Ivonne Cuesta, 37, is a child of Mariel. Here she  holds a photo of herself with a doll that came on the  trip with her, although the doll didn't make it the whole way.

PATRICK FARRELL / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Ivonne Cuesta was 7 when she climbed aboard a 35-foot boat clutching her favorite doll, a long-haired blond wearing a lacy white dress.

On the way to Key West from Havana, the Mahogany Manor began to sink with its 70-plus passengers. "My uncle tells me the water on the boat was knee high,'' said Cuesta, 37, a long-time assistant public defender in Miami-Dade. The captain called for help and a Coast Guard helicopter rushed to hoist the refugees up via a dangling ladder. Needing both hands to climb, Cuesta had to leave her beloved doll behind.

"My grandmother said I cried for hours.'' After the Coast Guard rescue, the family was flown to an aircraft carrier in the Florida Straits. ``We were hungry and sunburned an dehydrated and they walked us into this giant auditorium and welcomed us to America,'' she said. ``They gave us a Coke and an apple. ``I had never eaten an apple. I asked my mother what this fruit was and she looked at me and said, 'We are free.' ''

For years, Cuesta, a Miami High graduate, was reluctant to tell people she was a Marielita. Now it's a source of pride.

Speaking as a child of Mariel, she has a personal wish. ``I think it's about time that the term `Mariel' gain a positive connotation,'' said Cuesta who is vying to fill a vacancy in the rank of Miami-Dade County judges.

If appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, she would make history.

"I would be the first sitting Miami-Dade judge who came to the United States during the boatlift -- not bad for a Marielita,'' she said.