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A voracious reader, she plans one day to teach English — a language she has learned only since entering the school as a freshman.
"The first day I came to this school, I didn't go to lunch because I didn't know how to say how much to buy something," she said. "The first year I hated when a teacher asked me to read out loud because I didn't know how to pronounce things."
Dayanara, 16, now takes Honors Western Literature and serves as a mentor for English as a Second Language students at the high school.
She spent her first three years at the school in the ESL program before graduating from it this year.
"I teach them basic English skills, and I just talk to them," Dayanara said. "When I came I couldn't talk to anyone, and I don't want that to happen to them. I want them to be more involved in the school.
"I do feel like a mentor. I have one student, a Cuban girl. She won't go to lunch unless I'm with her. They don't know how to socialize. I was like that, too, my freshman year."
The students she works with are from Cuba, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Iraq and the Dominican Republic.
Dayanara's journey to Lancaster was not an easy one. She lived with an aunt in the Dominican Republic for 10 years, while her mother lived in New York City. When she was 12, she joined her mother in the Bronx.
Although she excelled in school in the Dominican Republic, skipping two grades, she had to move back a grade because of language when she came to New York.
Dayanara said she and the other students in New York were not forced to use English, so she didn't really learn the language there.
She credits the ESL program at Manheim Township for helping her make significant progress with her English skills.
"I'm always telling my ESL teacher that I'm going to take his job," Dayanara said.
She manages to bridge both worlds. She takes Advanced Placement Spanish, and on any given day you can find her reading books in English and Spanish. She said she hates translations and prefers to read books in their original language.
Dayanara is a member of the Student Awareness Club at Manheim Township.
Since 10th grade, she has helped with the club's fundraising for local charities, such as a dodge ball tournament at the high school. Last year, Milagro House received the $1,800 raised from the tournament.
She also helps eighth-graders prepare for high school. Club members meet with eight-graders to talk about their upcoming transition.
In ninth grade she joined the Cultural Diversity Club, joining students from other countries. When time permits, she also participates in the Salsa Club, an afterschool dance club.
Dayanara is considering attending Millersville University or West Chester University as she pursues her goal of becoming a high school English teacher. She wants to remain close to her large extended family.
She lives in Lancaster with her mother and stepfather, Natividad and Javier Abrece. She also has two younger brothers Kevin and Javier. Her father, Leonardo Urena, lives in the Dominican Republic.
Her extended family includes her grandmother, Josefa Galan.
"She's a really great lady. She is my role model," Dayanara said. "My grandmother said. 'When there is willpower, you can do anything.' "
