Miami teacher walks 120 miles in Spain to give students their first school dance

Miami native walks 120 miles across Spain to fund students’ first school dance

A Miami woman took a leap of faith on Easter Sunday.

As a teacher in Spain, she learned her students have never had a real school dance -- so she decided to change that.

In 10 days, she walked more than 120 miles -- all for a beloved group of teens who have never had a school dance.

Roxana Rauseo is a Miami native living in Guardo, a small mountain town in northern Spain, where she works as an English teaching assistant at a local public high school.

In her classroom, Rauseo teaches American culture alongside conversational English.

She told Local 10 News one topic always seemed to light her students up.

“We go through a lot of American culture,” Rauseo said. “So what do schools look like in the US, right? How does the day to day work? How is it different? What’s good? What’s bad? And one of the themes that kept coming up is prom and homecoming.”

So she decided to do something about it -- taking on one of the routes in the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route across Spain, and turning every kilometer into a fundraising opportunity.

On Easter Sunday, Rauseo crossed the finish line at the iconic Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, raising roughly 2,500 euros so far.

“Although I’m mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted -- it really means the world to me and to my students,” she said during her arrival.

And her students? They still don’t know any of this happened.

Rauseo plans to surprise them Tuesday and hopes to throw them a proper end-of-year dance by late June.

You can donate to the cause by clicking here.

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

About The Author
Janine Stanwood

Janine Stanwood

Janine Stanwood is a Emmy award-winning reporter and anchor. She joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor.