Milan Herrera was so shocked that she won $1,000 in the fundraiser that when John Alexander, the marketing and circulation manager for The Tablet, announced her name, she thought it was a mistake. “I thought they had the wrong kid,” she admitted. 

Milan, a fifth grader at St. Joseph Catholic Academy, sold 11 subscriptions, good enough to earn her a tie for third place. 

Milan started off with a bang, selling a lot of subscriptions right away. But then things slowed down and she had to step up her game. “In the beginning, I thought it was easy. But then I got a little nervous because it got harder,” she recalled. 

Still, she kept at it, sold more subscriptions and wound up tying for third place honors. 

Milan knows what she is going to do with the $1,000 she has won. “I want to take a little bit out of it for my mom’s birthday. I’m probably going to save the rest,” she said. 

Milan wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, explaining, “I want to help children.” 

She’s a natural performer. She sings in a choir, takes dance lessons, and is learning to play the piano. She also enjoys sports, particularly swimming and rock climbing.