FIU Magazine Fall 2019

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FALL 2019 VOLUME 43

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8

In the shadow of a tree A biologist quantifies the value of trees’ cooling and flood protection effects.

12

Legal aid in the art studio An artist-attorney takes a creative approach to educating immigrants about their rights.

16

Balancing the scales Forensic science and justice reform together make finding truth possible.

21

A model of success FIU students bested the field to reign

as the nation’s No. 1 Model UN team.

24

Writing new sentences English faculty offer writing courses and a chance for self-expression to prisoners.

27

Talking (friendly) smack The upcoming FIU-UM game has fans on both sides razzing one another.

32

Long live the treasures FIU’s museums open their arms to collectors’ beloved finds.

A GEM ON SOUTH BEACH, the 56,000-square-foot Wolfsonian-FIU (foreground) features Mediterranean Revival styling on its exterior and seven floors of exhibit and research space inside. In 1997 philanthropist and collector Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson Jr. donated the building on Washington Avenue and its priceless contents to FIU. Read more on pages 3 and 32.

Photo by Doug Garland ’10

FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear FIU Family, Those who stepped on campus when FIU first opened its doors to students in the early 1970s—the grandparents of many of our current students—recognized the opportunity to secure a solidupper division education.

Fast forward nearly five decades, and our university has rapidly and steadily risen to heights that belie its youth. Today, we are a Research I institution (an indicator of highest-level research activity) that has attained distinction within the state and rankings on the national stage. This year alone has seen an incredible march toward the summit, with Washington Monthly naming us a Top 50 public university even as we continue to work toward attaining the same from U.S. News & World Report. Other recent significant accomplishments I wish to share: #1 Law School bar passage rate in Florida source: The Florida Supreme Court #1 Model United Nations team in North America source: Best Delegate #15 among public universities for patent production (and #33 among all universities globally) source: National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association And from U.S. News & World Report • #2 undergraduate international business program among all U.S. universities • #12 for social mobility among all U.S. universities Among public universities: • Top 50 – Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences • Top 50 – College of Law • Top 100 – College of Engineering & Computing • All told, 35 programs in the top 100 nationally (and 15 in the top 50) Aside from these important numbers, the words on our cover make clear our progress each and every day. We are driven to serve our students by providing rigorous academic programming that ensures that graduates land excellent jobs. We are innovative in our research, as witnessed by faculty who attract millions of dollars in funding for projects across the disciplines. We are both local and global in our approach to solving problems, tackling community challenges such as the needs of those underserved in health care and K-12 education as well as worldwide challenges such as environmental concerns.

Finally, we are family, committed to the generations who have followed in the footsteps of our first students. With your support and that of our entire FIU family— alumni, students, faculty and staff—we will continue to rise.

Mark B. Rosenberg

On the Cover: Jordan Cross, a junior majoring in communications | Photo by Doug Garland ’10

FIU MAGAZINE Editorial Advisory Board Millie Acebal Director Marketing & Communications College of Engineering & Computing JoAnn Adkins Director Marketing & Communications College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Maria Elena Villar Associate Dean College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts Duane Wiles Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations & Annual Giving Executive Director Alumni Association __________________________________

Atilda Alvarido Special Assistant to the Provost Office of the Provost

FIU President

Linda Curiel-Menage Assistant Vice President for Campaign Planning & Communications University Advancement

FIU Board of Trustees

Jessica Drouet Senior Account Manager Marketing & Communications Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work Amy Ellis Communications Manager Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs Stephen Fain Professor Emeritus Faculty Administrator Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

Mark B. Rosenberg Claudia Puig (Chair) Jose J. Armas (Vice Chair) Cesar L. Alvarez Leonard Boord Dean C. Colson Gerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBA ’89 Michael G. Joseph Natasha Lowell Justo L. Pozo Joerg Reinhold Sabrina L. Rosell Marc D. Sarnoff Rogelio Tovar FIU MAGAZINE

Division of External Relations, Strategic Communications and Marketing

Ellen Forman Associate Director Communications College of Business

Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy Senior Vice President

Cristina Jaramillo Account Manager Marketing & Communications Student Affairs

Terry Witherell Vice President Karen Cochrane Assistant Vice President Alexandra Pecharich Editor

Gregory Miller Digital Marketing Manager College of Law Pablo Ortiz Vice President Regional Locations & Institutional Development Maureen Pelham Director of Research Development Office of Research and Economic Development Anthony Rionda Director Governmental Relations

Aileen Solá-Trautmann MSM ’18 Art Director Contributing writers Charlie Crespo MA ’13 David Drucker ’18 Clara-Meretan Kiah ’15 Photographers Carl-Frederick Francois ’16, MS ’17 Doug Garland ’10 Margarita Rentis ’17

Tyson Rodgers Assistant Director of Communications Athletics Ileana Varela Associate Director Marketing & Public Relations Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Copyright 2019, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations, Strategic Communications and Marketing and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the university. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us, call 305-348-7235.

Alumni Office: Write to Office of Alumni Relations at MMC MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199, or call 305-348-3334 or toll-free at 800-FIU-ALUM. Visit fiualumni.com.

Change of Address: Please send updated address information to FIU University Advancement, MARC 5th Floor, Miami, FL 33199 or by email to cochrane@fiu.edu.

Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via email to cochrane@fiu.edu or mail to FIU Magazine, Division of External Relations, MMC PC 515, Miami, FL 33199. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your degree and year of graduation.

19393_10/2019 FIU Magazine is printed on 30 percent PCW recycled paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

ON THE PROWL

Treasure: The collector’s keys The Wolfsonian-FIU is honoring its founder, Mitchell “Micky” Wolfson Jr., with a new exhibition that opens November 15 at the Miami Beach museum.

“A Universe of Things: Micky Wolfson Collects” will mark the man’s 80th birthday by spotlighting 100 finds from his seven decades of thoughtful acquisition. Featured is Wolfson’s first purchase, at age 12—an edition of Samuel Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” printed in 1875—as well as other articles that reflect the scope of his lifelong curiosity.

A Universe of Things: Micky Wolfson Collects November 15, 2019 – November 15, 2020 Wolfsonian-FIU 1000 Washington Ave. Miami Beach wolfsonian.org

Wolfson in 1997 donated to FIU an estimated 80,000-piece collection, as well as the 1920s-era building in which it is housed, to create an enduring center for education and research. The museum’s holdings—which include works on paper, appliances and furniture, sculpture and more—have since been augmented by other donors and focus on North American and European decorative arts, propaganda, architecture and industrial and graphic design dating from 1850 to 1950.

Among the fascinating items on display in the special show is the assortment of hotel keys pictured above.

Wolfson began pocketing them as a child on family vacations and continued the habit well into adulthood.

Together they represent a lifetime of travel and underscore how even the simple act of accessing one’s hotel room has changed dramatically in recent decades. Gone, for the most part, are the steel-cut metal and clunky fobs marked with a number, objects that at one time would have passed through potentially hundreds of hands over the course of several decades. (Most such keys, large and cumbersome by today’s standards, had to be turned into the front desk for safekeeping whenever a guest went out for the day.)

Among the names found on the key chains is the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, which represents the first key in the collection and the place where Wolfson and his family stayed in 1951. Others come from establishments in locales as diverse as Egypt, Panama and Japan, to name a few.

FALL 2019 | 3

ON THE PROWL

100 Most Influential People of 2019

HAPPY HACKERS SET A RECORD 2014 law school alumnus

Seven-hundred students of all academic backgrounds and skill levels from FIU and other universities met at

Desmond Meade earned

the largest hackathon ever held in Florida. Holed up in the Graham Center at MMC for 36 hours, they gathered

Time magazine’s top honor for his work leading the successful grassroots effort that culminated in passage of a Florida amendment to restore voting rights to more

to learn the latest information and to use technology to solve problems. Among the many activities, they attended software workshops led by industry specialists and a cybersecurity workshop led by an expert from a defense department think tank. They also developed games and dove into the underlying systems that power popular apps.

The massive event was organized by FIU’s chapter of the national technology honor society Upsilon Pi

than 1.4 million previously

Epsilon, with guidance from faculty and staff in the College of Engineering and Computing (and the generosity of

convicted felons. Meade

sponsors such as JP Morgan Chase and others). The 500-strong (and growing) FIU group is dedicated to forming

himself spent three years

an active community of computing students and helping its members find great jobs. “Shellhacks” put students

in prison on drug charges,

in contact with professionals in the field, many of whom offered career advice on the spot, and gave each a

and in 2014 testified before the United Nations Human Rights Committee about his experience as a felon stripped of his civil rights.

chance to shine while showing off coding abilities and collaborating with others.

This was the fourth hackathon put on by the FIU group—which has earned the title of Top National Chapter for the past three years—and more than 100 students who participate in the society have landed internships or full-time positions this past year alone.

Panthers meet in FIFA play Former FIU soccer standouts Thaisa Moreno ’15 (right) of Brazil and Ashleigh Shim of Jamaica, on campus 2011-2014, competed for their homelands at the Women’s World Cup. The two never met at FIU, but their teams engaged in a match ultimately won by the South Americans. (Neither country advanced to the finals.) Moreno made a previous World Cup appearance in 2015.

4 | FALL 2019

ON THE PROWL

5 QUESTIONS FOR THE

Associate Provost for Diversity Suzanna Rose has a plan to level the playing field. The psychology Ph.D. remembers how as an undergraduate in the late-1960s an administrator explained that women had to score higher than men on the SAT exam to earn university admittance. And how as a graduate student she received no mentoring while male counterparts played poker and tennis with the all-male faculty to build lasting networks. At FIU since 2000, she is today associate provost of the Office to Advance Women, Equity & Diversity and administers a $3.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to educate employees on unconscious attitudes that keep certain groups down and how individuals can intervene, either on their own or another’s behalf, when confronted with such attitudes.

Your Bystander Leadership Workshop tackles issues related to diversity and inclusion. Who should attend?

Everyone, because everyone has implicit biases. All cultures emphasize certain associations, and those can become part of our psyche through repeated exposure, whether we agree with them or not. Harboring unconscious biases does not mean someone is prejudiced, but it can affect one’s ability to evaluate others fairly or to notice and interpret situations that are unfavorable to others. Our workshop helps people recognize their own– and others’—biases and, more importantly, provides opportunities to practice intervening in positive ways to create a climate where everyone is valued.

How does bias rear its head on campus?

People’s resumes are judged not on content but on the associations others make based on names or backgrounds. Women at a meeting offer a suggestion that is ignored, but later, when a man makes the same suggestion, he is praised for his contribution. The scenarios we discuss are drawn from real experiences. Bias occurs at universities across the country.

How do you teach people to combat bias?

We present skits that allow attendees to interact. For people to intervene in situations where gender, racial or other bias occurs, they must have the skills and confidence that come with experience. Intervention methods range from changing the subject to reporting the issue to a higher authority. The important thing is that everyone, no matter their rank or situation, has a way to respond.

What is your ultimate goal?

We want the workshop to raise awareness about the interplay between power, privilege and bias, and we want to provide a toolkit of responses so that everyone will feel empowered to intervene when they see a situation play out.

The ultimate goal for our office is to achieve and sustain faculty equity and diversity as an essential element of FIU’s academic excellence.

Why does the NSF provide grant support?

Research has shown that women role models have a powerful positive effect on young women’s performance in math and science classes. Seeing more role models with whom students identify can help them imagine a similar career trajectory for themselves.

And we want more people from underrepresented groups to go into STEM fields. A diversity of perspectives enriches the sciences, mathematics and engineering, and it makes professionals more responsive to global needs. Engineering and science are increasingly important to our economic competitiveness, and we need a diverse pool of science and engineering faculty to fuel our future. n FALL 2019 | 5

ON THE PROWL

New Research Funding

FIU among top 15 public universities granted U.S. patents in 2018

Comprehensive Parkinson’s research

Owners Association.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded Kim Tieu, a professor within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, a $6.6 million grant to study how brain cells die in Parkinson’s disease and to develop effective drug therapies for the condition.

Mental health collaboration

FIU is among the top universities in the world leading the way in innovation, according to rankings released by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property FIU was ranked 15th in the nation among public universities and 33rd globally among all universities that were issued patents for the creation of a new or improved product, process or machine.

FIU inventors earned 65 patents in 2018. Patents awarded to FIU researchers included a device for assisting visually impaired patients, an instantly rechargeable battery device, rapid Zika detection using nano-enabled electrochemical sensing system, smart clothes with wireless power transfer and sensing capabilities, wind-resistant concrete roof component and many more.

Budding scientists invade research labs

A $5.2 million National Institute of Mental Health

Thirty-one high schoolers took over FIU labs during the summer. The juniors and seniors

grant is funding a collaboration between FIU’s

conducted research for eight weeks under the direction of biology, chemistry, psychology

Center for Children and Families and Tel Aviv

and biomedical engineering professors and graduate students.

University. The project will test a novel treatment for child social anxiety disorder and has the potential to open new therapies by developing groundbreaking computer-based interventions.

Among the topics explored: heart health in animals, coral bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures, robotic prosthetics and executive function in the brains of young children.

FIU offers the opportunity to whet youngsters’ appetites for such work and give them a competitive advantage when applying to colleges—including FIU. Students work 20 years per week in a designated lab and attend weekly professional and academic development

Advanced communications tool Last year the Air Force Office of Scientific Research awarded FIU $4.82 million to establish the Transforming Antennas Center

workshops on subjects such as writing research abstracts and giving effective presentations.

Less than a decade after its inception, the program has become a pipeline for students interested in careers in science and medicine.

and this year granted the same amount to

FIU tailors new degree to school district’s challenges

expand the center’s groundbreaking research

FIU has launched a customized doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies to

on origami antennas. The dynamically

respond to urgent issues facing Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), America’s fourth-

adaptable antennas can be quickly deployed,

largest school district.

easily collapsed and compactly stowed,

Faculty in FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education worked closely with M-DCPS to

making them ideal for use in next-generation

redesign the doctoral degree to focus on specific challenges impacting education today in

Air Force and Department of Defense systems.

South Florida, such as teacher retention, limited family involvement and curriculum issues.

Multi-university investigation of Glades water quality State water managers have set aside $4.1 million for FIU (through its Institute of Water and Environment), the University of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University to study water issues in the Everglades and greater South Florida as part of a five-year cooperative agreement. The work will focus on how the greater Everglades ecosystem reacts to management practices and restoration activities.

6 | FALL 2019

The 72-hour-credit program can be completed in seven semesters. Some future topics that these classes will tackle include educational policy, applications of educational psychology, and education research and data analysis.

Helping students chart a course for success As part of the Next Horizon “crew,” Richard Brilliant MS ’93 plays an integral role in the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. He and his employer, Carnival Corporation, have for years helped pilot the ship at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, where they have contributed expertise and funding to ensure smooth sailing for motivated students.

Brilliant knows firsthand the challenges many FIU students face. A firstgeneration college graduate, he’d been raised to join the family business.

But in a perfect storm, a tragic death forced the company under just as the newly married Brilliant, with a baby on the way, was ready to start. He then turned to FIU for an advanced degree that would help him navigate the turbulent waters.

A master’s program in hospitality and tourism that included industry experience through an internship, coupled with the support of mentor Elisa Moncarz, a professor emerita with whom he remains close, eventually led to his first full-time job in the cruise industry. That would launch his long and successful career, which today includes two decades with Carnival, where he is senior vice president and chief audit officer. During that time, he has hired and worked with a number of FIU graduates and been impressed with their preparedness to excel in an ever-evolving industry.

“They have a true roll-up-your-sleeves, get-it-done kind of attitude,” Brilliant says. Over a decade serving on the Foundation board, of which he is currently the skipper, he has also watched the university grow in size and reputation as it meets the educational needs of South Florida’s citizens and the workforce needs of the region’s industry.

It’s why he and his family have created scholarships to support hospitality students as well as donated to relief funds for students affected by recent hurricanes—and why he encourages the Carnival Foundation, which has donated millions to support FIU scholarships and learning facilities, to keep FIU in mind.

“Why invest in FIU? Because here, perhaps more so than at other universities, I can see the direct impact of my giving.” Well said, Captain. n To learn more about FIU’s $750 million campaign, go to NextHorizon.fiu.edu.

FALL 2019 | 7

8 | FALL 2019

A Canopy

Grows in Miami Researchers are calculating the scientific value of trees in one lush neighborhood

By Chrystian Tejedor ’04, MBA ’15

P

erhaps more than anywhere else in

collaboration between FIU and the National

estimating residential savings in cooling

Miami, the streets of Coconut Grove

Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG). The

costs. They are also looking at how much

are dappled with sunlight and shadow. Look

Kampong is the historic home of famed

mitigation the trees’ roots provide for flooding

overhead and you’ll see why.

botanical explorer David Fairchild and now

and even sea level rise.

Here, the tree tunnels that stretch over

an urban oasis with more than 1,000 species

Knowing that all trees are not created

highways and streets are the fabric of

of fruit trees, palms, plants and teaching

equal, they also tally the negatives. Does

the community. They’re like the cafecito

collections for botanical study.

the tree produce messy fruits? Might it

windows of Little Havana. Or the beaches that line the coast.

These green sentinels have seen Miami

Like Fairchild, Baraloto and the team

fall during a storm? Do its roots threaten

of FIU botanists are focused on studying,

infrastructure? Is it a nonnative species?

preserving and finding innovative uses for

Is it invasive?

grow from backwater village to major

tropical plants. It is work that is carried out

metropolis. Sometimes they’ve been spared

in South Florida, in the jungles of China

determine which trees merit protection and

from the bulldozer and the winds of a

and South America, and other biodiverse

which trees should replace those that fall

hurricane. Sometimes they haven’t. The fate

hotspots throughout the world.

in a hurricane or are removed during

of Coconut Grove’s lush canopy seems to be constantly hanging in the balance.

FIU biologist Christopher Baraloto is

As part of the ReLeaf project, the researchers are calculating how much carbon

City officials need these details to

construction projects.

“We are excited to partner with a coalition

trees remove from the air and researching

of government and community partners to

leading the Miami Urban ReLeaf Coalition,

possible medicinal value. They are currently

work together and learn about the amazing

a network of local partners mapping and

mapping trees in Coconut Grove, dutifully

resources we have in terms of tree canopy

monitoring trees in Miami’s verdant enclaves.

measuring the circumference of each tree and

in the city,” Baraloto said. “All citizens with

The initiative recently launched in Coconut

estimating its height.

whom we have spoken agree that this is vital

Grove, where the International Center for Tropical Botany is based at the Kampong, a

The researchers are also determining how much shade each tree provides and

work that needs to be completed as soon as possible.”

Continues FALL 2019 | 9

Continued

City officials also want residents to know

broadening FIU’s data collection efforts. At the

what is already protected, what is not and how

conclusion of the project, this local information

they can best take care of trees in their own

will become part of the data set on iNaturalist

backyards and throughout the neighborhood.

as well as other publicly available databases.

“Trees are a major part of the character of Coconut Grove,” said Miami Commissioner

without our trees, we can’t call this place

Ken Russell, who represents the Grove. “Our

the Grove,” said Anne Haywood, a National

residents are passionate about them and see

Geographic fellow who serves as director of

protecting them as critical to maintaining the

the Miami-based community organization

quality of life and environment of this unique,

Mountain to Sea Education. “This

historic community.”

communitywide science project is a really

Using the Grove ReLeaf page on the iNaturalist app, citizens can participate in the project by submitting photos and assisting

Open to the public, the 9-acre Kampong features the home (above) built in 1928 by famed horticulturalist David Fairchild.

10 | FALL 2019

“Grove ReLeaf is important because

cool opportunity for people of all ages to contribute while learning from FIU scientists.”

A satellite view of South Florida’s

with the identification of trees. Almost 500

tremendous sprawl proves Coconut Grove

participants have already made more than

has a lot to protect. The team at the FIU

3,400 observations of more than 500 plant

International Center for Tropical Botany is

species. They’ve spotted everything from

rooted in its mission to improve lives through

the ubiquitous coconut palm to itch-inducing

botanical research and conservation, and

poisonwood and even some tasty figs.

ReLeaf is helping to make local conservation

Baraloto, himself a resident of Coconut

there a little easier. As the ReLeaf project

Grove, will soon begin workshops to train the

expands, Baraloto hopes local conservation

residents to take measurements themselves,

will become easier for all of South Florida. n

FOCUS ON INNOVATION

A potential game changer for childhood cancer It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: hearing

Patients are recruited by Nicklaus

radiation. For those whose cancers are

that your child has run out of cancer

Children’s Hospital in Miami, and their tumor

resistant to the treatments, Azzam’s

treatment options.

cells sent to Azzam’s campus lab for testing

personalized approach—called functional

against hundreds of drugs approved by the

precision medicine—could be the answer.

College of Public Health & Social Work is

FDA, some for cancers and others not. When

Ideally, one day, it would be used as a first

working to change that.

a drug is identified as effective in destroying

resort, she says, thereby avoiding wasted

the cells in a sample, Azzam reports the

time on therapies that do not help.

Now a professor in the Robert Stempel

Diana Azzam, pictured above in her

“Let’s work together, researchers and

lab, has a $700,000 grant from the Florida

match to the particular patient’s doctor.

Department of Health Live Like Bella

(Unlike in cases of adult cancer, insurance

oncologists,” she says. “Let’s have this

Pediatric Cancer Research Initiative to

companies will generally pay for medications

diagnostic way of identifying the drugs that

identify potentially life-saving drugs for

for children even when deemed “off label,” or

would work for this specific patient and save

individual patients.

for a use other than originally intended.)

the trial and error.”

Even with an as-yet limited number of

Currently, pediatric oncology patients

Should the study results support her

participants involved in the four-year trial,

typically undergo one or more rounds

approach, Azzam foresees starting a company

the findings have already proved promising.

of conventional chemotherapy and/or

to provide such testing to clinical centers. n FALL 2019 | 11

Extending a hand to would-be Americans

By Amanda McCorquodale | Artwork by Carolina Rubio-MacWright

12 | FALL 2019

Alumna Carolina Rubio-MacWright has found unique ways to educate immigrants about their rights

T

he first thing one notices about the art studio is how open and sun-filled it is, with floor-to-ceiling windows allowing the light to fall over shelves

of ceramic works in progress. In the central workspace, women of all ages bend over tables, focused but happily chatting as they fashion clay into pinch pots, figurines and religious crosses.

That openness has a downside, however, as Carolina Rubio-MacWright ’03 has concluded. “There have been eight ICE raids in the community in the last three weeks alone,” says the immigration lawyer and artist who organizes pottery workshops for undocumented immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. “It’s occurred to me that these classes could eventually be targeted.”

An immigrant herself Rubio-MacWright was 19 when she fled her native Colombia in 2001 for South Florida. At the time, the country was in the midst of a decades-long civil war that would end years later with more than 200,000 dead, some 25,000 disappeared and 5.7 million displaced. “I had to leave because my personal safety was at risk,” says the alumna, who felt her outspokenness put her in particular danger. “In Colombia, there was always a feeling of imminent threat. I didn’t feel free to be curious, make eye contact or take the same bus route too often. My actions were fueled by fear.”

A fine arts major at FIU, Rubio-MacWright created art informed by that conflict. Her piece “How Much is Enough?” won her a student award and attention from local media. For that work, she cut a section from her hair and attached 13 feet of paper printed with the images of Colombian kidnapping victims.

“I wanted to convey the feeling of weight, that I should be helping these people but I’ve let them down,” explains Rubio-MacWright, who says she was still processing the guilt of leaving her homeland while others remained in danger.

Continues FALL 2019 | 13

Continued

Teaching rights through art Then three years ago, Rubio-MacWright alighted on a project that would meld her two passions—art and law—while serving an important and growing need in her community. She approached the owner of Bklyn Clay with the idea to offer free “Know Your Rights” workshops to the local immigrant population. “We were looking for a way to give back,” owner Jennifer Waverek says in acknowledging the ethnically diverse area her arts studio serves. “Then Carolina walked in the door with this idea, and it was just perfect,” continues Waverek, who provides Rubio-MacWright not only creative space and use of a kiln but all needed supplies and materials. “It’s been amazing to Rubio-MacWright, far left, takes a hands-on approach to both art instruction and informing immigrant families about their rights.

have this in the studio.”

The workshop brings together female immigrants to instruct them in ceramics

Her art would evolve to help her not only

a professor and director within FIU’s visual

making while educating them about their

move forward from her personal experience

arts program. He urged Rubio-MacWright to

rights. “I wanted to focus on women

but try to effect positive change in the world.

go on to the study of law, something she had

because I quickly learned as a young mom

She created 632 clay medallions imprinted

begun in Colombia before migrating to the

that when mothers are doing okay, the

with the faces of those kidnapped between

United States. “He was a wonderful mentor

children will be okay too,” says the mother

1999 and 2002. In a piece of performance

and an amazing conceptual artist who really

of two, ages 8 and 5.

art at a Miami gallery, Rubio-MacWright gave

understood what I was trying to do,” Rubio-

away the medallions to audience members

MacWright says.

and passersby in what she viewed as a

With that encouragement, she completed

For some, simply creating something by hand becomes therapeutic.

Maribel immigrated to the United States

counter-action to the political kidnappings, a

a law degree from Oklahoma City University,

from Mexico 17 years ago and learned of

way of setting free the memories and spirits

after which she interned at the Texas Civil

the workshop from a flyer posted at her

of the oppressed and murdered.

Rights Project and Oklahoma County public

church. “To be honest, at first I just wanted

defender’s office. She returned briefly to

to make art,” says the woman as she uses

the passion she brought to it, left a strong

practice in Miami before moving to Brooklyn,

a potter’s wheel to form a vase, her little

impression on the late Geoffrey Olsen, then

New York, with her husband in 2010.

girl entertaining herself with a block of clay

The justice-seeking nature of her work, and

nearby. The activity might have served as nothing more than a small escape from everyday matters—mother and daughter engaged in individual creative pursuits—if the stakes were not so high. “But I also wanted to learn about immigration rights for myself,” Maribel continues, “and to help everyone around me.”

Whether speaking to the group as a whole or moving around the studio to address 14 | FALL 2019

individual concerns, Rubio-MacWright

Rubio-MacWright conducts similar

border and brings along 10 other attorneys

tackles the tough questions. She dispels

ceramics workshops for families that have

to provide legal help to dozens of families.

rumors and misconceptions about current

experienced domestic abuse (offering

As with many of Rubio-MacWright’s

immigration policy. She shows examples

opportunity for self-reflection while building

projects, the outreach has had a ripple

of legally enforceable and unenforceable

self-worth and educating on immigrant,

effect. “Attorneys I’ve brought to work at the

warrants. She addresses what to do if

human and parental rights) and has plans

border who didn’t even have immigration

detained. She distributes laminated cards

for still another to help immigrant parents

backgrounds are now taking fulltime jobs

with suggestions on how to proceed if

of children with special needs navigate

helping asylum seekers,” she says.

approached by an immigration official and

available services.

what to say. (It all starts with “Hello, Officer.”)

Rubio-MacWright says that discussions

She’s forming a nonprofit with hopes of replicating these workshops across the

Helping to raise that kind of infrastructure in support of the needy is huge, she explains.

“For me, if you don’t feel like you have a

about asserting one’s rights have evolved to

country. “Art has the power to really touch

place at the table,” Rubio-MacWright says,

cover much more than just immigration. One

people,” says Rubio-MacWright. “Art can

“you don’t just build a new table—you build a

regular workshop attendee grew emboldened

bring hard subject matters to light in a

new house.”

enough to leave her abusive husband. When

beautiful way.”

another said she wanted to ask her boss for a raise,

Rubio-MacWright also organizes trips several times a year to the Texas-Mexico

The heavy lifting includes the launch this fall of “In Conversation,” a series of gatherings that will bring together

Rubio-MacWright and the rest of

people from diverse cultural

the group participated in a mock

and socioeconomic backgrounds—

conversation to help the woman

newcomers as well as lifelong American

practice for the interaction.

citizens—to engage and learn from one

“When she did ask for the raise, the boss

another. For example, she plans to hold

got abusive and she ended up calling the

a session during which indigenous people

police on him,” Rubio-MacWright says.

from Latin America teach Brooklynites a craft

“That’s how I know the workshops are making

representative of their country, a recognition

a difference. Typically, these women would be

that “people’s shared humanity can shine

too scared to call authorities for help.”

through art, which has the power to equalize differences and heal.”

So much to be done

She plans to bring the same to cities in

“I’m guided by a fight for freedom,” says

Oklahoma and Florida, states in which she

Rubio-MacWright, who knows firsthand

has lived and where she knows of the great

what it’s like to have anxiety dictate your

divisions that often exist within communities.

everyday actions, “and you can’t feel free

She’d also like to organize cooking events

when you’re living in constant fear.” Recent

in which food-delivery workers, who are

changes in immigration policy have made

typically immigrants, can interact with the

those concerns more pressing, including

city office workers who most often place

the Department of Homeland Security’s

food orders. The idea is to have them spend

announcement in July that it would carry out

an evening creating and sharing a new dish

an executive order to expand “expedited

together—another opportunity for people to

removal” of certain noncitizens. For those

find commonalities.

who attend the workshop, many of whom

“I’m constantly looking for that perfect

have lived in the United States for a decade

moment,” Rubio-MacWright says, “where

or more, the fear that an Immigration and

someone can see themselves reflected in

Customs Enforcement agent would knock on

another and recognize that we’re not that

their door has become much more probable.

different from each other.” n FALL 2019 | 15

FROM CRIME SC

16 | FALL 2019

CENE TO COURTR

OOM

The Global Forensic and Justice Center

By Alexandra Pecharich with Michelle Chernicoff

E

very contact leaves a trace—it’s the

collectively work to improve forensic education,

fundamental principle that guides forensic

update the skills and knowledge of professionals

science. But the many types of evidence now

already in the field, develop new scientific tools,

available to investigators only reveals its value when

influence policy decisions and set the standard for

a battery of trained professionals comes together to

the use of forensic evidence in the administration of

make sense of it and use it appropriately.

justice. The goal is to connect science and society to

“The way we think about the administration of justice is changing, and FIU is at the forefront of the movement,” says Kevin Lothridge, director of FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center. “Incorporating information more broadly across the criminal justice process is the future.”

The key: creating a culture of connectivity. No longer does anyone work in isolation but, rather, with a clearer view of how steps taken at the crime scene and in the lab impact what happens in the courtroom and, ultimately, society.

The Global Forensic and Justice Center is a

effect fair and just outcomes.

“The way we think about the administration of justice is changing, and FIU is at the forefront of the movement.

Incorporating information more broadly across the criminal justice process is the future.”

— Kevin Lothridge, director of FIU’s Global Forensic and Justice Center

collaborative hub that today has contracts and grants

WORK ABROAD

that exceed $10 million, educates more than 60 current

For an illustration of that interconnectedness, one

undergraduate and graduate students and brings

need look no further than the National Forensic

together those who study science and those who

Science Technology Center (NFSTC) and the Center

administer justice. The idea originated with Kenneth

for the Administration of Justice (CAJ), to understand

G. Furton, FIU provost and executive vice president,

how science and society intersect. The two centers

who co-founded the International Forensic Research

have different missions—the one providing technical,

Institute on campus more than 20 years ago.

scientific training and support, and the other working

“The original concept back then was to be a highly interdisciplinary research institute,” Furton says.

“The Global Forensic and Justice Center advances

to advance the practical application of justice—and each is making a global impact in pursuit of truth.

For example: With funding from the U.S.

that dream as it is arguably the most interdisciplinary

Department of State and the Bureau of International

forensic center in the world.”

Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, NFSTC

Creating such a comprehensive center took bringing together four university entities that

welcomed 14 forensic scientists from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama Continues FALL 2019 | 17

A postdoctoral fellow in Professor Jose Almirall’s research group holds a patented device that captures volatile organic compounds in the air to detect the presence of drugs, explosives and other illicit materials.

Continued

to train them on improving crime scene

personnel, reviewed all pertinent documents

processes, DNA testing and laboratory

and addressed other related issues to

operations. The upgrading of skills and

achieve success.

procedures can have a profound effect in a

“The basis of any democracy, to a large extent, is the rule of law.

When you have organized crime and you have massive amounts of narcotics and the money that comes with that, it’s very hard to successfully implement a democratic system. I think that there is a lot of hope for [Central America], but it’s very difficult.”

— Luis Salas, director of FIU’s Center for the Administration of Justice

18 | FALL 2019

Complementing these efforts in support

region scarred by protracted civil wars and

of science-backed and technical-based

foreign occupations that combined have left a

improvements is the work of the Center

sad legacy of mass graves. Analysts there now

for the Administration of Justice (CAJ). It

have the tools and education to pursue giving

has longstanding relationships throughout

names to previously unidentified bodies—and

Latin America, where it has collaborated

answers to families that have waited years to

with governments and NGOs to develop

learn the fate of their loved ones.

procedures related to institutional legal

The NFSTC is also consulting with Central

reform. Funders such as the U.S. Agency

American crime labs and crime scene

for International Development, the Bureau of

professionals to improve practices with a

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

goal of helping facilities meet international

Affairs, the World Bank and the Inter-American

testing standards to secure laboratory

Development Bank have contributed some $50

accreditation, a stamp of approval that

million in grants for its activities over the years.

should have a positive impact on individual countries’ justice systems.

It was with the help of the NFSTC at FIU

Leading the center is Luis Salas. The criminal law professor has been at FIU for 45 years and, beginning in the mid-80s, spent

that the North African nation of Morocco

a solid decade in a regional office in Costa

earned international forensic laboratory

Rica, from which he ran numerous projects

accreditation. In only eight months, the

throughout Central America. The efforts

team from FIU translated material from

coincided with U.S. government efforts to

French to English, coordinated training with

promote the rule of law and human rights in

that part of the world at a time of heightened

there. Progress has been made throughout

at FIU. (Overall, FIU has secured some 30

crises, Salas explains.

Central America over the decades, say the

forensics-related patents since 2000.)

two, even as corruption and the massive

Roughly 10 researchers—largely from

is one in Colombia, where researchers

drug trade hammer away at the integrity

the chemistry and biology departments,

cooperated with government officials and

of what are today still-shaky democracies,

although one specialized in forensic

community organizations to establish a

many having cast off military rule only a few

psychology and another from engineering

dozen “justice houses” throughout the

short years ago.

are currently in the mix—and between

Among the center’s signature projects

country. The locations accommodate legal

“The basis of any democracy, to a large

30 and 35 graduate students annually

offices and courts and provide citizens with

extent, is respect for the rule of law,” Salas

participate in the research work, which

easy access to services such as dispute

explains. “When you have organized crime

includes testing instrumentation and

resolution. The concurrent implementation

and you have massive amounts of narcotics

developing new products, processes

of 20 virtual courtrooms has since allowed

and the money that comes with that, it’s

and materials.

defendants in rural or conflict-compromised

very hard to successfully implement a

areas to come before the court in instances

democratic system. I think that there is a lot

of the DEA is to help agents differentiate

where transportation or security issues might

of hope for the region,” he continues, “but

between industrial hemp, legal since

otherwise bar their participation. These years-

it’s very difficult.”

President Trump’s signing of the 2018

For example, a current pressing need

Farm Bill, from marijuana, which is still

long efforts have gone hand-in-hand with

Carazo Johanning agrees. “It’s always a

the training of judges, prosecutors, public

struggle, a challenge, like anything that you

illegal at the federal level. CARFS

defenders and others, and the drafting of

do in justice administration,” she says, even

researchers are developing an inexpensive

legislation (later brought before Colombia’s

as she reaffirms her dedication to the cause:

and easy test that can be used in the

congress for passage) as part of the country’s

“Both Dr. Salas and I like challenges.”

field to distinguish between the two and have applied for multiple patents on the

formal transition to a new legal system.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

technology, which a startup company is

team regularly welcomes to campus law

The science and technology behind forensic

already moving to commercialize.

students from Colombia for a week at a time

science work is evolving at a break-

to educate them through lectures, visits to

neck pace, and the Center for Advanced

a database project for the Dubai Police

local courts and meetings with judges and

Research in Forensic Science (CARFS) plays

Force in the area of forensic entomology—

attorneys in South Florida.

a critical role in new developments. Funded

the study of insects and arthropods that

by the National Science Foundation and part

inhabit decomposing remains—to improve

the good and bad of our system,” Salas

of a four-university cooperative, the center

estimates of time of death in arid countries.

says. “All of these countries are trying to

is actively pitching original research ideas

The center also works with a company in

implement something similar [to the U.S.],

as well as developing projects of interest to

the United Kingdom that makes chemical

and I think it’s very useful for them to

industry and other organizations. Partner

“taggants” used to coat various materials as

understand how the system has worked,

institutions include the FBI Laboratory, the

a way of tracking them in the event of theft.

and failed.” To that end, he wants to

Drug Enforcement Administration Office of

disabuse young people of the idealized view

Forensic Sciences, and several Department

fairness and impartiality, Almirall says. New

of justice one might glean from American TV

of Defense forensic organizations as well as

innovations can make possible establishing

shows and movies. He hopes to provide a

private companies.

someone’s criminality with a greater level

Furthering the ongoing transition, Salas’

“The purpose is [for them] to understand

reality check that makes clear the inherent messiness of adjudicating the law.

“We ask them, ‘What are your most pressing problems of today that we could

Internationally, CARFS has conducted

FIU’s research remains critical in promoting

of certainty but, he adds, “also exonerating those who are wrongfully convicted.”

“That’s the other side of justice,” he says.

Today the office in San Jose first opened

put our considerable research capacity

by Salas all those many years ago continues

toward solving,’” explains Jose Almirall,

“We know that mistakes have been made by

to operate in earnest (albeit in a new location),

CARFS director and himself an active

forensic scientists in the past, and we’re all

with both Salas and co-director Ana Carazo

researcher with several forensics-related

about developing tools that can help prevent

Johanning spending weeks-long stretches

patents and more than 20 years invested

those mistakes in the future.”

Continues FALL 2019 | 19

Recognizing Excellence University leaders have designated six standout programs as “preeminent.”

Another seven with high potential are designated “emerging.”

PREEMINENT Center for Children and Families A nationally regarded center revolutionizing treatments for childhood mental illness Extreme Events Institute A globally involved center for research, education and training in natural hazards and disaster risk reduction and management Global Forensic and Justice Center An innovative resource for education, research, training and policy initiatives related to criminal justice, cyber and emerging forensic sciences

Continued

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION

learn,” Moreno says. (Her research looked at

OF PROFESSIONALS

the microbial content of various types of soils—

As anyone who has watched the CSI

which can get lodged in the grooves of tires

television programs or read the news in recent

and the soles of shoes—as a way of potentially

years can attest, the impact of forensic science

establishing suspects’ recent activities.) “I feel

is burgeoning. Providing the human resources

like that experience put me ahead of so many

needed to keep up with the accelerated pace

other people that applied [for the FBI job]. That

of that science remains critical.

experience was priceless.”

To meet growing demand for qualified

As someone who now participates in

forensics professionals, FIU has honed its

interviewing potential employees for jobs

graduate academic programming with a

at the bureau, Moreno sees firsthand why

focus on forensic chemistry and biology.

FIU graduates have the upper hand. “It’s

Beyond rigorous coursework, students in the

something that we actually miss,” she says of

master’s and Ph.D. programs actively work

the research component too many newcomers

on research projects that they design and

lack. “When applicants come through who

conduct on their own. Access to mentors

don’t have that research experience, they

and resources associated with the Global

know how to follow protocol, but they cannot

Forensic and Justice Center translates into

necessarily think on their own.”

unparalleled opportunities for those who will

As for taking an internship with the FBI, it

Institute for Resilient and Sustainable Coastal Infrastructure A multipronged hub dedicated to developing innovative, economical and sustainable engineering solutions related to aging infrastructure

soon take up the baton. (An intensive two-

was her mentor, chemistry professor Bruce

week summer camp draws high-achieving

R. McCord, who insisted on it, she says. The

high schoolers with an interest in pursuing

temporary position led immediately into a

the discipline in college.)

full-time job, during which both McCord and

Institute of Water and Environment A collaborative of FIU’s top centers and programs focused on issues related to water and environmental threats around the world

understand the greater ‘why’ to their work,”

Moreno on track to finishing the Ph.D. That

says DeEtta Mills, deputy director of the

kind of support proved invaluable, she says.

Global Forensic and Justice Center. “By

Today, FIU forensic science alumni work

connecting research to practical applications

across the country and around the world.

STEM Transformation Institute A multidisciplinary cooperative committed to improving educational practices that lead to more and better prepared professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

and then to justice outcomes through

Graduates have a near-perfect employment

industry and government partners, our

rate, with many securing jobs within a year of

graduates will be worlds ahead when they

graduation with federal organizations, among

enter the workforce.”

them the CIA, DEA, Secret Service and Naval

EMERGING PREEMINENT Brain, Behavior and the Environment Program

master’s, in 2005, and a doctorate, in 2015,

Cybersecurity@FIU FIU Tropics Health Inequalities and Disparities Program Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center Translational Molecular Discoveries The Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab

beyondpossible.fiu.edu 20 | FALL 2019

“This center helps our graduates

Lilliana Moreno benefitted from that approach. The alumna earned both a from FIU and today is a forensic biologist in

a mentor within the bureau helped to keep

Research Laboratory, as well as state and local crime lab teams. *** The sheer breadth and depth of work

the DNA support unit at the Federal Bureau

under the umbrella of the Global Forensic and

of Investigation Laboratory in Quantico,

Justice Center points to the growing power

Virginia. Moreno remains convinced that

of science to establish truth and, ultimately,

the requirement to design and run her

help individuals and society arrive at justice,

own research project, as well as strong

or some measure of it. Today, forensic science

encouragement to take an internship, led to

remains the lifeblood of the investigator by

her success in obtaining an excellent job.

providing the incontrovertible proof upon which

“When you try to fix something and you fail,

a judge, jury or tribunal can base a verdict.

and you break it and you get up and you fail

FIU remains committed to ensuring that such

and you do it again, that’s the way that you

proof serves the interest of humanity. n

On top of the

world

FIU’s aspiring diplomats beat out teams at elite universities to clinch No. 1 ranking

M

astering diplomacy is something of a sport at FIU, one that pairs rigorous academic training with a strong and limber mind. Just ask Alex Anacki. The

international relations/political science double major ended freshman year with several big wins under his belt as a member of the university’s Model United Nations team.

That group’s combined intellectual athleticism earned it a national championship this year: the title of No. 1 in North America.

Continues FALL 2019 | 21

Continued

Popular around the world, Model UN (also know as MUN) is an educational activity in which students play the roles of delegates to the United Nations and simulate serving on UN committees. Participating in competitions organized by universities—high school and even middle school students have their own versions—they debate real-world issues and are judged on a battery of skills in areas such as strategy and tactics, analytical thinking and teamwork.

FIU has fielded a team for more than 30 years and currently counts about 75 members—

An estimated 400,000+ middle school ’ high school and college/university students worldwide participate in Model UN every year.

culled through a process of formal application, interviews and tryouts—who take turns competing throughout the year.

In Anacki’s case, he went from battling at the high school level straight to FIU, where his multiple top-place performances helped push the Panthers past other powerhouses—all of them elite private universities, many in the Northeast—to earn FIU the historic ranking.

“It was a very big deal for us,” Anacki says. “It’s a real testament to the work we’ve put in throughout the year.”

A HISTORY OF EXCELLENCE For more than 10 years, FIU has been the top public university team in the United States.

And for the past half dozen years, it held steady as a top-5 program among all universities, jockeying for position with rivals Georgetown, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and the University of Chicago, before rising to the summit in 2019.

“No other college MUN team came close,’’ in terms of the number of individual and group awards it earned over the academic year, wrote the editors at Best Delegate, the organization that rates teams based on the totality of performances at competition. (In another first, the team won Best Large Delegation at Harvard University National Model UN, considered the toughest competition on the circuit.) They cited the whopping number of conferences—14—in which FIU competed and recognized the “training and hard work” that students brought to the task.

That heavy lifting includes extensive research on the policies and history of the particular country one is to represent and in-depth examination of the topics slated for possible discussion. The latter run the gamut from issues such as promoting sustainable rural entrepreneurship and protecting women in migration from human trafficking to nuclear disarmament and the curbing of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Equally critical to the team’s triumph: the many resources that FIU invests, which include an academic course, a full-time director, travel support from the Student Government Association and direct involvement from the dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, John F. Stack Jr.

22 | FALL 2019

BUILDING LEADERS “Our students gain invaluable experience as leaders, negotiators, consensus builders and critical thinkers,” Stack says. “The success they have in Model UN translates into success in life and in their careers, as evidenced by the many successful MUN alumni we have in top positions throughout the public and private sectors.”

Attorney Ray Hernandez ’10 says Model UN was by far the most valuable educational experience he had at FIU. “As a student, it allowed me to learn more about myself, gain confidence by competing against some of the smartest minds in the world, and discover previously undiscovered abilities,’’ he said. Later, “As program director,

From left: Alexander Rubido, Katerina Geisler, Pierina Anton, Daniel Sixto, Alex Anacki

it provided me with the opportunity to teach our delegates to face and overcome challenges, to respect and understand the viewpoints of rivals, to experience the collective joy of achievement, and to bravely face disappointment with the courage and determination to do better next time.”

The commitment to the team goes far

“Awards are great, but Model UN is not defined by the awards. It’s the experiences you have and the sense of community and support everyone brings to it.”

— Daniel Sixto, a sophomore majoring in international relations and history

beyond time in the classroom or even in competition. Members routinely gather at the library or over meals to strategize and review

“Thinking back to my first conference

arguments. The time spent in preparation

and how much I’ve grown as a delegate

and then in actual simulation with other

and person, I realize how much I owe that

teams—more than 50 hours devoted by

growth to the experiences I’ve shared

each participant of a competition—are

with this team,” she says of a group that

worth the effort, say students, among them

considers itself akin to family. “That’s the

international relations and political science

culture of empowerment and unity that

double major Pierina Anton.

sets FIU apart.” n FALL 2019 | 23

Read inmates’ poetry magazine.fiu.edu

The freedom to write As part of a unique program, English faculty give those behind bars a chance to rise above it all

By Alexandra Pecharich | Photos by Rowan Moore Gerety

T

wenty-something Richard Yates

Arce brings up the rear with verse that

recites his original poem in front of

references committing murder at age 14.

about 200 people on folding chairs in a

About three-quarters of those in the

cramped but brightly lit space. Murals of

room are serving time for felony crimes.

the Statue of Liberty, the flag raising at

The others are university professors

Iwo Jima and the first moon walk cover

and local instructors, graduate students

the walls. Dressed in a blue jumpsuit,

and members of the community

clean-shaven and beaming, Yates

at large who have come to Dade

begins “Simba” with a reminiscence of

Correctional Institution to show support

his childhood love for the zoo, one that

for a population of drug and violent

eventually turns sour.

offenders working to better themselves.

“My heart broke for the big cat alone

Everyone has gathered for a three-hour

in the cage,” he says in a line leading up

“graduation” at which inmates take

to a poignant coda: “After years of living

the mic, a celebration that marks the

in a cage, a lion no longer believes he’s

semester’s end but involves no degrees.

a lion, and a man no longer believes he’s a man.”

Yates accepts a shower of applause.

24 | FALL 2019

An oasis “I want to believe that they’ll go out into

Soon after, Mario Palma follows with his

the world and this will have influenced

own poema, in Spanish, and Jonathan

them,” FIU English professor Kenneth

E. Johnson says of the writing course he teaches at the prison. “It’s practical in that they become better writers and communicators so that they gain some skills that will serve them in the future.”

Johnson has signed onto Exchange for Change, a local nonprofit started by former journalist and tour de force Kathie Klarreich. She has recruited faculty from FIU and elsewhere to teach song writing, fiction writing, legal writing, memoir and, in Johnson’s case, film review. After negotiating with the program warden, he received the go-ahead to show his 15 students “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Birdman of Alcatraz” during the spring semester.

“The classes are an oasis from incarceration,” Johnson says, explaining that only those with good behavior qualify to

Juan Esquival gathers with other inmates in the writing program for a celebration of the semester’s end.

participate. “They’re so thankful for somebody who takes an interest in them, and they’re

Klarreich hopes that FIU’s lead will encourage

so thankful for being in circumstances where

other institutions likewise to offer some type

like to see Exchange for Change expanded

they’re not treated as a prisoner. It’s the only

of formal recognition, which she says can

throughout Florida. She stresses the program’s

freedom they get,” he says of the students’

serve as both a measure of accomplishment

transformative nature and has suggested that

weekly meeting with him, “and they cherish it.”

for prisoners as well as impetus to continue

those who complete courses should see a

learning once they get out—iƒ they get out.

reduction in their sentences.

Glenn Hutchinson, director of FIU’s Center for Excellence in Writing, has taught

Whatever the future holds for any one of

State Representative Dianne Hart would

“I believe that this gives them a real

playwriting to the convicts and sees how

them, Klarreich says, the writing experience

opportunity to change, to see themselves

the act of writing offers this population,

has value.

differently,” she says. “Even though you

or anyone, for that matter, powerful opportunities for venting and self-expression.

“Some people chose to write directly

“For so many of these guys, who either

may be incarcerated, writing gives you an

hated education or were told they’re stupid or

opportunity to really leave where you are.

had to battle a whole lot of other things, all of

Mentally, it gives you an outlet. When you

about being incarcerated and others did

a sudden they have found an outlet that they

learn to express yourself, a lot of times you

not,” Hutchinson says. “What I remember

never thought possible,” she explains. “They

can give up some of the anger and your

most is their writing about seeing their

have found an interest and a talent and a way

feeling of inadequacy.”

children on visitation days and the joy that

to express themselves.”

brought, but also the heartache.”

Dade Correctional Institution houses more

Until that time when Florida finds the funds to pay prison educators, Klarreich must rely

than 1,500 men, some of whom have been

on volunteers, all of whom say they receive

A limited opportunity in Florida

behind bars for upwards of 25 years. Beyond

much in return. “All I know is when I go into the

Earlier this year, FIU for the first time provided

mandated GED prep, Exchange for Change—

classroom, they become my students,” says

continuing education certificates to inmates

which has served more than 800 individuals

Johnson, a 35-year veteran of FIU. “Some of

who completed pass/fail courses taught

since 2014—is currently the only educational

them are very talented, intelligent, and most

by FIU faculty, something Hutchinson and

program available there. At Everglades

of them, because of the writing, they’re very

Johnson, along with other members of the

Correctional Institution, home to almost 1,800

expressive and they’re excellent. I leave there

English department, helped make happen.

prisoners, it is one of just a few.

always thinking about what I’ve been given.”

Continues FALL 2019 | 25

Continued

“You understand that these people are not taking the courses to get out. They’re taking the courses to survive and transcend.”

— Kenneth E. Johnson, English professor participating in the Exchange for Change prison writing program

Leon Daniels is surrounded by community supporters.

place in the world and process things that are

alumnus whom Johnson once taught in a

Among those who submitted to a pat

happening to you,” he continues. “No matter

graduate class.

down and electronic screening to attend

what their sentences are and what they’ve

the end-of-semester event was Kimberly

done, they’re still human, and they deserve to

lights up as he talks with a visitor about

Green. An activist and head of the Green

engage in art as much as anybody.”

books and movies, anything but prison

Outside support

Family Foundation (FIU’s Latin American

Vann says he loves Lehane’s writing and

life. Scanning the eight-page graduation

and Caribbean Center bears her name), she

Getting out (the writing)

pamphlet—which included the full text of two

saw an opportunity to bear witness to those

Having their voices heard remains important

reviews by students in Johnson’s film class

without a voice.

to the incarcerated students, a way to connect

as well as a congratulatory note to the prison

from the shadows. Some submit their work to

poet laureate from FIU alumnus and poetry

true compassion, self examination and

be considered for inclusion in “Don’t Shake the

professor Richard Blanco ’91, MFA ’97—Vann

reflection meet creativity and expression,” she

Spoon,” a publication of Exchange for Change

was delighted to see that a paragraph he had

shared on social media. “Exchange for Change

(available through Amazon) that features

written about his experience with the program

provides vision and understanding on both

essays, poetry and stories. And outsiders

had made it into print. There among several

sides of the fence.”

who attend graduation each receive a poem

students’ comments, he found his own:

“Today I experienced what happens when

Also moved was alumnus P. Scott Cunningham MFA ’08, founder of the annual O Miami poetry festival and a

transcribed onto a paper plate by the author to take home as a souvenir.

Watching but not participating in the

“[Exchange for Change] is a breath of fresh air, a welcome escape from the mindless drudgery that is life behind the fences. Classes

regular attendee at graduation. In April,

graduation performances—which also

are diverse, lively and engaging. The visiting

during National Poetry Month, O Miami and

included a few numbers by songwriting

professors are dedicated, high-spirited and

Exchange for Change named a “prison poet

students, a humorous skit and interludes by

nonjudgmental. For those precious few hours

laureate” whose work the Miami Herald

prison band Skynny Lyzzyrd—was Martin

a week, our words and voices have meaning,

published. Cunningham has partnered with

Vann, one of Johnson’s students. The two

we’re given honest feedback and treated with

the writing program on a number of projects

sat next to each other and kept a running

respect. What a concept! Can’t wait for the

and believes strongly in its mission.

conversation between acts.

next semester to begin.” n

Writing, like any form of art, he says,

All the while, Vann held onto the prison

“teaches you about the world and yourself.

library’s copy of “Since We Fell,” a novel

Engaging with it is a way to figure out your

by Dennis Lehane MFA ’01, an FIU

26 | FALL 2019

Read a professor’s reflection on teaching prisoners magazine.fiu.edu

TRUE COLORS C

rosstown rivals FIU and the University of Miami go at it on the gridiron in

The FIU-UM football game will showcase South Florida’s divided loyalties

“Look, I think that FIU has an awesome

years of play. Plus, the Panthers recently

head coach. There’s no doubt about that,”

appeared in back-to-back bowl games and

November, and already the questions are

says Brodie, throwing her fiancé a bone. (FIU

are making noise on the national stage. A win

swirling: How many families will be torn

head coach Butch Davis was UM’s head

would be huge.

apart? How many friendships will go down

coach from 1995-2000.) “Their talent level

the drain? How many neighborhoods will

has definitely increased.”

feel the scourge of a community frayed at the edges?

Exaggerations aside, with so many diehard FIU and UM fans throughout South Florida—

And for UM fans, the Nov. 23 meeting will be emotional as the team returns to sacred

Adds Kasdin, a member of the FIU Alumni

ground: Marlins Park, the battlefield for the

Association Board and a season ticketholder:

game, is located on the former site of the

“We might win. It’s a real possibility. The

historic Orange Bowl stadium, where the

talent gap is narrower than it has ever been.”

Hurricanes competed for seven decades.

many in the same household—the good-

As the two hash it out, one thing is for

Home to Miami’s professional baseball team,

natured squabbling ahead of game day is

certain: For Panther fans like Kasdin, the

Marlins Park is outfitted with some amenities

only natural.

stakes couldn’t be higher. FIU football is only

that everyone can appreciate, including a

18 years old, a fraction of UM’s near-100

retractable roof and AC, which should make

UM has won the two previous clashes. Will the Hurricanes emerge victorious again? Or

for a comfortable evening of football viewing.

will the rising Panthers pull off the upset?

The battle for Miami will pit friends and

Julian Kasdin ’07 and Dana Brodie (pictured below) will be watching the matchup as a house divided. The couple—he an FIU grad, she an alumna of UM—may even trade talk of their upcoming wedding for trash talk come game day, but the hope is it won’t rise to that.

family against one other in a citywide

VS.

SAT., NOV. 23 @ 7 P.M. MARLINS PARK

spectacle that only football can provide.

Meanwhile, Brodie has a strong message for fans on both sides.

“Support where you went,” she says.

“Support the school that put you into a position to be employed and have a life.” n

WILL YOU BE THERE ON GAME DAY? Ticket information at fiusports.com.

And make plans to join the FIU Alumni Association for a pre-game tailgate at Marlins Park. Purchase tailgate tickets at go.fiu.edu/FIU-UMtailgate.

FALL 2019 | 27

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CLASS NOTES 1970s Daniel Morcate ’78, an award-winning journalist, celebrated his 32nd year at Univision, where he is chief newsroom editor. Morcate, also a columnist at El Nuevo Herald, was previously an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, an editorial board member at The Miami Herald and news director for radio station WRHC Cadena Azul.

Steven Wendroff ’79 recently sold his San Diego accounting practice to a regional firm. Wendroff opened his first office in 1986 with one employee. The practice now has 15 financial specialists and works with 1,500 clients across the nation.

1980s Layne Batt ’80 has been a part of the video broadcasting and production industry for more than 30 years. Batt started his career at a local Miami station and today is video production and post-production specialist. He has earned 13 Emmy Awards for production.

Nancy Esteves ’81 celebrated 10 years in her role as publisher at Caribbean Publishing Group, which produces bilingual community magazine Hola Latinos. The publication is distributed throughout MiamiDade and Broward counties.

Joseph Mellia ’86, general manager of the Envoy Hotel in Boston, was recognized

by HHM Hospitality as the company’s 2019 General Manager of the Year. His efforts in helping the property build revenue since its opening in 2015, as well as his dedication and passionate spirit, earned him the distinction, which put him first among 100 company professionals across 115 properties.

Joseph Rooney MS ’89 in 2018 was named president of American College Dublin, an Irish-American university in Dublin that offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees accredited in the United States. He has served as a dean at Lynn University in Boca Raton and on the boards of several other academic institutions.

1990s

2000s

Thomas “Tom” Jelke ’90 was recently elected grand president of the national board of directors of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

He has served on the board since 2009, including two years as grand secretary, and has held a number of local volunteer roles, especially with his home chapter at FIU.

Carlos Blanco ’00 was recently promoted to systems engineering manager at Boeing’s commercial airplane division in support of the company’s digital and modelbased engineering transformation. Blanco has been at Boeing for 19 years and was previously a cabin lighting systems lead engineer for the company’s presidential airplane program, which helps develop the latest generation of aircraft to support the President of the United States.

Javier Rodriguez ’94 marked one year working independently as a marketing consultant and creative designer. The journalism alumnus has 20 years of experience as a media professional.

Judith Berson-Levinson, Ed.D. ’97, a retired college administrator at Broward College, published “South Beach at War: Sun, Sand & Soldiers during WWII.” She tells the story of the years 1942-1945, when half a million men took over South Beach’s hotels, theaters, restaurants, beaches and golf courses while undergoing training by the Army Air Forces Technical Training Command. The book shares the stories of the veterans and residents against the backdrop of war.

Barbara Fernandez ’97 is now a partner-in-charge at the Miami office of law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. Fernandez joined the firm in 2002 as an associate and focuses on consumer financial services and class action litigation. Her clients include lending institutions, debt collection agencies, loan servicing institutions, debt buyers and lawyers. A broadcast journalism alumna, Fernandez is also an adjunct professor at FIU Law. Mireidy Fernandez ’98 was promoted to research analyst at the Miami-Dade County Office of the Commission Auditor. She works on public policy legislation auditing for the Board of County Commissioners. Fernandez previously served as senior planner and governmental facilities coordinator for the county’s Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. A communications alumna, Fernandez earned a master’s in public policy and a Ph.D. in psychology from other institutions.

Stanley Schachne MS ’02, president of Schachne Architects & Builders, Inc., and his partner Donna Schachne were recognized for four of their renovations last year.

Qualified Remodeler Magazine awarded them two National Master Design Awards and a Chrysalis Award for projects in Davie and Hollywood, Florida, while the Fort Lauderdale chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized them for their renovation of an oceanview condominium.

Edmond Kenny ’03 was named vice president of advancement at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Kenny, who has been at the university since 2016, previously served as interim vice president, executive director of external relations and senior director of alumni relations. He previously worked at Saint Leo University in Tampa and at Nova Southeastern University, where he earned a master’s in education and sports management.

Jill Levenson Ph.D. ’03, a professor of social work at Barry University, was named to the list of the top 100 most influential contemporary social work faculty in the country by the Journal of Social Service Research.

Levenson has published more than 100 articles on policies and clinical interventions designed to prevent sexual abuse, including projects funded by the National Institutes of Justice and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Continues FALL 2019 | 29

Mighty mahi mahi: 12-year-old Angel Palacios participated in the FIU Alumni Association’s 17th annual fishing tournament.

The future Panther’s angling prowess paid off as he and his young teammates won the top prize in the junior category. Fisherfolk on more than two dozen boats participated in the event, which raised $10,000.

Continued

Juan D’Arce Jr. ’05 was appointed to the Miami-Dade County 2020 Mayor’s Census Task Force and represents the interests of Hispanics for the 2020 Census. He was recently awarded membership to the Florida Association of Private Investigators.

Andres Dominguez ’08, MST ’12 was promoted to director in the Tax and Accounting Department at MBAF’s Miami office. He provides tax planning, compliance and reporting services for domestic and international clients.

2010s Andres Betancourt ’10 is president of Saferite Solutions, a safety-product distribution company that works with general contractors nationwide to provide personal protective equipment and safety training to workers on job sites. He started the business in his mother’s garage and today has 50 employees in three offices and five mobile stores.

Save the Date: Torch Awards Gala March 28, 2020 JW Marriott Marquis Miami

30 | FALL 2019

Gabriela Rosell ’10 and Christopher Gilbert ’10 were married in January in a very-FIU ceremony that included another 9 alumni in the bridal party, among them sisters Carla Rosell ’03 and Cristina Rosell ’05. The couple met through the English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, at FIU and live in Coral Gables.

George Quiroz ’11, management supervisor at international ad agency DAVID The Agency, recently celebrated his first anniversary at the company.

The agency created three of this year’s Super Bowl ads, including an AnheuserBusch commercial.

Praew Chantarasinlapin MS ’13, Ph.D. ’17 celebrated two years of working as an instructor at Chulalongkorn University in her native Bangkok, Thailand.

Chantarasinlapin attended FIU as part of her country’s research initiatives to prepare nutrition students for academic careers.

Bianca CampuzanoBlanco ’15 was named executive director of the Miami Finance Forum, a nonprofit corporation that offers networking

opportunities to South Florida’s leading finance professionals. Blanco has experience in marketing, communications, event planning, sponsorship development, advertising and social media. She previously served as a marketing coordinator with IberiaBank.

Adrianne Gonzalez ’17, former daily producer and co-anchor at WLRN Public Radio, South Florida’s NPR station, recently started a new position at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music as a communications specialist. Gonzalez is now also continuing her education with a master’s program in media management from the university.

John Kett ’17 marked his third work anniversary at PepsiCo-Frito Lay’s Global Snacks Culinary Team in Dallas. He joined the company as an intern in 2015 and was hired full-time as a research and development chef six months later.

Geri Satin Ph.D. ’17 is a founding partner of Focus Litigation Consulting and was recently featured in the Daily Business Review. The article details how the legal psychologist and her company partner advise clients on jury selection based on evidence from mock trials and focus groups.

Erica Jones MPA ’18 was promoted to impact director of the South region at City Year Miami, where she has worked for five years. The nonprofit organization teams up with public schools to help at-risk students successfully graduate through tutoring and mentoring.

Victoria Padin ’18 and Pedro Beltran ’19 tied the knot on August 12, 2019, weeks before Beltran headed to Marine officer training in Virginia. Padin remained temporarily in Miami as she worked to complete a master’s of nursing at UM.

In Memoriam Reina Beades ’06 MS ’10, program manager for FIU’s Southeast Environmental Research Center, began at FIU in 2005 in the Division of Human Resources Management. Her most recent supervisor, Jessie Guevara, said Beades was “passionate and strong. Her positivity and outlook on life motivated everyone around her to exude that same positivity. She was thoughtful, resourceful, and always there to help. We will all miss her dearly.”

Judith A. Blucker arrived at FIU in 1972 as a founding member of the education faculty and went on to serve as a respected administrator.

Her 35-year career at FIU has been described as legendary. A former collegiate athlete, she provided the impetus to create women’s teams at FIU and went on to coach volleyball and softball. As executive vice provost, she was instrumental in establishing FIU’s academic programs in Broward County. Even after retirement, she remained in close contact with the university and established a scholarship endowment benefitting female student-athletes and, more recently, endowed a $1 million scholarship within the Green School in honor of her late brother.

Erskine Sylvester Dottin, emeritus professor of education, joined FIU in 1992 and notably established the first Faculty Learning Community, designed to promote collaboration among professors.

He authored six books, several book chapters and many research articles that were published in well regarded journals.

His work on humanistic education and habits of mind are his legacy. He retired in 2015.

Robert L. Frye, former associate director of student conduct and conflict resolution within the Division of Academic & Student Affairs, always made student success his number one priority. His team remembers him as a kind and fair mentor deeply invested in the

development of students. Frye’s supervisor, Bronwen Bares Pelaez, said of the 20-year employee: “Rob’s commitment to his students from the classroom to the intramural field and beyond, and his steady approach to his work are examples of his dedicated service to FIU.”

Arthur Heise joined FIU in 1984 after a varied career as an executive officer at the library of the U.S. Air Force Academy, a reporter at the Buffalo Evening News and a journalist with the Associated Press. At FIU he established a program to teach journalism in Latin America, for which he secured an $18 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was appointed founding dean of FIU’s journalism school in 1991 and was most proud to see six of his students go on to win Pulitzer Prizes. He retired in 2003.

Alfie Justiz worked in the Wellness and Recreation Center at BBC for 25 years and will be remembered for his smile and can-do attitude. The center’s director, Elias W. Bardawil, recalled “a dependable and committed individual who had a grand zest for life. He cared about his friends and colleagues and always shared his passion for family. He was well-loved and respected for his dedicated service to our students."

Nathalia L. Meier began her FIU career in July of 2013 as an accountant for the Division of Student Affairs and later worked as associate director for budget and operations at the Wellness and Recreation Center at BBC. “Nathalia was a self-directed, kind, and devoted FIU team member,” says Elias W. Bardawil. “Throughout her tenure at the university, she was ever-present to help her peers when needed.

She always had a smile.”

Dan Salzverg, a former assistant general manager of Barnes & Noble at MMC, is remembered for his warm disposition, which made him a dearly beloved member of the FIU family. Serving on the President’s Council, he was an exemplary ambassador for the university and a big supporter of the Fostering Panther Pride program, which assists

students who were formerly in foster care or homeless. After retiring, he remained an active Panther by attending football games and volunteering for the annual Ignite faculty and staff fundraising campaign.

Gautam Sen joined the geology faculty in 1984 and established a top-of-the-line experimental lab. One of the first FIU scientists to obtain funding from the National Science Foundation, he played a key role in the department’s establishing a doctoral program in 1994. He left FIU to become a vice provost for research at The American University of Sharjah (UAE) and, later, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences at Lehman College (CUNY). Sen received many awards from FIU and was made a Life Fellow of the Geological Society of India.

Two recurring $500 awards to stimulate excellence among FIU undergraduates have been instituted in his honor.

Patricia Telles-Irvin came to FIU in 1993 as a psychologist and later became the director of FIU’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center. She eventually went on to serve as senior vice president for Student Affairs and Human Resources. The first Hispanic to serve as president of NASPA, the leading national association for student affairs professionals, Telles-Irvin was a mentor, a trailblazer and a great advocate for students at FIU. She would go on, in 2004, to leadership positions at the University of Florida and Northwestern University. “Our world and our FIU are better places because of Patricia,” wrote President Rosenberg at the news of her passing. “Her love for our community and her belief in the goodness of humanity are just two of the many gifts that we will miss.” n

Share your news with us: submit a class note to magazine.fiu.edu.

FALL 2019 | 31

Left: Warda by Girndiby Jananggoo Butcher Cherel, promised gift of Dennis and Debra Scholl. Center and right: Expulsion 1492 by Mark Podwal, gift of Dr. Paul Drucker.

A legacy of art and culture Collectors find a welcoming home for their priceless treasures

I

That reality would not be possible without

n the heart of a region that is growing in

Dr. Paul Drucker recently contributed 42

artistic importance on the world stage—

works by award-winning artist Mark Podwal

the selflessness of those who have chosen

Art Basel Miami Beach 2018, for example,

to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU on

to create a forever legacy by sharing their

drew more than 80,000 visitors to South

Miami Beach. Displayed earlier this year at

special finds, carefully chosen pieces and

Florida—FIU has increasingly caught the

the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, the series

meticulously curated collections with the

interest of collectors and aficionados who

provided an opportunity for professor of

world. Their largesse ensures that the greater

wish to find a sustainable audience for their

religious studies Oren Stier to teach about

community has a chance to appreciate

prized possessions. Forward-thinking donors

Jewish history to a group of high school

them, faculty can use them as teaching and

have bequeathed works of art, rare artifacts

students representing Interfaith Youth Miami.

research tools, and students can view or work

and whole libraries to the university’s three

The Wolfsonian-FIU once made history

with them either on their own or as part of a formal class.

museums with an understanding that they

as the largest in-kind gift to a Florida

will be cared for and made available for

university when its founder Mitchell

generations to come.

“Mickey” Wolfson Jr. gave the Miami Beach

a seasoned arts executive and entrepreneur

museum’s building and core collection to

who with his wife has donated more than

their support of academic programming at

FIU. That bountiful generosity has since

80 Australian Aboriginal works to the

the eponymously named Steven J. Green

encouraged others to step forward. New

Frost Art Museum, remembers well his

School of International & Public Affairs as well

York gallery Historical Design, for example,

first taste of art as a freshman at FIU.

as the FIU Libraries, recently donated art by

recently contributed an estimated $2.5

His formative introduction—in what was

eighteenth-century French painter Charles-

million worth of rare books, research

then the university’s one-room gallery in a

Joseph Natoire to the Patricia and Phillip

materials and a photo collection that

small corner of one of the few buildings on

Frost Art Museum. (The couple also lend their

together serve the Wolfsonian-FIU’s mission

campus—has had a lifelong impact both

names to an arts lecture series there.)

of illustrating modern social, historical and

professionally and otherwise.

Steven and Dorothea Green, known for

An appreciation of art is critical if one is to understand the world, Dorothea Green

technological transformations.

Susan Gladstone, executive director

Longtime art collector Dennis Scholl ’77,

“That opportunity led me to close to 40 years of really joyful personal experience

explains, and as such goes hand-in-hand

of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU,

building a number of art collections,” recalls

with the Greens’ contributions in support of

recognizes that donors have truly made FIU

Scholl, a former attorney who has produced

the social sciences. “It’s important that art

an unparalleled repository of art and culture.

arts documentaries and served on the boards

be accessible to everyone—students, faculty

“The family of FIU museums offers an

of numerous arts institutions.

and the community,” she says. “That’s why

opportunity to experience an unprecedented,

we donated the Natoire triptych. We wanted

enormously varied wealth of art, history and

as an arts capital, FIU will play an ever

everyone to experience it the same way that

architecture not available at any other one

larger role in that expansion. And donors will

we have as a family through the years.”

university in the area,” she says.

undoubtedly be a big reason why. n

32 | FALL 2019

As the city of Miami continues to grow

VIP:

Very Important Panther

Malcolm Butters ’83 • President and Principal, Butters Group • Master of Science in Real Estate 1983 • FIU Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductee 2008 • Torch Awards Distinguished Alumnus 2015 Q: To what do you attribute your success?

A: I attribute my success to a strong educational foundation, starting with an excellent high school and leading all the way up to the tremendous graduate program at FIU, which has been so critical to my success.

Q: Is there a philosophy by which you live?

A: My biggest fault is being too nice. But I am a big believer in karma. I feel that people want to do business with people they like. So, my philosophy is to be nice to clients and all people in general. Help those in need, donate to FIU or other charities and good things will happen.

Q: Who has been the biggest influence on you, whether in the business world or otherwise?

A: My Dad was my biggest influence. He was a hard worker who did not take unnecessary chances, provided me with an outstanding education and paid for all my education. He taught me about real estate and taught me critical basic lessons of life.

Q: In speaking with FIU students, you address the issue of corporate responsibility. What does that mean to you?

A: Corporations have a responsibility of giving back to their employees, as well as to the community. To me the way we give back is to offer scholarship monies to FIU students and create the first endowment for the real estate school.

Q: Your support of FIU includes wiping out the debt of students in FIU’s Hollo School of Real Estate. Why is that important?

A: Student debt in the USA totals $1.2 trillion dollars. That’s an enormous burden on the students. They need to get a break so they live a prosperous life and not have to struggle just because they wanted an education.

Q: What does the future hold?

A: The future is bright. The government needs to move toward center, having an extreme right or extreme left policy is bad for our country. I think in the long run the United States is the best country in the world, but we need to set the example and have a government that works together and is not divisive.

Q: When you’re not working, what’s a perfect day for you?

A: A perfect day for me begins with breakfast with my wife Catherine, going to the gym, and then getting in some snow skiing with the kids. n

Division of External Relations, Strategic Communications and Marketing Modesto A. Maidique Campus, MARC 5th Floor Miami, FL 33199-0001 Change Service Requested

TOUGH DECISION: In a photo that university archivists believe dates to the 1970s or ’80s and likely captures what was then known as “International Week”—a campus festival of food, music and dance from around the world—a student appears to be choosing a “pincho,” or shish kebab, of beef tenderloin from a mobile vendor. It all unfolded under the watchful eye of a heartthrob pinned to the back of a van door. If you know any of these people, contact us at FIU Magazine.

Photo courtesy of FIU Special Collections and University Archives

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