A Celebration of Life Honoring Alicia Espinosa

We would love for our students and teachers, past and present, and their families and friends, and all who knew and loved Alicia to join us in a celebration of her life.

Thursday, October 26, 2017
6:00 p.m.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
11691 NW 25th St.,

Doral, FL 33172

A life so well lived deserves to be beautifully remembered.

Please join us.

Much love,
Maribel Z. Diaz

On Friday, August 18, 2017, Alicia Espinosa, the co-founder of Conchita Espinosa Academy and Conservatory of the Arts, peacefully passed from this world. Alicia was Conchita's sister and truly the wind beneath her wings.

Alicia Espinosa graduated as a professor in piano and music theory. In addition to her administrative role, she was a gifted piano teacher, who had a particularly special gift with the youngest children. Alicia was a present force from the opening of the school in 1933 in Havana, Cuba. Three decades later, when Conchita came to Miami to continue her life's work, Alicia remained behind to close the school and ensure that all teachers and employees were properly compensated and taken care of, before she joined Conchita in 1961. In Miami, Alicia resumed her role, ensuring that Conchita's dream and her vision of rebuilding the school became a reality.

For over 70 years, Alicia was the constant force that structured Conchita's vision and was integral to the daily functioning of the school. Alicia took care of all financial aspects of the running of the school and conservatory, as well as many daily duties that allowed CEA to succeed for so many years. It was Alicia who was at the school at 6:30 in the morning so that parents could be at their jobs on time. She welcomed each child with love and made each one feel he came first. It was Alicia who stayed at the school until 7:30 or 8:00 o'clock at night allowing those parents the security of knowing their child was being watched by someone who loved them.

Her life examples of constancy, patience, peacemaking, humility, resilience, service, and hard work were threads woven into the legacy of CEA. She was a woman of few words but great action. She will be remembered always for her smile, the sparkle of her eyes and the warmth of her heart that brought comfort and strength to the thousands of children, parents, faculty, staff, and family that passed through the doors of CEA and her legacy is seen today in those who were touched by her life.

Her life's work is continued through her niece, Conchita's daughter, Maribel Zubieta Diaz, the Director of Conchita Espinosa Academy and Conservatory of the Arts and her great-nieces, Carol Diaz-Zubieta, Upper School Principal of CEA, and Dr. Ana Diaz-Zubieta, licensed psychologist as well as those students who have returned to work in the school and come back with their children. We are deeply grateful for her life and the work she accomplished.