moffett explained. “But it’s also fun since you’re with your friends, practicing together and making sure that everything works.”
Competitions go far beyond written submissions. Teams create original performances, design props and costumes, and collaborate intensively to bring their ideas to life.
“We have different types of performances, instant challenges and our main central challenge,” elaborates team member Roxy De Leon. “Each challenge requires your teamwork and hearing each other out.”
While students build creative and technical skills, they also face personal challenges, especially when things don’t go according to plan.
“The hardest thing to overcome is emotions… when things aren’t working out how you wanted them to. That can affect your performance,” Moffett shared candidly.
The girls agree learning to manage setbacks and emotions are a critical part of the DI experience. Learning how to work as a team helps them grow both individually and as group.
“By always being open to other people’s opinion,” says De Leon, “If you have a problem, you can go to other people and ask for their opinion to help you out.”
For Sofia Thames, the sense of support within the team stands out as the most meaningful part of the journey.
“We’re always here for each other when we need it the most… having a team made us stronger together,” says Thames.
That sense of unity becomes especially important as teams evolve. Students often work with different teammates each year, learning to adapt and collaborate in new ways. When Roxy De Leon joined Moffett, Thames and Hernandez-Cruz, who were already an established team, the transition was smooth thanks to existing friendships and open communication.
“I was interested to see how they worked together… and they’re very open to each other’s thoughts,” De Leon said. “It was easy for them to include me.”
Her teammates echoed that sentiment.
“It was pretty easy since we knew Roxy prior to it,” Thames shared. “Her ideas flowed pretty nicely with ours.”
LPLSG principal, Dr. Monica Muñoz, has seen this team overcome challenges and develop over the last few years. For her, an unexpected moment at a previous competition stands out as a powerful example of the team’s resilience. When a teammate was unexpectedly unable to perform, De Leon stepped in, learning new material on the spot in front of a live audience.
“You could see the fear, and [she could have said], ‘No, I’m not going to go,’” Dr. Muñoz recalled. “But she went up there and gave it her best.”
That moment became a defining experience; not just for De Leon, but for the entire team.
“It was an example of her character, of not giving up. That our learners can do hard things,” adds Dr. Muñoz with a smile.
The program, which runs year-round, requires significant dedication. Students balance practices, competitions, and other commitments, often beginning work as early as summer.
“They put a lot of hours… they have to balance their time,” Dr. Muñoz said. “But I see them have fun and work together. It’s amazing what they put together.”
As the team prepares to take their talents to China, they carry with them the values instilled through Destination Imagination: creativity, leadership, risk-taking, and collaboration. The experience has not only shaped their skills but also their confidence as young individuals ready to tackle new challenges.
And when asked what they are most looking forward to next, their answer was simple—and unanimous:
“We can’t wait for China!"
To financially support the team's trip to Beijing and Shanghai click HERE.