8th grader spends after-school hours cleaning veterans’ graves, working to preserve their stories

MIAMI (WPLG) – A Florida eighth grader is spending her after-school hours not with friends, but at a cemetery.

Kassandra Seldin has taken on a monumental project, cleaning veterans’ graves and working to preserve their stories.

While most eighth graders spend their time after class with friends, Kassandra spends hers cleaning veterans’ graves and making sure their stories are not forgotten.

“Every day, I go to school near here. I pass by the cemetery, and it is just so mistreated,” Kassandra said.

The project is part of her Girl Scout Silver Award and she has spent more than a year working to honor veterans buried at Miami City Cemetery.

“I think that it’s so wrong that these veterans served our country and helped us gain our freedom. They should be respected,” Kassandra said.

With help from veterans and volunteers, Kassandra identified and documented more than 1,700 graves at Miami City Cemetery.

“It made me feel so happy that I could do something for someone else this special,” Kassandra said.

One of the people helping lead that effort is Alex Kruger Dobrota, a veteran and founder of the app Badger.

“Seeing the other buried headstones that are underneath, buried underneath the surface of the ground, leaves covered up, grass growing, it really showed that we need to give a name to these forgotten military heroes buried in the cemetery,” Kruger Dobrota said.

It was not just research. With help from Kruger Dobrota, Kassandra also cleaned and cared for the headstones.

Volunteers continued their work over the weekend, wiping away dirt and restoring names.

Kassandra also took photos of each headstone and recorded their service, creating a digital map through Badger so families can easily find their loved ones.