Eye on Immokalee: Israel and Fabian Estrada

Tennis has Venus and Serena. Aviation has Wilbur and Orville. Now, meet Immokalee’s inspiring siblings, Israel and Fabian Estrada.

The Estrada brothers view themselves as a strong team with many shared life experiences—including their commitment to education, overcoming obstacles, and the devoted people who supported them along the way.

Israel (20) and Fabian (18), along with their sister Paloma (11), are the three children of Israel and Zenaida Estrada. Eldest child Israel, a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University, is a Construction Management major and an active part of The Immokalee Foundation’s Postsecondary Program.

Fabian, an Immokalee High School senior, participates successfully in The Immokalee Foundation’s Healthcare Pathway. He was recently announced as a Take Stock in Children Leaders for Life Fellow and is the third Immokalee Foundation student to receive this incredible honor in the past four years.

The Leaders for Life fellowship program empowers highly motivated young people who have demonstrated strong leadership skills, moral character, and academic success. The program helps these gifted students excel in a university environment by providing them with the tools and resources necessary to achieve their fullest potential.

As migrant farm workers, Mr. and Mrs. Estrada must follow the summer harvest from Immokalee to North Carolina. The family typically lives in Florida from November through May and in Hendersonville, North Carolina, from June to October. 

It’s not difficult to anticipate the challenges facing children whose lives are uprooted every single year — and during the school year. The Immokalee Foundation has provided the Estrada brothers with much-needed stability before, during and after these tricky transition periods.

Israel and Fabian each have a staff advocate who understands the challenges migrant students face. Plus, both have a mentor, a volunteer from the community who supports their goals and educational progress.

Israel says that his mentor of seven years, Mr. Hans Heinsen, broadened his horizons, including guiding him through the college application process, determining a major, and making specific course selections.

As a construction enthusiast, Israel enjoys the outdoors. He also talks about grueling experiences during the summer that forever reinforced his desire to achieve his potential. Israel and Fabian’s father works in the unbearable heat, picking produce - and Israel often spent summers working beside his father, passing him boxes and helping sort produce.

Israel recalls numerous occasions when he donned a head and face scarf as protection from the brutal sun, sweating profusely with itchy hands from fertilizer and picking plants. The benefit was two-fold: Israel maintains a strong work ethic and clearly understands the vital importance of education.

Fabian speaks glowingly of his mentor, Mr. Joe Zednik, calling him both a supportive friend and the man responsible for providing “the best experience of my life.”  Fabian is gifted academically but acknowledged he had grown complacent at one point. Mr. Zednik was always there to give Fabian the push he needed. “Like my father and brother, Mr. Zednik encourages me and never lets me settle for less.” 

Fabian has a passion for helping people, especially those suffering from illness. Inspired by his childhood medical issues and the caring doctors who treated him, he developed a love for science and math. 

All this contributed to Fabian’s decision to participate in The Immokalee Foundation’s Healthcare Pathway, enabling him and dozens of other Foundation students to explore a wide range of career opportunities in the healthcare field. Fabian’s recent summer internship with Arthrex, a global medical device company in Naples, was also an extraordinary peek behind the career curtain.

Siblings play a fundamental part in family dynamics. When each brother is asked about his role, both agree Israel is the responsible sibling. He has the closest connection to his parents - perhaps almost like another parent to Fabian and his younger sister Paloma.

After some debate, the brothers agreed that Fabian is the independent, focused sibling who prefers to have things his way. With a sparkle in his eye, Fabian acknowledged he is a bit of a wild card.

When asked if they identify with any famous siblings, Israel and Fabian were drawn to the example of the Wright Brothers - who believed in the possible, not the impossible. And like Wilbur and Orville, Israel and Fabian share a mutual respect for one another and their complementary skills. 

Great success comes to those who recognize the importance of lifelong learning. Despite their youth, the Estrada brothers are determined and motivated - especially when forced to overcome obstacles.

Learning from their own experiences and those of others, they continue to welcome advice from their family and extended Immokalee Foundation family — all of whom have blessed their individual lives in immeasurable ways.