February 2009
Vol. 2, No. 1
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Former Senator Bob Graham delivered the Fall Semester Honors College Excellence Lecture before an audience of over 300 students and faculty on November 6, 2008. The title of the senator’s speech was ―America in the World of the 21st Century.‖ The topic was particularly relevant two days after the historic election of Barack Obama. The senator covered a wide range of issues from the threat of terrorism to global climate change. He paid special attention to the challenges and opportunities that face the new president. After the conclusion of his presentation, the senator took questions from the audience and later autographed copies of his book, Intelligence Matters, based on his experience on the Senate Intelligence Committee in the run-up to the Iraq War. You can view his lecture in its entirety at the Honors College website: http://honors.fiu.edu/grahamvid.htm.
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The Honors College celebrated its 8th Annual Convocation on Monday, October 13. The event serves as an official welcome for the incoming freshman class and as a showcase of the talent and diversity of the College’s student body. The day began with the Parade of Nations and States. Students from 45 nations and 15 states carried their representative flags. The FIU marching band led the parade to the Graham Center, site of the official ceremony. Over 500 people attended the event, including university administrators, faculty fellows, members of the Honors College Community Advisory Board, and dignitaries from the community. Dean Lesley A. Northup welcomed the new freshman class to the Honors College. Executive Vice President and Provost Ron Berkman delivered the ―Call to Excellence.‖ In his remarks, Berkman emphasized the importance of Honors Colleges at universities. He encouraged Honors College students to go after all the unique opportunities that the Honors College offers. He particularly stressed the value of the interdisciplinary curriculum in their lives after graduation. Honors Fellow Charmaine DeFrancesco, the keynote speaker, challenged students to examine their thinking and perception by asking themselves meaningful questions. DeFrancesco is an education professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. A convocation dinner was held in Professor DeFrancesco’s honor later in the evening. The dinner, attended by Honors College
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Bob Graham speaks to a full house in the center named after his late father.
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faculty and staff in the Graham Center, allowed participants to reflect and to toast the keynote speaker. This year the program also included a tribute to successful Honors College alumni such as Maryland State Delegate Kirill Reznik, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Garth Graham, attorney Nicole Mestre, Professor Jacqueline Alfonso and actor Danny Pino. The program continued with awards for students who entered the Convocation contest. The ceremony was also punctuated by musical performances by Honors College students. Nikolas Balseiro led his band Robbed by a Flute in his rock composition, ―We Stole the Night.‖ Student singer Marlene Palomo and trumpeter Bradley Samore played George Gershwin’s ―Summertime.‖ Freshman Ayman Elyasin played on the durbake (a middle eastern drum) with violin and clarinet accompaniments. The ceremony ended, as it started, with loud rock music. The group Neveroff, led by Junior Noel Hernandez, played ―A Thousand Dreams.‖ The event was supported in part by Neveroff performance Baptist Health South Florida and the Honors College’s many friends and donors.
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Gamma Epsilon Phi, the University Park Honors College society, hosted a lecture by Leonie Hermantin, Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, on November 13, 2008. The Lambi Fund is a community foundation supporting grassroots initiatives in Haiti's rural communities. Hermantin spoke passionately about the dire situation in Haiti after the country was hit by a series of hurricanes and floods. However, most of her talk focused on the use of disaster relief for the purpose of economic development. Hermantin was critical of the traditional model of foreign assistance, noting that direct food aid, while helping address the immediate problem, tended to create food dependency and undermine local farmers, thus hindering the development of the agricultural sector. Hermantin answered questions from students who wanted to know how they could best help the Haitian people. For information on the Lambi Fund, visit http://www.lambifund.org/.
Leonie Hermantin
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Tau Sigma Alpha (TSA), the Biscayne Bay Campus Honors College society, has launched its own lecture series, inspired by Dr. Randy Pausch's "Journeys" lecture given at Carnegie Mellon University last year. In his lecture, Dr. Pausch asks professors to answer the question, "If you had one last lecture to give to your students, what would you say?" Dr. Pausch presented a lecture on "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" to a crowd of over 400 students and colleagues. Pausch's lecture was bittersweet because he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier in the year. Pausch has since died, but TSA is keeping his memory alive through their monthly Legacies Lecture series. The society has invited Biscayne Bay Campus faculty Professor Fisher urges audience to members to give their student community ―the lecture of a lifetime,‖ asking the same find their passions during his question posed by the Journeys series. The first lecture, ―On the Importance of Curiosity,‖ Legacies Lecture on Nov. 21, 2008 was delivered on October 9 by Bruce A. Harvey, Associate Professor of English and Director in the BBC Mary-Anne Wolfe Theatre of the Humanities Program at BBC. Psychology Professor Ronald P. Fisher presented the lecture ―Using One’s Talents to Improve the Quality of Humanity,‖ on November 6. The series continues with Honors College Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies Mary Lou Pfeiffer on January 27. Commenting on the lecture series experience so far, TSA President Katie Bennett says, "Legacies has been amazing so far. We have had a great turnout for both lectures. Students are really interested to hear what professors have to say outside of the classroom."
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The Second Annual Overtown Youth Center Lunch-on-the-Bay took place on Thursday, October 9, at the Biscayne Bay Campus (BBC). The event celebrates the continuing partnership between the Honors College, Tau Sigma Alpha (TSA), and the Overtown Youth Center (OYC). The theme for this year’s lunch was ―Possibilities.‖ Jayne Klein, Honors College Student Services Coordinator for the BBC, served as mistress of ceremonies for the event. The official welcome for the event was delivered by FIU Vice President for Student Affairs and Undergraduate Education Dr. Rosa Jones, who declared that all OYC students in attendance were now considered part of the FIU family. Students of the Overtown Youth Center perform their original play for the Lunch-on-the-Bay audience.
Over 100 persons attended the event. The luncheon featured a special performance by OYC students of an original hip-hop play that was written and produced by the students. There was also live music courtesy of the band Caribbean Music Farm. Another highlight was the presentation of a five-minute video produced by the Center, depicting the Overtown neighborhood, the OYC’s programs, and its students.
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A delegation of Honors College students and faculty attended the 43rd National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Conference October 22 – 26 in San Antonio. The students selected for the conference delivered presentations that were accepted from among thousands of student submissions. Carla Cao and Desiree Hurtado presented the paper, ―Service-Based Research in the Peruvian Amazon,‖ along with their Honors College faculty mentor, Professor Jim Riach. ―Curating Cultural Expression in Miami‖ was presented by Rachelle Galindo, Sarena Bahad, Meliza Frias, and Andrea Lahoz. The group’s mentor, Professor John Bailly, was also in attendance. Professors Devon Graham and Peter Machonis led the popular ―City as Text‖ exercise, while Associate Dean John Kneski participated in a panel discussion on ―New Honors Facilities,‖ in which he presented on the planning process for the proposed new Honors College building at FIU. Kneski was also selected to serve on the NCHC International Education Committee.
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Conference presenters show their Texan cowboy spirit
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Top row, left to right: Sen. Bob Graham interacts with Honors students & faculty following his lecture; Bradley Samore & Marlene Palomo perform at Convocation; Prof. John Bailly’s Reacting class presents its own play. Middle row, l to r: Prof. Bailly & students discuss global issues in Food for Thought meeting; Drummer Ayman Elyasin at Convocation; Meet the Honors Student Ambassadors Luncheon with faculty & staff; Bottom row, l to r: Assoc. Dean John Kneski with Italy Abroad 2008 alumni at reunion dinner; Gamma Epsilon Phi members at the Susan Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer marathon; Honors Place dorm residents race their built-from-scratch boats during Build a Boat event.
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Student Enrichment Coordinator Meaghan Bradshaw, who primarily oversees student organizations, administers leadership and organizational trainings, and coordinates student-centered special events, is currently developing the College’s internship and career center. The Honors College Career and Internship Center will provide students with a vast collection of information regarding graduate schools, internships, and career guidance. Students will have access to test-prep literature, an internship and graduate school database, personalized assistance researching internships, individualized scholarship notifications and application assistance, and personal development workshops.
Meaghan Bradshaw
All Honors students are encouraged to attend weekly Honors Hour sessions at 3:30 pm on Thursdays. During this time, students can attend a variety of enrichment workshops, including financial planning, fellowship opportunities, time/stress management, and graduate school info sessions.
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Baptist Health recently hosted a networking luncheon at the corporate office for 12 students in the Florida International University Honors College. Deborah Mulvihill, corporate vice president and chief nursing officer, and Roymi Membiela, assistant vice president of marketing and public relations, were featured speakers at the event. They each shared information about their professional backgrounds, the career paths that have led them to their present positions and what attracted them to and has kept them at Baptist Health. Several students expressed interest in an internship and/or employment opportunities in their areas of study, which ranged from accounting to biology to information technology. Other Baptist Health attendees included Manuela Vicente, corporate director of recruitment; Susan Tait, manager, recruitment; Marsha Tejeda, professional development consultant, organizational learning; and Jeanine Armont, administrative assistant, medical staff services. Also present were Meaghan Bradshaw, Honors College Coordinator of Student Enrichment, and Joli Colquitt, FIU student and volunteer in Baptist Health’s executive offices.
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Honors teams, students and advisory board members alike, test their newly-built boats in race at Tamiami Park Pool
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On Saturday, September 6, 2008, thirty-five Total Enrollment: 296 student leaders, including the Honors Place I and II Leadership Teams and the Gamma Mean High School GPA: 4.05 Epsilon Phi, Tau Sigma Alpha, and MUSE e-boards, participated in the ―Build-A-Boat‖ Mean SAT score: 1241 leadership retreat at Tamiami Park. After % In-State Students: 81% learning about various leadership styles, goal-setting, and cohesive event planning, % Out-of-State Students: 19% participants were divided into teams that % South Fl. Residents: 70% spent the remainder of the day constructing floatable boats out of cardboard, pvc pipe, duct tape and plastic. The teams were tasked with formulating roles and goals, developing blueprints, preparing a marketing presentation of the vessel, and finally, racing their finished boat against the other teams.
Community Advisory Board members David Hitt and Frank Ramos assisted the students throughout the day with design strategies. The Gamma Epsilon Phi e-board was victorious, beating out the Honors Place II Leadership Team and Resident Assistants in the final stretch of the competition. The ―Build-A-Boat‖ leadership training and lunch was sponsored by generous donations from members of the Community Advisory Board.
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US Century Bank (USCB) Vice President and Honors College CAB chair Ruth Jimenez hosted a successful fundraiser for the Honors College on December 10 at the bank’s newly remodeled Brickell Branch. Over 100 guests attended the event to raise money for study abroad scholarships. The massive work of Costa Rican sculptor Jorge Jimenez Deredia served as a wonderful backdrop for the evening. The $2700 raised will help students participate in Honors Study Abroad programs in Spain, Italy, Jamaica, Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon. To make a donation to support Honors Study Abroad Student Scholarships, you can send a check to FIU/Honors College, 11200 SW 8th Street, DM 233, Miami, FL 33199. You can also visit our website at www.honors.fiu.edu and click on ―Giving to Honors‖ on the right side of your screen. For more information, contact Rachelle Galindo at rgalindo@fiu.edu or at (305) 348-4100.
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The Honors College Community Advisory Board named banker Ruth D. Jimenez as chair and attorney Camilla Cochrane as vice chair for 2009. Jimenez is Vice President and Branch Manager of the Brickell branch of US Century Bank. She has been a member of the CAB for four years. During that time, she has nurtured the relationship between US Century Bank and the Honors College. Most recently she hosted an exhibition/fundraiser that helped raise money for Honors College study abroad programs. Camilla Cochrane is an attorney and an educator. A graduate of the University of Miami Law School, she has specialized in labor and employment issues. She also taught law and business courses as an adjunct faculty member at FIU and St. Thomas University. Prior to becoming an attorney, Cochrane spent fifteen years in public education and advocating for homeless children and those with special needs.
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Artist Jorge Jimenez Deredia with USCB President Octavio Hernandez
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The Honors College is proud to announce that Mercedes Ponce, Executive Director of FIU's Continuing and Professional Studies Program (CAPS), H. Scott Fingerhut, trial lawyer and Honors College and College of Law teaching faculty member, and Orlando Gonzales, Account Manager for Jostens Printing and Publishing, have joined the FIU Honors College Community Advisory Board (CAB). The board serves as the liaison between the Honors College and the external community, works to develop funding for scholarships and other Honors activities, and helps enrich the opportunities the College offers its outstanding students. Mercedes Ponce
These three new board members bring an intimate knowledge of FIU, a personal commitment to the Honors College, and energy and drive to our expanding and active board.
Orlando Gonzales
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In a break from the noise and bustle of big Italian cities, Professor John Kneski and four students from the Honors College Italy Program embarked on an adventure to visit Ottati, a small town with a population of only 809. Ottati is in the province of Salerno, which is located in the Campania region of southwest Italy. The Honors College group traveled from Sorrento to Salerno by boat, then by foot through the ancient quarter of Salerno, with its aroma of chocolate mixed with delicate perfumes, and then from Salerno to Ottati by bus over rolling hills covered with vineyards and olive groves. The visit was of special significance for student Daniela Ottati. She had long wanted to visit the town that was once home to her ancestors. Her Ottati Residents with Italy Study wish came true on May 15, 2008. The group was welcomed by the Mayor of Ottati, Pasquale Abroad Students & Staff Marino, who presented gifts to the students. Professor Kneski and the rest of the group were taken on a tour of the picturesque town. During their walk, the group visited the town's school and churches and was also invited into the ancestral home of the family of their guide. The group was able to experience life in Ottati and get a taste of small-town Italian life.
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The Ecuador Study Abroad Program is a team-taught class with an interdisciplinary curriculum exploring various aspects of indigenous life in Ecuador: dance, history, music, and religious traditions, with special emphasis on the "Wisdom of the Andes," with local shamans and healers. The base camp for the program is the San Jorge Eco-Lodge and Botanical Reserves, an 18thcentury farm on 200 acres of protected land in the Pichincha foothills just outside of Ecuador's capital, Quito. The preserve is home to more than 130 species of birds, a large variety of endemic plants and animals, pre-Inca trails, sacred waterfalls and ecological zones including high barren plains, highland rainforest, cloud rainforest, and subtropical rainforest. Students will stay in co-ed dormitories located on the grounds of San Jorge. The program consists of practicums, lectures, seminars, and excursions to historical and cultural sites, and community service at local schools and in the surrounding communities. It is offered in the Summer A and Summer B semesters from July 28- August 6. Scholarships are available through the Office of Education Abroad and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center (LACC). For more information on this program visit the program webpage: http://honors.fiu.edu/ecuador.
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Over the past two months, exciting art work and photography from the Amazon rainforest has greeted students and other visitors to the Green Library at FIU’s University Park Campus, as well as at the Biscayne Bay Campus Library. The artwork includes wooden masks, finely woven handbags, decorated gourds and even children’s toys, while the photos range from portraits of people and animals to documentary and artistic examinations of daily life and the environment. The twin art exhibits received very favorable commentary from library patrons. What was most interesting about the exhibits is that they were the products of FIU students enrolled in the Honors College Amazon Program for the 20072008 academic year. The images were captivating, stimulating, and professional. FIU students and faculty took all of the photos during the four weeks they spent in the Peruvian Amazon in July 2008 during the study abroad part of the Amazon Honors course. The students captured the images during their daily interactions with local people and while exploring and living in the natural environment of the Amazon. The fresh and dynamic artwork and handicrafts were the creations of Yagua Indian villagers and ranged from utilitarian to purely decorative items. An unusual study abroad program, the Amazon Program emphasizes service learning. Students develop project proposals on campus prior to traveling to the Amazon. The projects give the students the opportunity to interact closely with local people, make a contribution to their well-being, and experience the Amazon in a way few visitors can imagine. The Amazon Study Abroad program is still accepting applications for this year’s trip. Please contact Assoc. Dean Kneski at kneskij@fiu.edu.
Students and faculty study images and artifacts from the Peruvian Amazon at the UP Campus Library exhibition
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Barbara Bader Scholarship This scholarship awards $1,000 to a current Honors College student who has demonstrated financial need and has shown evidence of motivation, character, and potential through community service. The candidate should demonstrate an effort to integrate university learning with civic engagement. Recipient: Sarena Bahad, a junior majoring in finance.
Harvey L. Young Family Foundation Scholarship This scholarship awards $2,000 to a current Honors College student with outstanding academic performance who has demonstrated financial need, Florida residency, and evidence of motivation, character, and potential. The scholarship is renewable, provided the recipient remains an Honors College student in good standing and maintains a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Recipient: Dianne Barrett, a sophomore majoring in biology with minors in business administration and chemistry.
Lucille E. Snaith Memorial Honors College Scholarship This scholarship awards $2500 to a current Honors College student with outstanding academic performance, who has demonstrated unmet financial need, Florida residency, and evidence of motivation, good character, leadership potential, and community service. The scholarship is renewable, provided the recipient remains an Honors College student and maintains a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Recipient: Michelle Callava, a junior majoring in finance.
Sheri Anne Graham Memorial Scholarship This scholarship awards $2,500 to a full-time entering freshman in the Honors College who has achieved a minimum 3.5 high school GPA and intends to major in the arts and sciences. The scholarship is renewable, provided the recipient remains an Honors College student in good standing and maintains a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Recipient: Bryan Cheddar, a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering.
Tony Menendez Computer Scholarship The scholarship awards a laptop computer with all the pertinent programs and IT support from the College’s computer lab staff when needed. Scholarship candidates are incoming freshmen of the Honors College who have demonstrated academic achievement in high school with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have established financial need. Scholarship recipients will keep the assigned laptop provided they remain Honors College students in good standing, make satisfactory progress towards a bachelor's degree, and maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA at FIU. Recipients: Andy Jean, a freshman majoring in engineering; Aliasghar Taqi, a freshman majoring in nursing; Jose Campin, a freshman majoring in political science;
William T. Jerome III Community Service Scholarship This scholarship awards $900 to an Honors College senior in good standing who has shown evidence of motivation, good character, and potential through community service and has demonstrated an effort to integrate university learning with civic engagement. Recipient: Yessenia M. Caldera, a junior majoring in political science, with a minor in philosophy.
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Professor Pete Markowitz is involved in a literally cosmic research project whose results may provide insights into the very origin and makeup of the universe. Markowitz is one of nine FIU scientists (who are among the 10,000 total contributing physicists worldwide) who were recruited for the experiment being conducted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. The experiment will be carried out using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a device that accelerates beams of colliding subatomic particles so that new data can be gathered by studying the results of their interactions. Having helped design the calibration for the collider’s particle energymeasuring device, Professor Markowitz has had intimate knowledge of the LHC’s development since its inception. The primary goals of this potentially groundbreaking experiment are to achieve a greater understanding of the formation of the universe following the Big Bang, as well as the nature of dark matter and its impact on the universe’s development. Another of the experiment’s primary ambitions is to try to verify the existence of a mysterious and elusive subatomic particle called the Higgs boson or the ―God‖ particle, which was given the latter nickname because one theory posits that the particle may give mass to everything in our universe. Markowitz is hopeful that the results will support the existence of the Higgs boson particle: ―The theory has stood up so long. The only thing left is to find it.‖ Honors College Fellow and FIU Law Professor H. Scott Fingerhut participated in a roundtable discussion entitled ―The Death Penalty: European and International Perspectives,‖ and was also recently appointed a member of the Honors College Community Advisory Board. Prior to his teaching career, Fingerhut spent 20 years serving as a criminal trial and appellate litigator. Before joining the FIU College of Law faculty, he also held a four-year appointment in FIU’s School of Policy and Management, teaching courses such as criminal constitutional law and procedure and judicial process and policy. Among his many positions and memberships, he is currently the Assistant Director of the Trial Advocacy Program as well as Chair of the Criminal Court Committee of the Dade County Bar Association. Prof. Fingerhut’s other recent distinctions include being named the Dade County Bar Designee to the Mayor’s 2005-2007 Mental Health Task Force, receiving the 2007 Professor of the Year and Pioneer Awards from the FIU College of Law student body, and being selected to the 2009 list of Best Lawyers in America.
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Robert Hogner, Professor of Management and International Business, was the 2008 recipient of the Florida Campus Compact Service-Learning Faculty Award. Florida Campus Compact is an organization that works with colleges and universities throughout Florida to promote academic engagement through both research and campus-community collaboration and service learning.
FIU History and Women’s Studies Professor Aurora Morcillo has been appointed the new director of the Honors Spain Study Abroad Program. Morcillo’s expertise in Spanish political and cultural history made her an ideal choice. She is currently completing a book examining Spanish politics and its relationship with the allegorical female body of the nation. Three returning Honors Faculty Fellows— Librarian and English Professor Andy Grof, Biologist Devon Graham, and Physics Professor Bernard Gertsman— were recognized and officially reinducted into the Honors family during the Fall 2008 Honors College Convocation ceremony.
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FIU History Professor and Biographer Darden Pyron was the winner of the 2008 FIU President’s Council Outstanding Faculty Award. The awards ceremony was held at the end of Faculty Convocation Week on Friday, September 19, in the Wertheim Performing Arts Center at University Park Campus. Pyron was recognized for his over 40 years of teaching and research at FIU as well as his prolific career as a biographer. His specialty as a biographer has been figures of the American South such as Margaret Mitchell (Southern Daughter: The Life of Margaret Mitchell) and his current project, an edition of the Civil War memoirs of General William T. Sherman. Pyron’s accomplishments also earned him a place in FIU’s 2008 Best in Class Campaign, a media publication series spotlighting some of FIU’s outstanding faculty and students for their contributions to the university and the community. He has also been twice recipient of the University Teaching Award, having taught undergrad and graduate courses in, among other things, intellectual history, Western and Greek civilization, and the Civil War. Pyron has taught in the Honors College for many years, creating two courses entitled ―Creativity and the Human Condition‖ and ―Humor and Laughter.‖
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Assistant Dean Sharon Placide left the Honors College at the beginning of the fall term to complete her Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology at FIU. Sharon began her career at Honors in 1996 when she was hired as Coordinator of Student Services. She saw Honors grow from its humble beginnings as a program in Undergraduate Studies to a full-fledged College of over one thousand students. Sharon’s dedication to students and to the Honors College is legendary. In her twelve years with us she made an impact on the academic life and personal development of hundreds of students as an advisor, administrator, Spain study abroad coordinator, Honors fellow and friend. The Honors College is very appreciative of her years of service and dedication.
H O N O R S Jillian Torres has joined the Honors College as the new SRAI Program Assistant. She will be working with Associate Dean John Kneski and helping students with their SRAI research projects and Study Abroad inquiries. Jillian, a senior at FIU, will graduate in the spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences.
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José Rodríguez has been appointed Assistant Dean of Student Services at the Honors College. Jose began his career as an academic advisor in the University of Miami's Department of Psychology before moving to Florida International University in 2005. At FIU, he has served as an academic advisor with the College of Business, and as Director of the Office of Student Services for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. José is originally from Southern California, but has lived in
Miami for over 15 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication and psychology as well as a Master’s Degree in education from the University of Miami. The Honors College would like to recognize the student assistants who have worked for the Honors College this past year: Katherine Bennett Leif Elliott Brianna Huggins Ana Perez Omar Santos
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Honors College alumnus Kirill Reznik is an attorney and international development specialist who currently serves as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates (state legislature). Reznik was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1974. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1978 and settled in Miami Beach. Reznik attended and graduated in 1995 from Florida International University with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Economics. He later attended American University and received an M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and a J.D. from American University's Washington College of Law. Reznik is currently a project manager for The QED Group, LLC, a small, minority- and women-owned consulting firm with a focus on international trade and development. Reznik holds the distinction of being the first FIU alumnus elected to public office outside the state of Florida. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates of the Maryland General Assembly in 2007, representing Legislative District 39 in Montgomery County. Reznik credits the Honors College with ―giving him opportunities to enhance his creative and critical thinking skills outside the bounds of his degree programs and helping him become a better educated, well rounded citizen.‖ He is also a strong supporter of FIU, serving as president of the Washington DC/Baltimore Chapter of the Florida International University Alumni Association from 1997-2006. He currently serves as treasure of the chapter. As a successful entrepreneur, Joel Gandara has learned the crucial importance of looking at the big picture and being open to new ways of thinking and tackling a major project. Joel credits the instruction he received at the Honors College for helping him develop these valuable skills. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in San Francisco, California, Joel moved to Miami in 2000. After earning an Associate’s degree from Miami Dade College, he came to FIU to study business. Joel was an active Honors student and served as President of the FIU Chapter of the American Marketing Association. He also founded his own business while still in school -Underwear Station, Inc., a wholesale distributor selling men and women's intimate apparel. Joel graduated from FIU in 2003 with a major in International Relations, a minor in Business Administration, and a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Joel is married to Jessica, a nurse and fellow FIU alumnus. Anitere Flores is the perfect example of homegrown talent. She was born and raised in Miami’s Legislative District 114 and hasn’t left since. Flores represents House District 114, including portions of the City of Sweetwater, Southwestern Miami-Dade County, and Florida International University. She graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Coral Gables and went on to graduate through the Honors College with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations. She then received a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law. After law school, Rep. Flores was hired by the Florida House of Representatives to work on the Education Council, and she was later hired by Governor Jeb Bush as his Education Policy Chief. Prior to being elected a State Representative, she spent two years advocating for university students in her district as Director of State Relations for Florida International University. She continues working for FIU as Director of Community and Civic partnerships. Rep. Flores was elected to office in 2004 and was subsequently reelected in 2006 and 2008 with no opposition. She was the first Honors College graduate elected to public office. As a State Representative, she chairs the K-12 Education Committee and sits on the Schools and Learning Council, the Committee on Constitution and Civil Law, and the Committee on Utilities and Telecommunications. She currently also serves on the Honors College’s Community Advisory Board. Reflecting on her time at FIU and in the Honors College, Rep. Flores notes, ―My time and experience as an FIU student were incredibly enhanced by my participation in the Honors College. The College prepares our community’s future leaders with a variety of innovative teaching styles.‖ We would like to extend our congratulations to Rep. Flores and her husband, Dustin Anderson, on the birth of their first child, a son named Max, in early September 2008.
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Dr. Garth N. Graham is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The Office of Minority Health develops and coordinates federal health policy that addresses minority health concerns and ensures that federal, state and local health programs take into account the needs of disadvantaged, racial and ethnic populations. Dr. Graham’s lifelong passion for and interest in medicine and community service is evident in the various positions he has held. He was previously appointed a White House Fellow and special assistant to former Secretary Tommy G. Thompson at the DHHS. He founded the Boston Men's Cardiovascular Health Project, a project designed to identify behavioral explanations for decreased adherence to adequate diet and exercise by African American men. Dr Graham was the Founding Senior Editorial Board Member of the Yale Journal of Health, Law, Policy, and Ethics, and served on the Editorial Board of the Yale Journal of Biology and Science, Public Health Reports and a number of other guest editorial boards. He also served on the Public Health Executive Council of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights, as Chairman of the American Medical Association/MSS National Minority Issues Committee and on the Steering Committee of the Boston Men's Health Coalition. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, where he trained in Internal Medicine and serves as a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Graham graduated from FIU and the Honors College in 1997 with a B.S. degree in Biology, and subsequently earned an M.D., cum laude, from the Yale School of Medicine. He also earned an M.P.H. from the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, with a focus in health policy administration. He has received numerous accolades for his leadership and service in promoting health, including the 2002 American Medical Association Leadership Award, the Partners in Excellence Award, the Miriam Kathleen Dasey Award from Yale Medical School and the 2005 Reginald Hawkins award. The Business Network Journal also named him one of the Forty Leaders Under Forty. Attorney Adela Estopiñan was born and raised in New York City and returned to school after a successful career as a nurse. She graduated magna cum laude through the Honors College in 2003 with a B.A. in Political Science. After taking the LSAT, she turned down twenty scholarship offers from law schools around the country to attend the FIU College of Law. Following graduation in 2006, she became an Assistant State Attorney in Miami. Today, Estopiñan is a University of Miami adjunct faculty member and manages the South Florida regional offices of the largest bankruptcy firm in America. She has been a resident of South Florida for over twenty years, and her oldest daughter now attends FIU. Estopiñan credits her experience at Honors with easing her transition from working adult to successful college student. Dean Swinford currently lives in Fayetteville, NC, where he is an Assistant Professor of Medieval and Early Modern Literature in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Fayetteville State University. He received his Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. In 2002, Swinford worked at Ghent University in Belgium as a Fulbright Fellow. He recently published Through the Daemon’s Gate: Kepler’s Somnium, Medieval Dream Narratives, and the Polysemy of Allegorical Motifs (Routledge 2006), an exploration of medieval dream narratives and their influence on the scientific imagination of the early astronomer Johannes Kepler. His experiences in the FIU Honors Program helped to cultivate his interest in international literature and culture. Jacqueline Alfonso was born and raised in Miami, attending G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School. After majoring in Psychology at FIU, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 2000, Jackie attended the University of Central Florida’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, of which she is a recent graduate. She currently resides in Boston, MA, after accepting a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Psychology Department at Emmanuel College. She was among the first Honors College students to study abroad in Italy during its launch summer in 1998, and to this day credits the Honors College with her decision to pursue a career in academia after being inspired by the faculty, staff, and students that made her college experience a series of indelible and treasured memories. Scott Bunch was born and lived all his early life in Miami. He enrolled at FIU, where he received his B.S. in Physics in 2000. Subsequently, he enrolled in the Department of Physics at Cornell University and received his Ph. D. in May 2008. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He lives there with his wife Heeyoun and daughter Daniella. He credits the Honors College with stimulating his interest in academic research, which continues to this day.
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Lourdes Abraham Carolyn Andrade Angel Ares Daniella Bacigalupo Arce Maytee Brito Latoya Brown Rachael Caines Priscila Cavalcanti Montserrat De Para Charis Domador William Dovale Jessica Deboue Dulce Duran Boris Escalona Tiffany Fajardo Adriana Fernandez
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H O N O R S
Yaneris Figueroa Meliza Frias Rachelle Galindo Ana Garcia Leza Goldberg Alejandra Gonzalez Jessica Gonzalez Carlos Gutierrez Elise Hernandez Joanna Hernandez Otto Ike Diana Isaza Rajiv Kirpalani Masako Kubota Emmanuel Latorre James Lechter
C O L L E G E Adrian Levisman Jorge Lopez America Manzano Rebecca Martinez Alejandra Maruri Trucillo Diana Medina Andrea Miranda Gordon Murray Pedro Muslera Bilqis Muzaffarr Reynier Otero Jose Parlade Jessica Pedraza Roshni Purran Vanessa Raschio Lauren Rey
S C R A M B L E
Luis Rodriguez Ruben Rodriguez Stephen Rojas Jonathan Ruby Patricia Sando Brian Schmelkin Miguel Serrano Boris Shir Jenna Stone Levi Sutton Sarah Thorne Aditi Tiwari Dahyana Villalobos
G I V I N G
Honors College leadership seminar students, led by Professor M.O. Thirunarayanan, are organizing the second annual Honors Golf Scramble, an 18-hole golf tournament whose proceeds will help endow a scholarship for Honors students. The tournament will be held Friday, April 3 from 1-7:00 PM at the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club located at 650 Curtiss Parkway. For entry and sponsorship forms and other information, please visit http:// honors.fiu.edu/scramble.
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H O N O R S
You can help nurture the next generation of outstanding scholars and professionals by making a donation to the Honors College. To give, please go to the Honors College website (http://honors.fiu.edu) and click the ―Giving to Honors‖ link found on the homepage. You will find additional information on other giving options on this site.
D A T E
Spring Colloquium
Prof. Pete Markowitz
February 5, 2009 3:30-4:45PM
DM 100, UP Campus
Special Lecture
Rasul Muhammad
February 11, 2009 2:00-3:30PM
Wolfe Center Ballrooms, BBC
Spring Colloquium
Prof. Jack Parker
February 24, 2009 3:30-4:45PM
DM 100, UP Campus
Spring Excellence Lecture
Eric S. Petersen
March 11, 2009 7:00-8:30 PM
ACII 115, BBC
Spring Excellence Lecture
Eric S. Petersen
March 12, 2009 3:30-4:45 PM
DM 100, UP Campus
Annual Research Conference
SRAI Students
March 26, 2009 9:00 AM-7:00 PM
Graham Center Ballrooms, UP Campus
For more information about upcoming events, please call 305-348-4100 or visit http://honors.fiu.edu.
The Honors College University Park, DM 233 Miami, FL 33199 honors@fiu.edu 305-348-4100 Change Service Requested
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