You’ve gotta meet these women.
The assignment: Find a woman in your area of the Florida Keys who is always, unabashedly, herself — authentic to the core.
Mission accomplished.
In the following post, you’ll meet a dancer who needs no music — and who also happens to be a nationally renowned hospital nurse. You’ll meet the keeper of Key West’s history — a museum curator and historian who’s also a tattooed diver with a doctorate in British maritime history. And you’ll meet an underwater warrior — a wicked lionfish hunter with a wicked sense of humor.
These are the true influencers.
THE DANCING QUEEN
Meet the Registered Nurse Who Likes to Boogie
By Jim McCarthy
She’s the official dancing lady of Key Largo, and she’s darn proud of it. Just ask the friends of Key Largo’s Sylvia Gonzalez.
“I used to dance 4 miles a day on U.S. 1. … It’s a ‘walkdance’ as my friends say.”
Gonzalez said the silly, fun dancing routine was a way to heal her soul, but she quickly realized the effect it was having on other people who were taking notice. Just like that, she became Key Largo’s dancing queen.
“So many people know me because of that,” she said.
The creative and colorful Gonzalez is known for busting out the moves to some upbeat tunes on her social media platforms. But she’s also famous for bringing the positive vibes inside Baptist Health South Florida’s Mariners Hospital, where she begins her workday at 7 a.m. as a caring and compassionate registered nurse. Gonzalez arrives each morning with a bright smile, carrying “cafecito” for her co-workers, visitors and patients who are allowed to have a bit of caffeine.
Fellow nurses at Mariners are also very familiar with Gonzalez’s “it’s almost seven” phrase.
“Most nurses work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I use the phrase to say, ‘It is almost the end of our shift, we got this.’ I just try to bring a positive vibe to everyone.”
More than anything, Gonzalez takes pride in the opportunity to help the people who enter the hospital’s doors.
“I get to meet people and be there when they need it the most. Being able to touch so many lives is a blessing,” she said.
In 2019, Gonzalez received the DAISY award, which recognizes and thanks nurses throughout the country for their dedication, positive attitude and empathy. She’s resilient, versatile and a go-to team member.
Describe yourself in one word: Happy.
Who was your favorite teacher and why? I love all my teachers, I was a nerdy girl. Mr. Barreto, my science teacher, especially because he made me love the sciences from biology to chemistry.
Introvert or extrovert? I’m an extrovert.
What was your first job? My first paid job was a nurse in an emergency room. Before that, I’ve worked ever since I can remember on my dad’s farm.
Favorite place you’ve ever visited? Pantheon in Athens, Greece.
Proudest accomplishment? Rearing my kids, now two professionals who’ve carried my passion of service, being a nurse and a police officer.
On a scale of 1-10, how funny do you think you are? I’d say 10.
What is the one thing you will never do again? Ride roller coasters.
You’ve been elected president: what’s your first order of business? Everyone should have afternoon “siestas.”
Have you had a strange recurring dream? Not lately. I used to dream of running, but not any more.
How many languages do you speak? Two. Spanish and English.
Last package you received contained what item(s)? A purple dress.
What’s your favorite family recipe? Mondongo. It’s a Puerto Rican dish. Basically, it’s pigs feet stew.
Which of your 5 senses would you say is your strongest? Touch.
What’s the worst fashion or hair mistake you’ve ever made? None. I believe I always look good even at my worst.
What is your spirit animal? A unicorn.If you came with a warning label what would it say? Please be aware she will dance with or without music.
CORI CONVERTITO — THE OCEAN GOT UNDER HER SKIN
By Mandy Miles
Given the authentic theme of this issue of Keys Woman, you’d be hard pressed to find a more authentic woman than Cori Convertito — or one who’s more engaging, educated and enthusiastic.
Despite the letters Ph.D. that follow her name in her professional email signature, you have to press her to speak of the impressive credentials that garnered her a doctorate in British maritime history.
Because Convertito, the curator and historian of the Key West Art & Historical Society, is just that cool. She has spent decades immersed, often literally, in the maritime world and its history that have captivated her since she was a kid.
“Since at least sixth grade, I always loved old boats and being on the water — call it the romanticism of Long Island Sound, where I grew up,” she said, laughing. “But I worked on tall ships as a kid, and was instantly fascinated by their evolution and role in history.”
First, like many, she had dreams of becoming a marine biologist and even attended a high school that focused on aquaculture. Then she headed south to Eckerd College in St. Pete, Florida. “But I’m dyslexic, and apparently marine biology involves a lot of numbers that my brain just couldn’t handle,” she said. Still, she remained undaunted and intent on a maritime future.
“Then I took a Civil War history class in college that was taught by a black professor, who pointed out the maritime slant of the war,” she said. “It changed my life.”
Convertito moved to Key West immediately after college in 1999 and got a job as the education director at Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. To further her education, she moved to London, where she got her master’s and doctorate at University of Greenwich.
London is also where she met Nic Farrar, who is now her husband and a property appraiser in Key West.
“I was only supposed to be in London for a few years to finish my degrees, and was coming back to Key West,” she said. But she and Nic stayed in the UK for eight or nine years and returned to Key West full-time in 2011 and she became the curator and historian at the KWAHS.
It’s more than a job, she said, it’s a stewardship, and one Convertito takes very seriously.
“One of my main priorities has been digitizing our collection, which currently includes almost 20,000 items that are free and accessible to all online, and we’re adding to it every day — literally. Whether people are living in Key West, from Key West or just in love with Key West, they can access photos of their old houses, former favorite bars and so much more that enables them to be a part of our community, no matter where they are.”
Convertito’s other top priority “is to make sure we tell complete stories of Key West history — black history, Hispanic history and, of course, maritime history. This community has so many fascinating facets, and this is what we should be doing, especially in Florida these days,” she said.
The KWAHS has an estimated 40,000 items in its permanent collection, “and that’s what dictates everything we do. We take our stewardship of Key West art and history very seriously.”
But don’t let her stewardship and scholarship fool you. Convertito is a unique and authentic woman through and through, wearing her maritime devotion on her sleeve — her tattoo sleeve, that is.
With more than 20 tattoos at least count, 99% of them are maritime related. Convertito’s body is a living tribute to that seafaring history.
“On my 18th birthday, like so many other college girls, I got a dolphin tattoo. But now I have ships, mermaids, ships in a bottle, ocean scenes and more,” she said, raising her arms to remind herself of her seaworthy ink.
Describe yourself in one word. Determined
Who was your favorite teacher? Dr. Carolyn Johnston at Eckerd College in St. Pete, Florida. She urged me to change my undergrad major from marine biology to American studies with a concentration in maritime history. To persuade me that this was the right decision, Carolyn recruited me to work as her teaching assistant when she and Nobel Peace Prize recipient and writer Elie Wiesel co-instructed an intensive month-long course at the college. Once she dangled that compelling carrot in front of me, the idea of being a marine biologist evaporated.
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert trapped in an extrovert’s body.
What was your first job? Office assistant at my vocational aquaculture high school at age 15.
Favorite place you’ve ever visited? Zanzibar.
Who knows you the best? My dog.
Proudest accomplishment? Having my Ph.D. awarded the best thesis in maritime history the year I graduated.
On a scale of 1-10, how funny do you think you are? 9
What is the one thing you will never do again? Try to be everything to everyone.
You’ve been elected president. What’s your first order of business? Emulate Harry Truman and reinstitute a winter White House in Key West.
Have you had a strange recurring dream? Yes – it always involves me working at a bar and I’m in the weeds.
How many languages do you speak? One, although I am well-versed in Cockney rhyming slang if that counts as a second language.
Last package you received in the mail contained what? A book about French prisoners in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars.
What’s your favorite family recipe? Sunday sauce with meatballs.
Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? I think they are fairly well-balanced.
What’s the worst fashion or hair mistake you’ve ever made? Being a child of the ’80s and ’90s, it is difficult to narrow down the worst mistake. My perm was curly, and my bangs were lofty and shellacked for most of my formative years.
What is your spirit animal? Grey GooseIf you came with a warning label what would it say? Contents Under Pressure.
QUEEN OF THE LIONS
Meet Marathon’s Rachel Bowman
By Alex Rickert
She’s one of the world’s deadliest lionfish hunters. This year, she was voted as Marathon’s Best Local Celebrity. And she might be the only person to drop an F-bomb in a professional interview with New Yorker magazine.
Other than her underwater hunts, which have become the stuff of legend in Marathon and beyond, Rachel Bowman is the friendly, always-sassy, artfully tattooed mainstay behind the bar at Keys Fisheries. A Keys resident since 2001, she originally made her pilgrimage after running into three ex-boyfriends at a single Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in North Carolina. From there, she decided to follow her father’s annual wintertime trip to the Keys for commercial shrimping.
“I walked into the Cracked Conch Cafe with my resume, a khaki skirt, a polo shirt and penny loafers,” she said. (Side note: we can’t imagine 2023 Rachel wearing a single one of these things.) “This is a direct quote from the bartender: ‘You can start tomorrow, because one of our girls got hepatitis at an Aerosmith concert.’”
Fast forward 22 years, and after successful stints at half a dozen Marathon restaurants including Annette’s Lobster and Steak House and the Barracuda Grill, Bowman’s local fame has gone national with her lionfish hunting prowess. Initially diving – pun intended – into the hobby to combat the invasive species and supply local restaurants with the delicious and under-used meat, she’s now a revered lionfish tournament competitor and a respected source of knowledge trusted by state and national research agencies including FWC and NOAA.
But whether she’s putting a favorite frothy beverage in your hand at the bar or making her way through a renowned local leadership development program, what every person who knows Bowman can attest to is her raw, unfiltered honesty. She’s unequivocally herself at all times, and that’s why we knew she’d be a perfect fit for our Marathon feature.
Describe yourself in one word. Resourceful.
Who was your favorite teacher and why? I know this comes off as corny, but it’s true: my boyfriend, Peter Angelotti. He’s a mechanic and a welder, and he knows the science behind things, which is awesome to me, because as a kid I always had a bit of a crush on Mr. Wizard. Because of Peter, I can fix a bent prop shaft with a tire jack, unplug a pump indicator on an outboard motor, drive a skid steer and a hundred other things, only because he takes the time to calmly explain them to me even when it would be so much faster for him to just do it himself.
Introvert or extrovert? Both. At work, I’m smiling, laughing and chatting everyone up. At home, I’m reading books or doing yard work, enjoying the silence.
What was your first job? I was a journalist for Juice Magazine, a music/surf/skate rag out of Wrightsville Beach, NC. I was 16 years old and had to get my mom’s permission to go to bars and interview bands.
Favorite place you’ve ever visited? My stomach says Switzerland, my liver says Hungary, my eyes say Alaska, my skin says Idaho, but my heart will always SCREAM Marathon.
Who knows you the best? Sarah Brignac. She’s never forgotten a single thing I’ve ever said, and it’s irritating as hell.
Proudest accomplishment? I’ve had great success with lionfish both commercially and competitively, and now I coordinate research trips out to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. I have a federal permit that allows us to spear lionfish in a no-take zone through targeted fish removals, and those fish are then dissected and analyzed for various research projects. All of this data is made public by NOAA, which is awesome because someone in another country can use that data set to further their own research. The FWC started asking me for data on lionfish back in 2013, and 10 years later I get to spend four days at sea at a time with amazing scientists and researchers.
On a scale of 1-10, how funny do you think you are? It varies, but there is a direct correlation between how funny I think I am and my blood alcohol level … or how red my eyes are.
What is the one thing you will never do again? There’s definitely more than one, and they all involve scuba diving. Diving too much, too deep, too long, diving with “buddies” who ridicule your limits and comfort zone. The best part of diving is the anticipation of doing it again, and if you die, you don’t have that option. I was very lucky to have two guys who I respect very much take the time to sit me down and give me a stern talking-to about the unnecessary risks I was taking, and I can never appreciate them enough for that (Forrest and Ben, thank you!).
You’ve been elected president: what’s your first order of business? Appoint Commissioner Holly Merrill Raschein as my vice president, and immediately quit so that she can take over.
Have you had a strange recurring dream? I have dreamed that so many people were pregnant, before they knew they were actually pregnant! I have been doing this since I was a kid. No idea why.
Last package you received contained what item(s)? Books! Yay!
What’s your favorite family recipe? Grandma Salad. If you’ve ever eaten dinner at my house, you’ve had it.
Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? With a schnozz like mine, you know my sense of smell cannot be argued with.
What’s the worst fashion or hair mistake you’ve ever made? I have curly hair and I tortured myself for a long time trying to make it straight, and I really damaged it. Finally someone of a different ethnicity educated me about the benefits of shea butter and cholesterol treatments and the evils of brushes and hot irons, and now my hair is healthy. It will never be what most people consider to be “good hair,” but it’s unique and it’s mine and I dig it. If you came with a warning label what would it say? “WARNING: Unfailingly Loyal & Will Carry a Grudge For An Unreasonable Amount Of Time”
