Gloria Estefan (nee Fajardo; born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She started off her career as the lead singer in the group called "Miami Latin Boys" which was eventually known as Miami Sound Machine. Estefan's breakthrough success with "Conga" in 1985 made her known worldwide. The song became Estefan's signature song and led to the Miami Sound Machine winning the grand prix in the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival in 1986.
Early life and education
Estefan was born in Havana, Cuba, to Jose Fajardo and Gloria Garcia, a middle-class couple. Her maternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants to Cuba; her maternal grandfather, Leonardo Garcia, immigrated to Cuba from Pola de Siero, Asturias, Spain, where he married Gloria's maternal grandmother, originally from Logrono, Spain. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, her father was a Cuban soldier and a motor escort for the wife of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.  The Fajardo family fled to Miami, Florida, as a result of the Cuban Revolution and settled there. Shortly after they moved to the United States, Gloria's father joined the US military and fought in the Vietnam War and moved to Houston after his participation in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Estefan was raised Catholic and attended St. Michael-Archangel School and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami.  Estefan's father became ill after returning from Vietnam and Gloria helped her mother, Gloria Fajardo, care for him. Her mother worked as a schoolteacher for the Dade County Public School system. Gloria Estefan graduated from college in 1979 with a BA in psychology, with a minor in French, from the University of Miami.  When she was studying at the university, Estefan worked as an English/Spanish/French translator at Miami International Airport Customs Department and, because of her language abilities, was once approached by the CIA as a possible employee.  Estefan became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1974, under the name Gloria Garcia Fajardo, reflecting the switch from Spanish naming customs (father's surname then mother's surname) to English (mother's maiden name as middle name and father's surname last).

Q: Where was she born?
A: Estefan was born in Havana, Cuba, to Jose Fajardo and Gloria Garcia, a middle-class couple.

Q: Did she have siblings?
A: unknown

Q: Where did she go to school?
A: Estefan was raised Catholic and attended St. Michael-Archangel School and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami.

Q: What did she study there?
A: Gloria Estefan graduated from college in 1979 with a BA in psychology, with a minor in French, from the University of Miami.
Did anything notable happen in her childhood?
The Fajardo family fled to Miami, Florida, as a result of the Cuban Revolution and settled there.
The Fajardo family fled to Miami, Florida, as a result of the Cuban Revolution and settled there.