WINTER 2015-16 VOLUME 33

Fertile GroundFIU collaborates with the South Dade communityto encourage the business of farming and economic growth

SERVICE AS CELEBRATION FIU students and staff came out for the Homecoming Week Day of Service to show their support of the community and continue to mark the 50th anniversary of FIU’s founding. Participating in a variety of service events throughout the year—including beautification activities at Homestead Bayfront Park, below—members of the FIU family have contributed to the common good and collectively reflect FIU’s commitment to all who live in South Florida.

Photo by Ben Guzman ’11

22E-HEALTH ASSISTANTALWAYS ON CALLA mobile device-based health avatar could soon help us all stay healthier.

32 PUTTING A NOVEL TO RESTCreative writing professors lovingly finish and publish a deceased student’s book.

AN ARTIST GROWS IN NEW YORKAn FIU alumna sees her star rise with an installation in Madison Square Park.

8

ON THE COVER PLANTING THE SEEDSOF SUCCESSFIU is helping military veterans and minorities break into the business of farming. Pictured on cover: Garfield Jarrett ’14 on his South Dade farm

16

FOSTERING HOPEAn FIU initiative provides support for former foster care and homeless students.10

REMEMBERING GREGORY WOLFEFIU’s third president capitalized on the university’s international nature. 6

PANTHER ATHLETICS MAKES STRIDES IN REBUILDINGFall sports gave FIU fans plenty to cheer about.

26

WINTER 2015-16 | 1

• Be inspired by former foster care and homeless students who are succeeding at FIU. • Read about the engineering research of FIU professors working in earthquake-torn Nepal.• See Professor Christine Lisetti and her team as they develop a digital personal health assistant. GET FEATURED ON FACEBOOK! Send us a photo of yourself reading FIU Magazine — at home, at work or on vacation — and we will share it on our Facebook page! Email photos to magazine@fiu.edu.

WHENEVER YOU SEE THE PLAY BUTTON, VISIT MAGAZINE.FIU.EDU OR USE THE FIU MAGAZINE APP TO GET OUR DIGITAL-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

FIU MAGAZINEDIGITAL EXCLUSIVES

MEET MEREDITH MARCHIONI PH.D. ’09, a cultural anthropologist who documents tribal hunting and fishing practices in remote Native American villages in Alaska.

Download “FIU Magazine” at no charge in your device’s app store.

Check out more from FIU Magazine, online and via the FIU Magazine app for tablet.

Or view online atmagazine.fiu.edu

Posthumous publication Hear Creative Writing Professor John Dufresne read from a novel by an alumnus who passed away.

EXPERIENCE THE ARTWORK OF TERESITA FERNANDEZ ’90 in an amazing 360-degree tour (best viewed on tablet) that puts you in the middle of Madison Square Park in New York.

Fitness forwardWatch a cool animation of the upcoming expansion of the Rec Center at MMC.

Art for the massesMeet alumnus Omar Lopez Chahoud, organizer of an annual fair presented during Art Basel Miami Beach.

2 | WINTER 2015-16

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

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day,

a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting

somewhere behind the morning.”

— J. B. Priestly (author, novelist, playwright, essayist)

New beginnings. I find they arrive imbued with promise.

Whether it’s a new home, new school, new job, new love, my

life changes have always been accompanied by a sense of

hope — if not immediately, at least eventually. I haven’t asked

for every change life has handed me — in fact, some of these changes have brought me

to my knees — but when I regained my bearings, my new reality, more often than not, was

life-affirming.

This issue of FIU Magazine is filled with stories of new beginnings. Writer Amy Ellis

writes movingly of our students who have “aged out” of the foster care system and are

left with little support to navigate the vagaries of college. Reading about this special

population fills me with pride, not only because of what FIU is doing to help them but

because of the indomitable spirit these Panthers display in building futures that will deliver

them from their pasts.

Our cover story by Evelyn Perez and Alexandra Pecharich about FIU’s ongoing

initiatives in South Dade is a tale of myriad new beginnings — those of our military

veterans and others seeking a career in the business of agriculture as well as the

university’s efforts to further its impact in the southern part of the county.

Elsewhere in this publication you’ll find 2016 Panther Getaway Tours advertised. Why

not you in 2016? Literally and figuratively, new beginnings await.

This fall I experienced my own new beginning, of sorts, when I became editor of FIU

Magazine. While it has been my great, good fortune to serve as a writer for the university

for nearly 15 years, I have never served as editor of FIU’s flagship publication. I’m

energized to continue its tradition of excellence and to work alongside one of the best

creative teams in the country.

Last but not least, our FIU Magazine app is now available through the App Store

and the Google Play store to read on iPad and Android tablet devices. Months in

development, the app gives us a chance to bring the magazine stories to life in a way

that print cannot. You’ll find videos, audio and additional editorial content there as well as

online to enhance your experience of the magazine.

I think J.B. Priestly was on to something. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find my

own bit of magic “somewhere behind the morning.”

Always Blue and Gold,

Karen Cochrane

FROM THE EDITOR FIU PresidentMark B. Rosenberg

FIU Board of TrusteesClaudia Puig (Chair)Cesar L. AlvarezJose J. ArmasJorge L. ArrizurietaLeonard BoordAlexis CalatayudMayi de la Vega ’81Gerald C. Grant Jr. ’78, MBA ’89Michael G. JosephNatasha LowellJusto L. PozoKathleen L. Wilson

FIU MAGAZINE Division of External Relations

Sandra B. Gonzalez-Levy Senior Vice President

Terry Witherell Vice President

Karen Cochrane Editor

Alexandra Pecharich Managing Editor

Aileen Solá-Trautmann Art Director

Doug Garland ’10Senior Multimedia Producer

Barbarita Ramos Graphic Designer

Writers JoAnn C. Adkins Eric BartonJoel Delgado ’12Amy EllisSissi Garland ’99, MA ’08 Clara-Meretan Kiah ’15 Evelyn S. Perez Gisela Valencia ’15

PhotographersBen Guzman ’11Alex HernandezSam LewisChristopher Necuze ’11

Copyright 2016, Florida International University. FIU Magazine is published by the Florida International University Division of External Relations 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 Office of Alumni Relations, MARC 510, Miami, FL 33199 or by email to alumni@FIU.edu.Letters to the Editor: FIU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via email to alumni@FIU.edu; by fax to 305-348-3247 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.15053_01/16

FIU MAGAZINE Editorial Advisory BoardHeather Bermudez ’06, MS ’12 Marketing Manager South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Lori-Ann Cox Director of Alumni Advocacy University Advancement

Paul Dodson Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

Amy Ellis Assistant Director of PR and Marketing Office of Engagement

Stephen Fain Professor Emeritus College of Education

Lazaro Gonzalez Marketing and Branding Strategist Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Susan Jay Assistant Vice President of Development and Assistant Dean for Medical Advancement Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Nicole Kaufman Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Larry Lunsford Vice President for Student Affairs University Ombudsman

Maureen Pelham Director of Clinical Trials Division of Research

Duane Wiles Executive Director Alumni Association

Mark Williams Interim Dean, Robert Stempel School of Public Health and Social Work

FROM THE EDITOR

WINTER 2015-16 | 3

ON THE PROWL

Issued between the World Wars, a

model airship construction set promised

both education and amusement for flight-

minded American youth. An illustrated

instruction book accompanied the

complex array of steel bolts and tin plates,

which industrious children could assemble

into any of five historically accurate

configurations. Seen here is the German

Graf Zeppelin from The Wolfsonian-FIU

museum’s Mitchell Wolfson Jr. Collection.

Inaugurated in 1928, the real-life airship—

at the time the largest and fastest ever

built—operated regular transatlantic and

intercontinental flights that included a

1933 stopover at Miami-Dade’s Opa-

Locka air station en route from Rio de

Janeiro to Akron, Ohio, to Chicago for the

World’s Fair.

The late-1920s toy airship, assembled from a construction set manufactured by Metalcraft Corporation of St. Louis, was modeled on the real Graf Zeppelin and is on display at The Wolfsonian-FIU through May 8 as part of the museum’s “Margin of Error” exhibition.

Treasures: Toy Zeppelin

Gift supports food production labThe advanced food production laboratory at FIU’s Chaplin School

of Hospitality & Tourism Management has a new name thanks to

a $500,000 gift from Badia Spices, Inc. The 22,000-square-foot

Badia Spices Food Production Laboratory provides students with

state-of-the art instructional technology and access to a specialized area

where they can develop and test new product ideas.

The company’s contribution funds scholarships in perpetuity for teaching and research

assistants working in the lab, as well as continuous maintenance of the facility through

equipment upgrades. In addition, Badia Spices’ full product line is available for use in the

lab, among them the two celebrated mixes that FIU students have helped inspire and for

which they received scholarships. A percentage of sales of the unique products comes

back to the school in support of students. The first, Holy Smokes, a meat rub, has been

available in stores since 2014.

The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

holds its own on two prestigious lists that

includes some of the oldest, most respected

institutions in the country. In the category of

Top Medical School for Career Support,

the college took the No. 4 spot, recognition

of the school’s commitment to student

success. And in terms of “access to relevant,

interesting, challenging courses by qualified

professors,” FIU ranked 20th. The rankings

were the result of data and reviews gathered

from more than 3,000 students nationally and

were published by GraduatePrograms.com.

FIU Medicine earns high marks for quality of education

4 | WINTER 2015-16

Natural

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5Questionsfor the Museum DirectorBy Alexandra Pecharich | Photo by Doug Garland ’10

The Frost Art Museum welcomed a new director in January 2015. Jordana Pomeroy most recently served as executive director at Louisiana State University’s Museum of Art in Baton Rouge, and previously was chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She shared a few thoughts with FIU Magazine.

1. What attracted you to the Frost Art Museum? The idea of running an academic museum in the heart of a city with an art scene as thriving as Miami’s was too good to pass up. The city is in a period of enormous growth as a global arts hub, on par with New York and London. In large part it all begins with Art Basel. The confluence of artists, dealers, collectors, curators, museum directors and those just purely interested in the “scene” generates an energy unique to South Florida.

2. What is your approach to exhibitions? The Frost has a two-pronged mission: to present a well-rounded slate of exhibitions that does justice to the wondrousness of art throughout history and to present arts education at all levels. That means making students and other visitors feel comfortable and happy in the museum environment. I embrace the challenge of converting non-museum goers into museum lovers by giving them the tools they need to approach art.

3. How will you build up programs and attract new audiences? We’ll experiment a bit but also gather some data on our visitors to find out more about their impressions and experiences. If something doesn’t work, I’ll sit down with my staff and figure out why. I also believe strongly in the power of good advertising. Promoting the museum’s offerings as widely as possible, and in creative and unexpected ways, will attract new audiences.

4. Do you have a favorite artist or type of art? My favorite art is the kind that takes my breath away. The British landscape painter J.M.W. Turner does this to me, as does the South African artist William Kentridge, who uses masterful draftsmanship to describe political narratives and poetic musings. I am also keenly interested in architecture and design.

5. In your free time, what have you tried to do in Miami? Drinking cortaditos, of course, and finding those jewel boxes of restaurants that only the locals know about. I’ve also vowed to learn basic Spanish—if the former mayor of New York can do it while running a city of eight million, por qué no yo?

WINTER 2015-16 | 5

g regory Baker Wolfe thoroughly

embraced the university’s international

nature and set the institution on a path

to becoming world class. Following the death

of FIU’s third president in December, some 29

years since he led FIU, his legacy remains a

part of its DNA.

“It was a transformational presidency,” said

John Stack, executive director of the Steven

J. Green School of International and Public

Affairs, who was a young faculty member

when Wolfe arrived. “It was Greg

Wolfe who began to undertake

and envision an international

component. For him, it wasn’t just

a word. It was the world he had

worked for all his life. He had a

vision of public service, a vision

of government service. He had a

vision of a dynamic university.”

A World War II veteran, Wolfe

had served as an intelligence

analyst for the U.S. State

Department and worked on the

White House staffs of John F.

Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson

before heading to Portland State University

in Oregon and then FIU. The son of Russian

immigrants, he was a linguist fluent in Spanish,

French, German and Portuguese who earned

a Ph.D. at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of

Law and Diplomacy. He landed on campus in

February of 1979, a seasoned diplomat with

the savvy to get things done.

Stack recalled how the eloquent orator

began chipping away at the anonymity – the

“FIWho?” syndrome – that had dogged

the fledgling university. Along with his wife,

Mary Ann, he hosted dinners that brought to

campus luminaries from the worlds of politics,

government and public service, the media

and the diplomatic corps. And he instituted a

lecture series with big-name speakers such

as then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

and Noble Laureate Elie Wiesel that “gave us

exposure in the city that we simply had not

had before.”

Agreed FIU President Mark Rosenberg,

“Dr. Wolfe and his lovely wife helped move

the university forward at a time when it was

still the new kid on the block. Through their

commitment they put FIU on the map.”

Retired former director of the Graham

Center Ruth Hamilton worked with Wolfe

to bring many of the dignitaries and other

important guests to campus, something that

was not happening elsewhere in town. She

often worried that the high-level visitors might

be taken aback by FIU’s, at the time, relatively

unattractive surroundings, its poured-concrete

buildings standing in sharp contrast to the red

brick and ivy many were used to.

In fact, Hamilton said, many did express

surprise at the lackluster facilities, but “the

moment they met the president, he would

make them feel comfortable,” she said. “They

would be laughing and sharing stories. He

made them feel at home.”

A staunch believer in

multiculturalism, the president

showcased FIU’s burgeoning

international enrollment to the many

locally stationed consuls by inviting

them to campus. He had students

from the corresponding countries

hand deliver the invitations, Hamilton

recalled, and then a parade of nations

would precede the meal.

Recognizing Miami’s potential,

and its needs, Wolfe knew that FIU

could not remain an upper-division

institution for long. So he made an

impassioned case for expansion to

the Florida legislature, where he had his share

of supporters.

“We want Miami to be a metropolitan,

cosmopolitan city in another 30-40 years,”

Hamilton recalled him telling local leaders. “If

we want to attract corporations, companies,

investors, talent to this city, we must have

a top-notch four-year public university.”

FIU’s inaugural group of freshmen arrived in

August of 1981.

Legacy of FIU’s third president still felt today

Gregory Baker WolfeIn memoriam

(1922-2015)

President Gregory Wolfe at a (rainy) campus concert with Ella Fitzgerald

6 | WINTER 2015-16

Wolfe went on to name a dean of

undergraduate studies, add new graduate

programs and turn the Biscayne Bay Campus

(BBC) into a thriving community that included

FIU’s first student residential housing, a new

student center—today known as the Wolfe

University Center—an aquatic center and a

library. BBC also began offering a host of adult

education programs.

During his tenure, the university also added

full-fledged schools of engineering, nursing

and journalism.

For all his success in navigating politics and

his ease in entertaining the intellectual and the

powerful, the president maintained a down-to-

earth sensibility that resonated across class

and background.

“It didn’t matter who you were,” said Kay

Fahringer, former chair of the FIU Foundation

Board of Directors, who worked closely with

situation, Wolfe pulled a spectacular move

when in 1983 he introduced legendary singer

Ella Fitzgerald to a crowd of concertgoers at

BBC. Hamilton remembers how the weather

did not cooperate for the outdoor affair.

“When she went on stage, it was raining,

and President Wolfe got an umbrella and held

it for her, and she sang under that umbrella.”

The image of the university president with the

movie-star good looks shielding the first lady

of jazz from the elements summed up the man

for Hamilton.

“He understood people, relationships,” she

said. “He was a very charismatic person.”

Wolfe retired from the presidency in 1986

and for years remained a distinguished

professor in FIU’s Department of

International Relations. n

Photos courtesy of FIU Special Collections & University Archives

Wolfe to raise money for the university. “He

made you feel that you were the only person in

the world. He made you feel very important. He

gave full attention, was always complimentary

and he did it with such charm.”

Barbara Bader, an administrator and former

College of Education faculty member, recalled

with amazement one particular walk across

campus with Wolfe.

“He stopped to speak with one of the

groundskeepers. In Spanish, he greeted him

by name and inquired about his family,” she

remembered. “In the cafeteria, he spoke with

the woman serving our food, also in Spanish,

and asked about her children by name. After

lunch he pulled up a chair where several

students were finishing their lunch and said,

‘Hi, I’m Greg Wolfe and I’m interested in

knowing how school is going for you.’”

Knowing just what do in almost any

WINTER 2015-16 | 7

On the cusp of greatnessAlumna Teresita Fernandez takes the New York art world by storm

By Nick Ducassi | Photo by Doug Garland ’10

8 | WINTER 2015-16

Eager tourists stand in the middle of

New York City’s Madison Square Park,

smartphones and cameras in hand, craning

their necks skyward. It’s not an unusual sight

for a city that attracts millions of visitors a year

to gawk at the impossibly tall skyscrapers and

the iconic skyline.

On the other side of their collective gaze,

however, aren’t the tops of buildings but

dancing, glowing reflections of the walkway

beneath their feet and their own faces. More

than 200 panels—perforated discs, polished

to a golden, mirrored hue—hover 12 feet in

the air on steel beams and cover nearly 500

feet of the park’s center walkway.

The structure suggests leaves in a canopy

of trees, and the discs bend the sun’s rays to

their will. The resulting glow is mesmerizing,

and can transport anyone within sight of it —

around Madison Square Park, or those looking

down on it from the surrounding buildings —

to another world. And in a near-feat of magic,

the play of light can transform the massive

metal sculpture into the invisible — and that’s

largely the point, says the artist, 46-year-old

Teresita Fernandez ’90.

The sculpture’s name — Fata Morgana —

comes from the mystifying, hovering mirage

created by looking out at the horizon line of

the ocean. “It looks like a floating landscape.

It is an optical illusion that distorts the natural

landscape,” Fernandez says. “I was interested

in this idea of distortion on a grand scale and

how I could make a sculpture that appears like

a mirage in the middle of NYC.”

“Fata Morgana” is the largest sculpture

in the park’s history and received one of the

longest runs of any installation there. Its nine-

month run concluded in January.

As big as the scope of work is, the concept

for “Fata Morgana” was birthed in Fernandez’s

small Brooklyn studio. Many of her pieces

seek to evoke natural landscapes like caves,

glistening bodies of water and the night sky.

Like the grandeur of the other tableaus she

has sought to bring to life, this one required “a

team of fabricators and engineers,” Fernandez

says. Installing the structure took more than

three months, and the entire process, from

conception to installation, took more than

three years.

“The first thing I do when I start a new work

is ask the very simple question, ‘Where am

I?’” Fernandez explains. “I take that question

very seriously. So, in a way I start excavating

and researching where I am historically,

economically, socially, geographically, visually,

emotionally, physically — where exactly is

this site located? Not just physically, but in

people’s imaginations and in history and in the

entire context of place.”

Certainly grand visions are nothing new for

Fernandez, who recalls watching mystifying

sunsets and skies while growing up in Miami.

She witnessed “a spectacular colorful sky

event every evening,” and she credits Miami

as the birthplace of her “thoughts about

specificity of place, of flatness, of

explosive color.”

Raised by Cuban immigrants, she spent

her high school years drawing and went on to

study art at FIU, where she eventually took a

sculpture class. She loved the physical and

visceral nature of sculpting; how she could

mold the industrial to her will.

With an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth

University under her belt — there she became

known on campus for the scale of her

sculptures, which sometimes took up entire

studios — she moved back to Miami, quickly

making a name for herself in the burgeoning

art community. Before long, she was invited

to group shows and museums around South

Florida and in the mid-‘90s presented her first

solo show in New York City.

After an artistic residency brought her to

Japan, her works began to further increase

in size, scope — and exposure. Soon she

was living and working out of New York City.

Before long, Louis Vuitton was commissioning

her to create site-specific large-scale

installations for its Shanghai and Paris

locations, and museums and private galleries

began exhibiting her work, including the

Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the

Smithsonian Museum of American Art in D.C.,

the Castello di Rivoli in Italy and the Centro de

Arte Contemporaneo in Spain.

Along the way, she racked up a series

of accolades, including a MacArthur

Foundation “Genius” grant, and was

appointed by President Obama to the U.S.

Commission of Fine Arts where she reviewed

and offered opinions on public sculptures.

“Teresita is really an artist who is on the

cusp of greatness,” Brooke Kamin Rapaport,

senior curator of Madison Square Park

Conservancy, told the Wall Street Journal, “and

I think that Fata Morgana is going to propel her

to the highest rank of artists working today.”

Currently engaged in another commission

and presenting a solo show at the Lehmann

Maupin Gallery in New York, Fernandez takes

an approach to her work that, ultimately, has

led to her connecting with audiences around

the globe.

“For me, art functions as this kind of way-

finding,” she says. “As human beings, we have

always been trying to find our way, to place

ourselves within the world.”

In Fernandez’s case, that place is front and

center, at the crossroads of critical success

and the appreciation of everyday viewers. n

Take a tour of Fernandez’s installation at

magazine.fiu.edu

“It is an optical illusion that distorts the natural landscape,” Fernandez says. “I was interested in this idea of distortion on a grand scale and how I could make a sculpture that appears like a mirage in the middle of NYC.”

WINTER 2015-16 | 9

to former foster care and homeless students

FIU offers

Hope & Help

Vanessa Morales

By Amy Ellis | Photos by Doug Garland ’10

10 | WINTER 2015-16

Vanessa Morales remembers packing up

hundreds of care packages with food, toiletries and

clothing for students in need at FIU. What her fellow

volunteers at Baptist Collegiate Ministries did not

know was that Vanessa desperately needed a care

package herself.

For two months, Morales, a junior at FIU studying

elementary education, had been living in her car

in the parking lot of the student health center. She

showered at the FIU gym and ate food from the

Fresh Food Company, where she worked, given

to her by a kind supervisor. She never told the

supervisor she had no place to live. She thinks the

woman just sensed that she could use some help.

Morales never wanted to think of herself as

homeless. She called herself a “nomad.”

“People expect a homeless person to look all

dirty,’’ she said. “But any student you pass by, they

could be homeless and you’d never know it.’’

Morales, now 21, found herself with nowhere

to live after her parents divorced and her father,

unemployed, drinking heavily and in a deep

depression, told her she had to move out to make

room for his new girlfriend. Her stepmother was

diagnosed with cancer and unable to help. Her

extended family lived in Costa Rica.

She never asked anyone for help because she

figured there were plenty of people facing worse

circumstances.

She didn’t want to think of herself as a beggar or

worse, hopeless.

a national trend In any given semester at FIU, there are dozens of

students with similar stories — living on the streets,

in cars or shelters, or abandoned by those who were

supposed to protect and care for them.

Some have suffered abuse or neglect and

bounced from one foster home to another; others

have suffered the loss of a parent, landing them in

state custody or, if they are 18 or older, on their own.

One student slept outside the Frost Art Museum

for several days until an FIU advisor helped him find housing.

The struggles of homeless and former foster

care youth in higher education is a national issue

that advocates say is finally getting the attention

it deserves.

More than 30 states, including Florida, now

provide scholarships, grants or tuition exemptions

to foster care youth who have “aged out” of

the system and want to go to college. A federal

program provides up to $5,000 annually to those

who enroll in college.

Students who are homeless are also eligible

for free tuition and fee waivers at state colleges

and universities, though the process to prove

homelessness can be daunting.

Still, experts say the needs of students who

have endured so much so early in life run far

beyond the financial.

Lacking a solid support system, they struggle

to navigate the bureaucracies of higher education

and financial aid. Many need help academically

to succeed at the college level. Others suffer

from mental or emotional problems brought on by

childhood trauma.

FIU is one of a growing number of universities

and colleges in the country working to create a

more holistic solution, built around addressing all

of a student’s needs, whether academic, physical,

emotional or mental.

The university’s Fostering Panther Pride program

offers former foster care and homeless students a

safety net throughout their college years.

The program is winning praise from advocates in

Florida and around the country.

“When you have a young person who has been

mistreated, neglected or abused, you’ve got to

provide them with a supportive community so

they can succeed,’’ said Brett McNaught, CEO of

Educate Tomorrow, a Miami-based nonprofit that

provided an initial $35,000 to fund FIU’s program.

“Getting an academic institution like FIU to focus on

this population is a game-changer.’’

Continues

WINTER 2015-16 | 11

National experts – who are working to

identify what works and what doesn’t at

colleges and universities around the country

— agree and say FIU is on the right track.

“The research has shown that these kids

are not going to college and if they do, once

there, they have trouble succeeding,’’ said

John Emerson, a postsecondary education

advisor with Casey Family Programs.

“So while scholarships are important, it’s

not enough.”

Launched in November 2013 by

FIU’s Office of Engagement, Fostering

Panther Pride combines the one-on-one

guidance of a dedicated success coach

with mentoring, academic and financial

assistance and a network of outreach

focused on everything from study skills and

internships to balancing a checkbook and

preparing a resume.

Struggling to succeed The challenges - and the numbers - are

daunting. In Fall 2014, FIU estimated there

were more than 80 former foster care and

homeless youth enrolled at the university.

The latter were “couch-surfing” with friends,

doubling up with other families, or living in

shelters or their cars. Nearly a third of the

students were on academic probation with

GPAs of less than a 2.0.

University records that indicate whether a

student has been granted a tuition exemption

make it possible to identify those coming

from foster care or who might be homeless.

The real challenge is reaching the students to

provide the help they need.

Professors, even close friends, often have

no idea of their struggles. Students hesitate

to be labeled or linked to anything that might

identify them as homeless or from foster care.

“These are kids who have traveled a

long way through valleys most people will

never see,’’ said Kirk Brown, the director of

extended foster care for the Department of

Children and Families. “It’s up to us to get

them to the end.’’

Without intervention, the odds of success

are not in their favor. Nationally, fewer than

10 percent of former foster care youth enroll

in college and fewer than 3 percent make it

to graduation.

Florida — and Miami-Dade County — are

at the epicenter of the problem. The state has

the third highest foster care population in the

country – nearly 20,000 children in 2012. Of

these, more than 4,800 live in Miami-Dade.

The county also has the largest number

of homeless children in the state – more than

6,400 in 2012-13, including those in shelters,

hotels, cars, parks or “doubled-up” with

other families.

“For some of these kids, school is the

only consistency in their lives,’’ said Debra

Albo-Steiger, program manager for Project

UPSTART, the homeless education division

of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

“Against all odds, they get their high school

diploma so we want to ensure they are able

to go to college. What’s happening at FIU is

very exciting.”

Overcoming the odds Despite the obstacles, the success stories at

FIU are plentiful – even incredible.

At 15, Kevin Love watched as every

member of his immediate family— his mother,

sister and two brothers — were locked up.

He ended up in foster care and though

he went through periods of hopelessness,

several role models helped him find his way

to FIU, where he became a resident advisor,

joined a fraternity and was accepted into the

Continued

Order of Omega Greek honor society.

Love graduated in spring of 2015 with a

degree in civil engineering and accepted a

position with Chad Moss Construction. He

wants to use his experience to show others

that they, too, can find success.

“The kids I used to know are out selling

drugs and getting into fights,’’ he said. “I want

to use what I’ve been through to help push

other people in the right direction. There’s

no use having a story if you don’t use it for

something good.’’

Kenya Adeola, recognized as a “Worlds

Ahead Graduate” at commencement in the

spring of 2015, lived in nine different foster

homes by the time she was 18. She refuses

to let that experience define her.

Getting an education – and breaking the

cycle of drug addiction and abuse she was

born into – has been her number one priority.

“I had a period where I was very angry, very

depressed,’’ said Adeola, who earned her

degree in Spanish. “School became my only

outlet. I knew that, if I didn’t do it for myself,

who would?’’

At FIU, Adeola was a peer advisor, a

member of the homecoming committee and

participated in Academy of Leaders. This

summer, she completed two internships

in Washington, D.C., one as a legislative

aide to Sen. Tim Scott, the other for the

Congressional Coalition for Adoption

Institute, where she helped draft policy for

children in foster care.

“These are students who refuse to let their

circumstances define them,’’ said President

Mark B. Rosenberg, who has touted what

he calls FIU’s “super stars” on television, in

speeches and at commencement.

“What they have seen — and overcome —

is a testament to their strength and resilience.

We don’t take credit for their success. But

we are committed to supporting them in

whatever way they need.”

Support for FIU’s program — from the

“For these are all our children, we will all profit by, or pay for, whatever they become.” — James Baldwin

12 | WINTER 2015-16

private, nonprofit and public sectors — has

been considerable. In addition to Educate

Tomorrow, the Miami Foundation, the

Miami Coalition for the Homeless, Voices

for Children and UPS Foundation all

stepped forward with funding to launch the

program. Helping Abused, Neglected and

Disadvantaged Youth (HANDY), a nonprofit

based in Fort Lauderdale, and Our Kids

of Miami-Dade/Monroe have helped with

planning and referrals.

FIU alumnus Chad Moss ’94, a board

member at HANDY and mentor to a former

foster care student at FIU, has committed

$10,000 per year for five years for students

from the program who are first in their

families to attend college. The state matches

those dollars for a total impact of $100,000.

“I view this as an investment in lives,’’

said Moss, a member of the FIU Foundation

Board of Directors. “I firmly believe in early

intervention in youngsters’ lives to show

them there is a ladder to a better way of life.’’

In a major milestone for the program,

the state Legislature this year allocated a

recurring commitment of $300,000 annually

to fund housing and other assistance.

One anonymous FIU employee donated

$10,000 to cover the cost of on-campus

housing and meals for one student this year.

“It’s overwhelming what this program has

done in a very short time,’’ said Janie Valdes,

assistant vice president of undergraduate

education, who oversees the program.

“Much of that is due to the uber-commitment

of our staff. And the work of Ana Ramos.’’

Ramos, the program’s success coach

and a former teacher and social worker

from Honduras, is the heart of Fostering

Panther Pride. Hers is a dedicated, fulltime

position focused solely on helping students

navigate the myriad services for which they

may be eligible, both inside and outside the

university.

“I clear the path for them,’’ Ramos

explains. “Whether it’s housing, financial

aid or food stamps, I help them meet their

needs so they can graduate on time. I can’t

work harder than they work, but I can help

them make a plan and prioritize what’s most

important.”

Douglas Robertson, dean of undergraduate

education, has described Ramos as the

“earth mother” of Fostering Panther Pride.

“The university has lots of tools to help

students succeed – some high tech and

some high touch,’’ he said. “For these

students, Ana Ramos is a lifeline to all

of that.’’

That lifeline can mean the difference

between persevering – and giving up.

“It’s hard enough for students with family

support to navigate the system of higher

education,’’ said Charisse Grant, senior

vice president for programs at the Miami

Foundation, which provided an initial grant

of $15,000 for FIU’s program and has

committed another $25,000 this year. “To

attempt to create that kind of a support in a

university setting is really significant.”

working for change With the right support, students who have

faced the worst circumstances can succeed.

Students in Fostering Panther Pride are

demonstrating that.

Ashley Hunter, a senior majoring in

psychology, lived in six different foster

homes after the state removed her from her

father’s care when she was in elementary

school. Both her parents were addicted to

drugs. Her father is now in prison.

Hunter came to FIU from Miami Dade

College in January 2014 and said she felt

alone and scared. Soon she met Ana Ramos

and the team at Fostering Panther Pride.

“Kids in foster care are often overlooked,’’

Hunter said. “We’re on our own, so having

that extra support, someone you can call Ashley Hunter

Continues

WINTER 2015-16 | 13

when you have a question, is so important.’’

For Christian Aguilar, attending FIU has

brought more stability to his life than he’s had

in years. After his mother died, he bounced

from one relative to another before landing in

foster care at 17.

At 18, while still a senior in high school,

he found an apartment with a co-worker and

thought his situation was turning around.

Then, outside his Kendall apartment late one

night, he was shot in the stomach by three

masked gunmen in an attempted carjacking.

He spent two weeks in the hospital and

another couple months recuperating. His

attackers have not been caught.

“It was surreal,’’ said Aguilar, who with the

support of Educate Tomorrow managed to

graduate high school and enrolled at FIU in

Fall 2014. “It’s a miracle that I’m alive and I’m

here for a purpose.’’

Though he has struggled academically, he

said he knows that Fostering Panther Pride is

there to support him. “I’m not going to give

up,” he said, “and I know they aren’t giving up

on me.’’ n

Just as essential as the services FIU is

providing is research to document results,

experts say.

“Collecting data on the impact these

programs have on student progress and

retention is critical to their sustainability,’’ said

John Emerson, a postsecondary education

advisor with Casey Family Programs.

“Funders want to see results.’’

A portion of the state dollars for Fostering

Panther Pride will fund faculty and student

research into former foster care and homeless

youth. In addition, the university is tracking

grades, retention and graduation statistics,

as well as employment and enrollment in

graduate or professional school.

“Our vantage point as a research university

is that we have an opportunity to engage

our faculty who are either already doing

original research on these underrepresented

populations or are interested in doing so,’’

said Janie Valdes, assistant vice president

of undergraduate education, which oversees

Fostering Pather Pride.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the

findings will further inform how best to

support our students, as well as make

a significant contribution to the existing

literature,’’ said Valdes. “At the core, our

faculty are adding a puzzle piece that no one

else can add.” n

Researching how students succeed

Christian Aguilar

For more information about the Fostering Panther Pride program, visit undergrad.fiu.edu/fpp/ or contact Ana Ramos at 305-348-6106 or by email at anramos@fiu.edu. To make a donation, visit give.fiu.edu/give-now.

Meet more students who are beating the odds at

magazine.fiu.edu

Continued

14 | WINTER 2015-16

By Gisela Valencia ’15 | Photos by Ben Guzman ’11

The modern workspace has changed quite

a bit in the last 10 years. Tech companies are

creating communal workspaces that encourage

collaboration and creativity among employees.

FIU’s new $3 million Tech Station is

raising the bar for educational institutions,

promoting and reflecting the kind of creative

workspace that companies have begun

offering their employees.

“It’s critical that our students be prepared for

the best jobs possible, and Tech Station can

be a major force in preparing students for the

workforce,” President Mark B. Rosenberg said.

Designed for students of FIU’s School of

Computing & Information Sciences within the

College of Engineering & Computing, Tech

Station will help them learn about the tech

industry in a dynamic way.

Located on the ground level of Parking

Garage 6 at the Modesto A. Maidique

Campus, the facility was made possible by

an Information Technology Performance

Funding grant and a Targeted Educational

Attainment grant, funded by the Florida

Legislature with the intention of producing

more graduates for careers in the state’s

highest-need areas. Multiple tech

companies have likewise been involved.

“This is essential for a technology

ecosystem to thrive and for companies in

South Florida to compete worldwide,” said

College of Engineering & Computing Interim

Dean Ranu Jung.

Planners of the 8,000-square-foot facility

hope students will be able to experience a new

atmosphere and develop a new perspective.

“We’re trying to break a mold,” said Director

of Technology Steve Luis. “We’re trying to get

students to think differently about what an

educational environment looks like and what

the experience is.”

The three labs, which provide 49

computer workstations and 24 developer

workstations, were designed with a home

floor plan in mind as creating a comfortable,

innovative environment involves makes

students feel at home.

Tech Station also offers students innovative

features like team rooms designed to

encourage group work.

“The team rooms are great because they

let students have their study groups in there.

Everybody can share their work on screens

without having to have a special type of

computer or device,” computer sciences major

Fernando Mendez said. “It makes it easier for

students to get together and collaborate.”

Four active learning classrooms are also

housed in Tech Station. These rooms are

designed for students to get hands-on

experience and collaborate with their peers,

with professors acting as mentors.

“This is the largest collection of contiguous

active learning classrooms in one location on

our campus. This is the future – it puts us on

the map in terms of how we want our students

to receive education and what kind of an

environment we expect our students to work in.

It’s a game changer for that,” Luis said.

And the school’s Academic Advising Center

is based in Tech Station, putting counselors

close at hand to help students complete their

degrees and graduate on time as well as find

internships and jobs.

“It’s a lasting impression,” Luis said. “When

they leave, we want them to leave feeling,

‘wow, what an experience.’” n

THE FUTURE OF TECH EDUCATION

WINTER 2015-16 | 15

For more than 10 years, Garfield Jarrett proudly wore the uniform of a

U.S. Marine. Military service was both his passion and his career. But

injuries sustained during a 2008 roadside attack in Iraq ended it all.

Granted a medical discharge, Jarrett returned home to South Florida

and enrolled at FIU to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social work. Driven

by a desire to help others, Jarrett graduated and promptly started on a

master’s degree in the same field. Yet he felt adrift in his new reality.

Then one day on campus, a flyer caught his attention. It announced

a new agriculture program for military veterans. Suddenly, Jarrett’s

aimlessness gave way to fond childhood memories of growing up on his

grandfather’s sugarcane plantation in Jamaica. The possibilities brought a

smile to his face.

A RECOGNIZED NEEDFlorida has large numbers of minority and new farmers. The most

recent USDA Agricultural Census identified more than 10,000 operators

as having farmed for less than 10 years, of which more than 4,000 are

Hispanic and roughly 750 are women. The majority are located in South

Florida and many, according to the Coalition of Florida Farmworkers

Organizations, represent an emerging trend in Miami-Dade County: They

are both farmworkers—that is, they labor for others who own land—as

well as decision-making farmers, who lease land on the side to cultivate

on their own as a means of supplementing income.

By Evelyn Perez and Alexandra Pecharich | Photos by Doug Garland ’10

FIU provides support for a growing community of military veterans and minorities interested in the business of farming

cultivating success

Continues

16 | WINTER 2015-16

Garfield Jarrett ’14 has started a farming enterprise with help from FIU.

WINTER 2015-16 | 17

mention budgeting, planning, marketing and

more. Daunting as all that might sound, the

rewards are there for the motivated.

“Even with one acre in South Florida, if they

learn all these techniques, it is profitable,”

Jayachandran said.

FIU IN THE FOREFRONTAlready involved with the local farm

community, Bhat and Jayachandran, in

collaboration with retired U.S. Army Col.

John Mills, who now serves as president of

non-profit Redland Ahead, debuted the Veterans

and Small Farmers Outreach Program at FIU in

early 2015. The initiative caters to former soldiers

and new or aspiring minority farmers. Just as

FIU’s College of Business runs a successful

small business development center for budding

entrepreneurs, Bhat and Jayachandran have

established the equivalent for would-be farmers.

Funding comes from a source that

understands the value of fostering new

enterprise: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

(USDA’s) Office of Advocacy and Outreach.

With the current staff of the USDA already

busy serving traditional, established farmers,

legislators appropriated funds to mobilize

universities and nonprofits around the country

to help new agricultural startups. In 2012,

the USDA launched the Hispanic-Serving

Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

program, which was approved in the 2008 farm

bill. FIU was among the first universities in the

nation to receive the designation.

The professors already had a history of

securing grants from the USDA: Combined, they

have brought in approximately $7 million over

the years from the National Institute of Food and

Agriculture to conduct research, train students

and engage in community activities. So the two

jumped at the opportunity given by the USDA to

apply for nearly $170,000 in support of the local

farming population. The grant has since been

renewed for a second year.

At around the very same time that Garfield

Jarrett was wondering where his life was

headed, the professors were putting some of the

recently awarded USDA money toward launching

the Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach

Program in the heart of South Florida farm

country, the Redland Agriculture Area.

FACILITATING FINANCIAL HELPWithin the first nine months of launching,

the program directly served more than 90 new

farmers. Many wanted information about USDA

microloans—up to $50,000 in support of startup

enterprises—and FIU staff worked with them to

complete the required application.

“We help them figure out what documents

they need to bring in, how to fill it out, what kind

of information they need,” says Nina De la Rosa,

the farm education and outreach coordinator at

FIU and an alumna of the university. “Every client

takes about three to four hours.”

De la Rosa translates the application for her

Spanish-speaking clients, which account for

the vast majority of those who walk through the

door, the greatest numbers hailing from Central

America. Language barriers aside, the 8-10 page

document simply scares off some people looking

to break into the industry.

“It’s a little confusing,” agrees Nancy Mundo,

the farm loan manager at the USDA’s local Farm

Services Agency and one of the people who

refers clients to De la Rosa. “Farmers usually

want to be on their farms. If you give them

the application, a lot of them may not come

back because they don’t want to fill out that

application because it’s too intimidating.”

The allure of financial help has achieved its

goal of “trying to bring people into the farming

industry,” Mundo said. But with the popularity

of the microloan program has come even more

work for an already overwhelmed agency.

Separately, Florida has a growing population

of recent veterans—some 200,000 have returned

to or moved to the state since 2008, according

to the U.S. Census—and the largest portion has

made its home in Miami-Dade County. As many

as 10 percent are currently unemployed.

Two professors in the Department of Earth

and Environment within the College of Arts &

Sciences know the statistics well. Ten years

ago, Krish Jayachandran and Mahadev Bhat

founded FIU’s Agroecology Program, a research-

based and experiential learning academic track

geared to educating students to work at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture and in related

businesses. As the pair and their students took

advantage of the living lab all around them

—that is, the surrounding farm areas, including

places such as Homestead and the Redland

Agriculture Area, home of the nation’s winter

vegetable garden—they began to see

ripe possibilities.

The professors say, and local USDA

officials concur, that plenty of individuals are

willing and able to put in the time and effort

required of such an endeavor, but they lack the

means and knowledge to get up and running.

Bhat and Jayachandran characterize the

ramping up of even a small parcel as “a very

complicated process.”

“It’s not just finding a piece of land and putting

in plants. If you really want to make a living out

of that you have to do it very systematically,”

Bhat said. “You need all the resources that are

required, including financial resources, and then

you need to have the know how.”

The latter includes an understanding of

local vegetation and growing seasons, soil

and climate, pest control and irrigation, not to

“It’s not just finding a piece of land and putting in plants. If you really want to make a living out of that you have to do it very systematically.

You need all the resources that are required, including financial resources, and then you need to have the know how.”

— Mahadev Bhat

Continued

18 | WINTER 2015-16

“Without [FIU’s] help, we would be

bombarded, and we are bombarded. That is just

one area that has been alleviated: We don’t have

to sit with the potential borrower and help him or

her fill in the application. Nina helps them, and it

takes a burden off us.”

In addition to assisting with the all-important

paperwork, De la Rosa and a student assistant

organize monthly workshops led by USDA

officers, experts from FIU and others within

the industry. These address technical skills

such as beekeeping, composting and disease

management. And meetings on business

topics such as budgeting and marketing are

offered, regularly bringing together as many as

20 participants at a time to take notes, share

experiences and get to know one another.

FIRST-RATE FIELD EXPERIENCESAlso critically important, the program gives

would-be farmers a chance to participate in

“rotations” at several of the 16 local farms with

which FIU has established partnerships.

Jarrett likens the opportunity to the

practicum he completed for his social work

master’s degree, which had him working under

supervision at a VA hospital, a substance abuse

treatment center and a nursing home. Here,

aspiring farmers learn the ropes by serving

paid apprenticeships in farm management at

established operations that specialize in fruit and

vegetable production, animal husbandry and

nursery-plant production.

De la Rosa has seen firsthand how the

experience of working under seasoned farmers

changes participants’ outlooks, often moving

them from simply a strong desire to work the

land to something akin to determination. “Their

business mindset is where we see the greatest

shift,” she said. “It’s no longer ‘I’m going to do

this because I love it.’ It’s ‘I’m going to do this

because I love it, and I’m going to sit and plan

how to make it profitable.’”

And she adds, “The main idea of the rotations

is trying to create a new network of people that

will be able to help these farmers. It would be

great if you have one mentor, but it’s even better

Since its inception, the Agroecology Program has engaged as many as 2,500 members of the local and international communities in its outreach programs. This includes college students and working professionals who have participated in the Veteran and Small Farmers Outreach Program, the Horticulture Professional Training Program and the International Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Workshop. Agroecology also offers robust programming for K-12 students, including an annual kindergarten day and a unique high school summer internship program. This is in addition to the FIU students who enroll in agroecology classes, a certificate program and Earth and Environment bachelor’s degree programs. Scholarship funding from the USDA has supported 145 undergraduate and graduate students interested in agroecology as a career.

Krish Jayachandran, left, and Mahadev Bhat started the Agroecology Program in 2006.

ContinuesWINTER 2015-16 | 19

"The nation’s Hispanic-Serving Agricultural

Colleges and Universities can accelerate

research, and complement the extension and

teaching of our land-grant universities,” said

Arts & Sciences Dean Mike Heithaus. "At

FIU alone, we are helping to develop more

resilient crops, combat invasive pests, develop

agribusiness opportunities and training the

next generation of farmers. In many ways, the

collaboration and complementary roles played

by FIU and UF are a metaphor for what future

collaboration with HSACUs should look like."

Because Homestead and the Redland

Agricultural Area are home to a wide variety

of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants,

Jayachandran says it is a prime location for

future research and

economic development

initiatives in agroecology.

Already he and students

have set up test plots

to study plant biofuels

and naturally occurring

bacteria with the

potential to serve as

organic pesticides.

A BLOOMING FUTUREA lot of good could come out of the increased

attention to South Florida’s agricultural

landscape. Garfield Jarrett knows this on a

personal level. Like Bhat and Jayachandran and

others with a vested interest in the Miami-Dade

farming community, he too has a vision.

More than just making a living, he hopes to

combine his work on the land—in addition to

crops, he also raises goats, sheep, chicken and

ducks—with his social work background to

change the lives of others. He looks forward to

one day providing families with tours of his farm

and inviting veterans and others to volunteer as

a means to helping them heal, just as working

the land has done for him. Through agriculture,

he has found both a calling and a place where

he truly feels at home.

“When I’m out there with nature,” he

says, “it’s my way of coping, of doing

something positive.” n

they hope will promote environmentally

sustainable practices, positively impact food

security and foster economic growth within

the region. The two embrace education and

innovation as the means to get there.

“Agriculture education is not just [about]

a practice of farming. It is science and

technology,” Jayachandran says. “It is exploring

and discovering about biogeochemical

processes, nutrient cycling, on-farm and off-

farm pollution remediation measures, surface

and groundwater management, bioenergy, food

safety and security. If we are going to feed more

than 9 billion people in the future, we have to

get creative in how we use our soil resources

and water resources.”

Achieving many of these goals requires

research collaborations across FIU and

with other higher education institutions. For

example, agri-scientists and researchers in

the International Center for Tropical Botany,

a collaboration between FIU and the National

Tropical Botanical Garden, work closely

together to study and cultivate plants that could

have new uses. The Agroecology Program is

also working with the FIU Chaplin School of

Hospitality and Tourism Management to develop

farm-to-table food programs.

And a partnership with the University of

Florida, the state’s land grant university, could

lead to establishing an important facility in the

heart of Miami’s agricultural community. While

the idea is still in early consideration, the

ultimate goal is to create a business incubator

built around product development and food

science. Such a facility in southwest Miami-

Dade County would create jobs and promote

entrepreneurial enterprises.

if you have four or maybe five.”

With his twin degrees from FIU in hand,

Jarrett was among the first to enroll in the

program and take advantage of all it offers.

“It opened my eyes to the resources that

were out there,” he says, resources “that

you wouldn’t know about unless you were in

the industry or an established farmer.” Such

knowledge helped Jarrett understand that he

qualified for free soil testing of a property that

he currently leases and on which he grows kale,

Brussels sprouts, peppers and other crops.

Another option open to him: up to $15,000 in

help for irrigation work and pest management,

the latter an especially

important concern as he

seeks to establish himself

as an organic producer,

one who chooses natural

methods over herbicides

and pesticides.

And getting to know the

right people, as De la Rosa

stressed, has boosted his

chances of success. “As

long as you’re willing to do

the hard work, a lot of them are willing to help

you,” Jarrett says of the more-experienced

farmers and others he has met.

AGRO-INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIESNestled between Biscayne National Park and

Everglades National Park, southwest Miami-

Dade County is the future for agroecology in

the state, Jayachandran believes. Throughout

Florida, more than 1.5 million people work in the

state’s agriculture, natural resources and food

processing industries, and that number is on the

rise. In Miami-Dade County alone, agriculture

has a nearly $2.7 billion annual economic

impact, all the while occupying just 6 percent

of the county’s available land, according to the

South Dade Chamber of Commerce.

Bhat and Jayachandran believe this high-

return industry represents untapped potential.

By educating students and farmers about

sustainable agriculture and farm business

management, they are creating an ecosystem

“Agriculture education is not just [about] a practice of farming. It is science and technology. If we are going to feed more than

9 billion people in the future, we have to get creative in how we use our soil resources and water resources.”

— Krish Jayachandran

Continued

20 | WINTER 2015-16

Stephany Alvarez-Ventura MS ’11, a once-aspiring banker, now

spends her days among honeybees and organic gardens.

The Dominican Republic native worked part-time at a bank in high

school. Upon graduation, she enrolled at FIU to pursue a career in

finance. But an essay project in an English class piqued her interest

in the environment, specifically pollution. She shifted her career

aspirations and began pursuing a degree in environmental studies.

During that same time, she married her high school sweetheart,

bought her first home and started a family.

“When I was eight months pregnant, my environmental sciences

labs involved taking water samples from filthy canals and trekking

the Everglades swamps in a kayak to study ecological restoration. I

loved it,” Alvarez-Ventura said.

After the birth of her daughter, she landed an internship at the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Ground Water and

Drinking Water in Washington D.C. Upon completion, she was offered

a job as an environmental science tech with the agency, but decided

to return home to Miami and further her education.

Like many before her, Alvarez-Ventura was drawn by the

enthusiasm of Earth and Environment professors Mahadev Bhat and

Krish Jayachandran. Likewise, the professors were impressed with

her. They helped her secure a research assistantship to pursue a

master’s degree. She devoted her thesis to studying colony collapse

disorder — a serious disease affecting honeybee colony health and

its ability to pollinate crops. Alvarez-Ventura found the support she

needed to finish her studies, but she also found a family at FIU.

Today, she is the program coordinator with the FIU Agroecology

Program and continues to foster new relationships throughout Miami-

Dade County. She works closely with the program’s Organic Garden,

which was designated a People’s Garden—one that benefits the

community and invites the collaboration of various partners—by the

U.S. Department of Agriculture. She also helps develop and manage

programs for local communities, area K-12 schools and more.

Since its inception in 2005, the Agroecology Program has awarded

more than 150 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students

like Alvarez-Ventura. In 2012, FIU became one of the first universities

in the nation to receive the USDA’s Hispanic-Serving Agricultural

Colleges and Universities designation, which Alvarez-Ventura says is a

testament to her alma mater’s commitment to people like her.

Looking to the future, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. and mentor the

next generation of female and minority agriscientists as an extension

of what her mentors did for her.

“Agroecology can address many of the food security and

environmental challenges we’re facing now as a society, as well as

the challenges we’ll face in the future as our population continues to

grow,” Alvarez-Ventura said. “I hope to give the next generation of

agriscientists opportunities in research, professional development

and outreach early on their academic careers so they are prepared to

undertake these challenges.” n

FIU alumna finds a calling in environmental studies

Stephany Alvarez-Ventura

By Evelyn Perez | Photo by Doug Garland ’10

A passion for Agroecology

WINTER 2015-16 | 21

AVATAR COULD BECOME MODERN VERSION OF A DOCTOR’S HOUSE CALL

VIRTUAL HEALTH ASSISTANTBy Eric Barton | Illustration by Chris McAllister

It’s happy hour, and there’s a man, a man

with a drinking problem, headed to his

favorite bar. He turns into the parking lot,

and his phone comes to life. It’s an image of

a woman, her voice calm and reassuring.

“I noticed you’re headed to the bar,” the

woman says, using the GPS in his phone to

track him. The man explains that he’s had a

bad day and just needs a drink or two.

“How about instead I call a friend for

you?” the woman asks, knowing that

the man’s friends have talked him out

of destructive behavior before. The man

agrees, and the woman on his cellphone

dials up someone who can talk him out of a

bad decision.

This may all seem like something from

a far-in-the-future science fiction movie.

Go behind the scenes of health-avatar research at

magazine.fiu.edu

22 | WINTER 2015-16

among problem drinkers worked for half of

users after a year, a high success rate for

substance abuse counseling. Lisetti thinks

the number could be even higher with a

computer-based avatar.

Williams thinks the avatar will be beneficial

especially for those who don’t have access to

in-home medical care.

“For people whose insurance doesn’t

cover in-home care, or simply just don’t have

access to it, the avatars can serve many

purposes,” he said. For instance, the avatar

can help remind patients about when and

how much medication to take. The avatar can

also store other information given to the user

by a doctor, so the patient can ask follow-up

questions of the avatar once back at home.

Lisetti imagines the avatar becoming a

companion that users interact with for years.

The benefit is that a computer program never

forgets, so the avatar will have the user’s full

medical history any time a new issue comes

up. If the user, for instance, is diagnosed

with cancer, the avatar would know that a

previous immune disease might become a

problem in chemotherapy.

Lisetti, who says it might be a few more

years before the avatar is ready to go live,

gets help from five undergraduates who

work in her lab, along with a research

assistant and one or two Ph.D. students.

Affective computing is a profitable field now,

and three of Lisetti’s former lab workers

this year took jobs at software companies

working on avatars.

“We are just beginning to understand all the

benefits of this,” Lisetti said. “We are creating

a program that can fill many needs.” n

seem more human. To accomplish this,

they recorded video of addiction counselors

interacting with clients.

After studying five hours of tapes, the

researchers noticed how often the counselors

would look down or simply turn their attention

to something else in the room, as is common

in normal conversation. “It may seem obvious,

but when we had her stop staring directly

at the user, it dramatically improved the

program,” Lisetti said.

Lola can also now understand some of the

nuances of human behavior. For instance,

she can smile during a light moment of a

discussion. Lisetti’s lab has run internal tests

on the program prototype, but Lisetti knew

that before Lola could be used by medical

professionals, the avatar would need to be

given appropriate social intelligence and

eventually tested in a clinical setting.

When Lisetti shared a table at FIU’s Faculty

Club one day with Mark Williams, then-

interim dean of the Robert Stempel College

of Public Health & Social Work, he was

fascinated with Lisetti’s research. Williams

offered to help put together a clinical trial

once the technical design, programming and

evaluation of the avatar’s social behaviors

were complete.

Lisetti and Williams submitted their idea to

the National Science Foundation and received

a $497,000 grant to develop advanced design

principles for computer-simulated agents

and to test the system with a trial, which is

expected to begin next year. Similar programs

using a text-message-based interface have

proven helpful in the past. A text-message

system meant to reduce alcohol consumption

But a researcher at FIU is close to making

it a reality.

Professor Christine Lisetti has developed

a medical avatar, an interactive computer

program that can help people better

understand a host of medical issues and avoid

destructive behavior. Next year, the program

will be tested in a clinical setting, and Lisetti

believes it will stand in when doctors and

nurses aren’t available.

Lisetti’s program is far more than a dry

computer program. Her team has created

an animated character capable of advanced

human responses to questions.

“We want to create a social companion

you can relate to long-term,” said Lisetti,

director of FIU’s Affective Social Computing

Laboratory in the School of Computing and

Information Sciences. “We want it, or her, to

know you long-term and understand your

health patterns.”

Lisetti began her work as a graduate student

in the 1990s. She helped found what was then

a new field of study called affective computing,

or programming computers to understand the

nuances of human emotion. The field works to

develop a simulated emotional intelligence that

can interact with a person in a realistic way. In

the early 2000s, Lisetti helped develop a road

safety program that could detect when a driver

falls asleep, technology that’s now being used

by car manufacturers.

After joining FIU in 2007, Lisetti began

developing a virtual health assistant. It started

with a simple question-and-answer program,

which could make determinations about a

person’s problems with substance abuse.

The next step was designing an avatar, a

computerized figure that could be emotionally

expressive and have a conversation with the

user. Lisetti’s team calls her Lola, and since

then, they’ve been tinkering with ways to give

her realistic reactions and emotions.

Recent additions have endowed Lola with

non-verbal behaviors, something Lisetti’s

team has determined are key to making her

“We want it, or her, to know you long-term and understand your health patterns.”

— Christine Lisetti

WINTER 2015-16 | 23

2016 PANTHER GETAWAY TOURSDiscover the world with fellow Panthers and friends

Extend your lifelong learning | Create memories for a lifetime

Start planning your Panther Getaway today

April 15-24, 2016 Sunny PortugalFrom: $3,269* (includes air from Miami)

Be swept away on the Portuguese Riviera. Explore sunny Portugal, with its miles of dramatic shoreline. Indulge in Portugal’s fresh cuisine and wines during your interactive cooking class and two winery visits.Visit: Cascais ∙ Lisbon ∙ Sintra ∙ Obidos ∙ Fatima ∙ Monsaraz ∙ Algrave ∙ Sagres ∙ Lagos ∙ Faro ∙ São Brás de Alportel ∙ Azeitao OptionalExtension: Five days in Funchal, Madeira

April 12-20, 2016Italy’s Magnificent Lake DistrictFrom: $3,490* (plus air)

no single supplement

Where Italy kisses Switzerland, glacial lakes sparkle in the sun. Discover Italy’s Lake District of idyllic towns, stunning villas, lush gardens and dazzling array of art and architecture. Explore the sophisticated city of Milan and view Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, “The Last Supper.”Visit: Stresa ∙ Lago Orta ∙ Lago Maggiore ∙ Borromean Islands ∙ Milan ∙ Bellagio ∙ Como ∙ Pallanza

March 4-14, 2016India’s Golden Triangle From: $1,899* (plus air)

Conjure up India at its most alluring – the mystique of Eastern religions, the swirl of colorful saris, prolific wildlife and the magic of the Taj Mahal. Experience the sights, sounds and spice of the subcontinent while hitting the highlights of the Golden Triangle with its exotic architecture and prolific wildlife. Visit: Old Delhi ∙ New Delhi ∙ Sikandra ∙ Agra ∙ Ranthambore ∙ Jaipur ∙ Taj Mahal ∙ Amber Fort ∙ Cochin Optional extension: Cochin, Kerala Backwaters and Mumbai

24 | WINTER 2015-16

September 24-Oct. 1, 2016 New England Fall Foliage From: $1,869* (plus air)

Autumn is the perfect season to explore New England’s time-honored landmarks. From the quintessential autumn fare of Vermont to the colonial roots of Salem, take in the history and charm of the East Coast - all under a vibrant canopy of color. Visit: Green Mountains ∙ Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory ∙ Vineyards ∙ White Mountains ∙ Cabot Cheese Factory ∙ Mountain Memorial Park ∙ Portland ∙ Kennebunkport ∙ Salem ∙ Boston

September 30-October 11, 2016 Albuquerque Balloon Festival & U.S. National ParksFrom: $2,499* (plus air)

Watch hundreds of hot air balloons float gracefully upward, filling the sky with color. Gaze into the depths of the Grand Canyon, see the famed Old Faithful and stand in the shadow of the Grand Tetons.Visit: Albuquerque ∙ Mesa Verde National Park ∙ Kayenta ∙ Grand Canyon ∙ Zion National Park ∙ Salt Lake City ∙ Jackson ∙ Grand Teton National Park ∙ Yellowstone National Park

October 8-15, 2016 Autumn in Tuscany From: $4,500* (plus air)

Enjoy the magic of autumn in Italy as you spend a fabulous time between the Tuscan countryside and the gorgeous city of Florence. Experience “wine in the making” at your VIP visits to renowned wineries. You’ll visit famous museums, authentic restaurants, discover charming hilltop villages and Tuscany’s most famous towns.Visit: Florence (4 nights) ∙ Radda-in-Chianti (3 nights) ∙ Siena ∙ Greve-in-Chianti ∙ San Gimignano ∙ Montalcino

October 30-November 13, 2016SE Asia Cruise on Celebrity MillenniumFrom: $2,013* (plus air)

Southeast Asia is a traveler’s nirvana, offering natural wonders like the mystical limestone islands of Halong Bay, timeless treasures like the storybook temples of Thailand and Cambodia and booming cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. It’s this blend of old and new that makes SE Asia such a dynamic place to explore. Visit: Hong Kong ∙ Hanoi/Halong Bay ∙ Hue/Da Nang ∙ Ho Chi Minh ∙ Bangkok/ Laem Chabang ∙ Singapore

February 23-March 4, 2017 A Taste of Chile - Wine, Cuisine & CultureFrom: $4,200 (plus air)

Call for additional informationVisit renowned Chilean wine valleys during harvest time. Learn about Chile’s cuisine with famous chef Pilar Rodriguez and participate in a cooking class. Tour the stunningly located ‘Isla Negra’ coastal home of Chile’s most famous son, poet Pablo Neruda.Visit: Santiago ∙ Aconcagua ∙ Casablanca ∙ Valparaiso ∙ San Antonio ∙ Colchagua ∙ Santa Cruz ∙ Cachapoal ∙ Maipo

May 6-15, 2016 Amalfi Walking TourFrom: $2,049* (plus air)

Experience the breathtaking beauty that surrounds the Amalfi Coast, from small villages to long stretches of beach, the perfect balance between history and nature. Visit: Naples ∙ Sorrento ∙ Libra ∙ Almalfi ∙ Positano ∙ Atrani ∙ Ravello

May 14-23, 2016 SicilyFrom: $3,590* (plus air)

Explore Sicily with its vast history spanning 3,000 years. This majestic island abounds with enchanting natural beauty. Sun-bleached Greek temples stand in peaceful valleys and Roman ruins house spectacular mosaics. Ancient theaters, still valued for their prime acoustics, stand majestically in the midst of lively towns.Visit: Palermo ∙ Monreale ∙ Erice ∙ Segesta ∙ Cefalù ∙ Taormina ∙ Argrigento ∙ Syracuse ∙ Mt. Etna

May 17-25, 2016 Ireland - Wild Atlantic WayFrom: $3,290* (plus air)-no single supplement

Forge a path through County Mayo in the remote, northwest corner of Ireland. From your base in Westport, a winsome Georgian town, embark on a special journey steeped in Irish culture. Discover both rural traditions and Ireland’s famous literary and musical heritage.Visit: Foxford ∙ County Sligo ∙ Achill Island ∙ Connemara ∙ Kylemore Abbey ∙ Cong ∙ Galway

May 23-30, 2016Pompeii & HerculaneumFrom: $2,750* (plus air)

Enjoy a privileged introduction to perfectly preserved Roman towns, grand villas and Greek Temples with an expert scholar. Follow in the footsteps of the citizens, senators, slaves and Caesar who once walked these ancient streets.Visit: Paestum ∙ Pompeii ∙ Stabiae ∙ Herculaneum ∙ Mt. Vesuvius ∙ National Archaeological Museum in Naples

May 28-June 3, 2016London: The City Experience From: $1,699* (plus air)

Get acquainted with this city at your own pace, strolling through Kensington Gardens, entering Westminster Abbey and seeing Big Ben up close. City tour included. Optional excursions: Windsor Castle ∙ Stonehenge Salisbury ∙ Oxford ∙ St. Paul’s Cathedral ∙ Westminster Abbey

June 12-19, 2016BermudaFrom $1,019* (plus air)

King’s Wharf has something for everyone. Sample typical island food and stroll through the shops and museums of the Royal Naval Dockyard, an impressive military fortress built in 1815. Sail the clear waters of Hamilton Sound. Find quaint gems at the Bermuda Arts Center and Craft Market. Or have a close encounter with dolphins at Dolphin Quest, where you can swim, dance and kiss these magnificent sea creatures.

June 14-22, 2016Ronda, SpainFrom: $3,290* (plus air)

no single supplement

Discover Spain’s sun-kissed southern coast. Marvel at great monuments such as the magnificent Alhambra. Sample the cherry of Jerez and enjoy meals of authentic regional cuisine in spectacular settings at several paradors, Spain’s boutique hotels. Visit: Malaga ∙ Ronda ∙ Seville ∙ Granada ∙ Jerez de la Frontera

June 19-July 1, 2016Baltic Capitals Cruise on Celebrity SilhouetteFrom: $2,129* (plus air)

A treasure trove of experiences awaits you as you cruise the Baltic. From the opulent palaces of the Tsars in St. Petersburg to Stockholm’s breathtaking harbor or Copenhagen’s spectacular Tivoli Gardens, few cruising regions offer such diverse treasures as the Baltic.Visit: Stockholm ∙ Helsinki ∙ Tallinn ∙ St. Petersburg (2 nights) ∙ Warnemünde ∙ Copenhagen ∙ Amsterdam

July 9-17, 2016 Costa Rica: Rainforests, Volcanoes & WildlifeFrom: $1,799* (plus air)

From misty, cloud-covered forests and lush jungles to volcanic landscapes and sun-kissed beaches, there’s much to love about this Central American hot spot. Begin your adventure in Tortuguero, the Land of the Turtles, then take a dip in the natural hot springs at the foot of the mighty Arenal Volcano.Visit: San Jose ∙ Rainforest & Canal Expedition ∙ Arenal Volcano National Park ∙ Monteverde Optional extension: Tarcoles River cruise & Manuel Antonio National Park

July 15-22, 2016 Tracy Arm Fjord Alaska Cruise on Celebrity SolsticeFrom: $1,382* (plus air)

Enjoy the splendor of the Alaskan wilderness, glacier-carved fjords, wildlife, quaint ports and the remarkable beauty of the Inside Passage.Visit: Seattle ∙ Ketchikan ∙ Tracy Arm Fjord ∙ Juneau ∙ Inside Passage ∙ Victoria (British Columbia)

August 20-25, 2016Iceland: Reykjavik to the GlaciersFrom: $2,099* (plus air)

Inhale fresh Icelandic air, tap into the country’s natural restorative powers and discover geysers and waterfalls on this adventure. From your home base in progressive Reykjavik, set out to see the inspiring Golden Circle, the otherworldly beauty of South Iceland, the world-famous Blue Lagoon and the Northern Lights.Visit: Reykjavik ∙ Golden Circle ∙ Thingvellir National Park ∙ Golden Waterfall ∙ South Coast Glaciers ∙ Blue Lagoon

For additional details on our 2016 tours, go to FIUalumni.com/travel or contact

Bill Draughon at 305-342-0772 or bdraughon@fiu.edu

*Pricing is per person based on double occupancy - prices, tours and dates subject to change.

Host dependent on minimum number of reservations.

Join us in

2017

Wait list available only

WINTER 2015-16 | 25

One can make the argument that FIU’s

men’s soccer program has the most

impressive and accomplished history of any

sports program in the university’s history.

The program has been around since the

university opened in 1972, winning two

Division II championships in the early 1980s

and making a memorable run to the NCAA

Division I championship game in 1996.

Major League Soccer greats Steve Ralston,

Robin Fraser and Tyrone Marshall all played at

FIU during those golden years for the program,

but those days have been gone for quite some

time now.

At the time Head Coach Scott Calabrese

was hired in 2014, it had been years since FIU

had sniffed at the chance to compete in the

Conference USA tournament and even longer

since the team had an above .500 record.

Calabrese was tasked with accomplishing

what his recent predecessors had failed to do:

bring back a sustainable winning culture to FIU

men’s soccer. And with the way his team has

performed on the pitch this season, he may be

close to doing just that.

In only his second year at the helm, the

program enjoyed its best season in years.

The Panthers rapidly climbed up the national

rankings while putting together an impressive

seven-game winning streak, peaking at

No. 14 in the country in National Soccer

Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)

poll in early October.

“Everything was clicking during that period.

We moved the ball incredibly well, we had tons

of confidence moving forward and it was a

great feeling,” Calabrese says.

Success, however, brings with it a new

set of challenges, including a large target on

their backs from teams no longer overlooking

FIU on the pitch.

“A lot of teams have adjusted to prevent

us from being effective and that is actually

something we’re not used to,” Calabrese says.

“It’s a different kind of challenge.”

But after concluding the regular season

with a 9-6-1 record and securing a spot in

the conference tournament, the Panthers

completed an improbable run through the

tournament and clinched their first ever

Conference USA championship after defeating

Marshall 1-0 in the final.

By winning the conference championship,

the Panthers earned an automatic bid to NCAA

Tournament for the first time since 2004.

“They did everything that they were asked

to do and more. They’ve earned it,” Calabrese

said after beating Marshall. “When you get in

the tournament, it’s just about an opportunity

and the guys seized it.”

Men’s soccer, football and indoor volleyball are trending upward and offer hope for brighter days in the near future.

Senior outside hitter Lucia Castro (#2) has helped the FIU volleyball team bounce back after several down seasons.

Sophomore quarterback Alex McGough had a great season.

By Joel Delgado ’12 | Photos by Alex Hernandez and Sam Lewis

FALL RESURGENCE

Men’s soccer clinched the 2015 Conference USA title.

26 | WINTER 2015-16

But men’s soccer isn’t the only program

this fall that is enjoying a resurgence.

OUT OF THE CAGE Football Head Coach Ron Turner inherited

a program that was in shambles when he

took over in 2013.

When he arrived, the memories of T.Y. Hilton

making plays worthy of a SportsCenter Top

10 plays segment and helping FIU clinch two

football game appearances seemed to be

nothing more than a distant memory.

Since then, it has been a slow – but steady

– and often painful climb for the Panthers as

Turner has attempted to reinvent the program.

After winning just one game in 2013, the

Panthers saw a noticeable improvement a year

later thanks to the surprising play of several

new faces and a stronger-than-expected

defense, winning four games and losing a

handful of others by less than a touchdown.

This season, a slightly more experienced but

still relatively young Panthers squad matched

last year’s win total almost a month earlier than

they did in 2014 and picked up their fifth win of

the season against Charlotte on Nov. 7.

It’s the most wins the program has had

since the team earned a trip to the Beef O’

Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl in 2011, and

they’ve done so despite suffering a series of

nagging injuries to starters in a number of

key positions throughout the season.

“I don’t know if I have ever been in a

situation where I’ve had this many guys out

because of injuries,” Turner said. “It has

definitely taken a toll, but I admire these guys

and the perseverance they’ve had to put us

in the position we are now.”

Quarterback Alex McGough has played a

huge part in that success since winning the

job early on last year as a freshman. Now in

his sophomore year, McGough has continued

to impress and is in the midst of what could

be considered the best season any FIU

quarterback has ever had.

In 2015, McGough broke single season

records for most touchdown passes (21),

passing yards (2,722) and highest completion

percentage (64 percent).

“It’s a total team effort. When I make plays,

that means my wide receivers are making

plays,” McGough said.

Many of the team’s key contributors are still

freshmen, sophomores or juniors, and as they

continue to grow and develop, the program

could be close to a breakout season.

“We’ve played well this year, we just have

to make the plays when it really matters

consistently,” McGough added. “At some

points we have, and at other points we’ve

lacked that. If we come together and play as

a unit, we can score a lot of points.”

FINALLY CLICKING After enjoying several years of success

thanks in large part to the duo of Yarimar Rosa

and Natalia Valentin – today stars of Puerto

Rico’s national team – the Panthers’ indoor

volleyball team failed to keep the momentum

going after their departures.

The rebuilding process has been a bit

slower than expected for Indoor Volleyball

Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett, who came

on board after the conclusion of the 2011

season. The 2014 season was a low point,

with the team garnering just seven victories.

But in her fourth season, with most of

her starters returning with another year of

experience along with the addition of some

key players such as Miami-Dade transfer

Katie Hogan, that process finally seems to

showing glimpses of what could be a bright

future on the court.

Buck-Crockett was confident prior to the

2015 season that her team was poised for a

turnaround season. Her optimism proved to

be justified.

The team finished the season with 15 wins –

the highest win total in the Buck-Crockett era

thus far – and a spot in the Conference USA

Championships after missing out last season.

“Since I’ve been here, this is the best

indoor team I’ve had,” Buck-Crockett said.

“I’m really happy with how the team is

progressing. I think we’re getting there –

getting to where we want to be. We just have

to keep moving forward.”

A SPARK AT HOME

Success at home has been an essential

boost for all three programs this season.

The football team played well for most of

the season at home, winning four of its five

games at FIU Stadium. In those four victories

at home, the Panthers won by an average

27.8 points.

The men’s soccer team won five games,

earned one draw and lost just once in its

seven home matches at FIU Soccer Stadium

this season while the indoor volleyball team

finished with an 8-7 record at FIU Arena.

“It’s always really important to make your

home field a fortress, where nine out of ten

times you’re going to get the result you’re

looking for,” Calabrese said.

The recent success for each program,

after an extended period of struggles and

challenges, has begun to instill an essential

ingredient for any coach trying to rebuild a

program: belief.

“Our players believe in each other and they

believe that we’re doing the right things,”

Calabrese says. “When you have that kind

of belief and that kind of foundation, you

can continue to improve. And I expect us to

continue improving in the years to come.” n

WINTER 2015-16 | 27

Vehicle courtesy of Lexus of North Miami

Show Your Pride with a New License Plate!

Get yours today!

The specialty plate is available through Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) for a $25 annual fee (plus registration fees);

proceeds benefit the university’s general scholarship fund.

Visit FIUalumni.com/plate to get your plate today or purchase at your local tag agency.

After you buy the new plate, share a picture on social media using the tag #RepFIU.

GO PANTHERSLicense Plate AD for MAG.indd 1 12/1/15 3:40 PM

1970sClaudia Galofre-Krevat ’78, chef at Claudia’s Mesa, joined the “Lentil Underground” book tour during a week of educational and cooking events in San Francisco in February, cooking for journalist and food author Michael Pollan.

Del Sebastian Placides ’79, MS ’93 was invited by the University of Washington State Historical Society and other organizations to speak about his two recent nonfiction books, “The Home Front Kid,” published in 2014 and chronicling his childhood in a South Philadelphia neighborhood in the shadow of World War II, and “Runaway Boy from Bicolandia,” published in 2013 and telling his father’s life story.

1980sJusto Pozo ’80 was elected to the FIU Board of Trustees for a five-year term.

Maria Elena González ’80 was awarded grand prize at the 30th Annual Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts at the MGLC-International Centre for Graphic Arts in Slovenia for her “Tree Talk Series.”

James Border ’81, vice president and global tax counsel for Carnival Corporation and PLC, was reappointed chairman of the Global Tax Committee for the Cruise Lines International Association, which represents 64 separate cruise lines throughout the world on matters of international tax policy and regulation.

Mark Chmielarski ’85, a shareholder in Greenspoon Marder Law’s Orlando office, was nominated to the Leadership Group of the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development, a non-profit association for Central Florida professionals who work in various aspects of land development. The association focuses on environmental issues, regulatory changes of federal, state and local governments, and current planning for land development.

1990sGonzalo Acevedo ’91, MBA ‘10, who currently serves on The Wolfsonian-FIU Museum Board of Advisors and the FIU

CLASS NOTES

Alumni Association Executive Committee, has taken the position of senior vice president and managing director of the AllianceBernstein, L.P., Private Wealth Management office in Miami.

Rosary Plana-Falero ’91 MBA ’94 joined Coconut Grove Bank as executive vice president of private banking.

Mabel Morales ’94 MS ’97 was named president of the Florida Art Education Association.

Francis Rodriguez ’95 was named partner in charge of the Shutts & Bowen LLP Miami firm. In 2014, he was appointed to FIU’s President’s Council.

Ralph Rosado ’96, MA ’03 is president of Rosado and Associates, an urban planning and economic development strategy firm based in Miami. Holder of a second master’s degree from Princeton and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, he serves as research fellow at FIU’s Metropolitan Center and an instructor of graduate and professional programs at FIU and the University of Miami. Most recently his efforts on behalf of a resident-led effort to establish a neighborhood park earned

him a Grassroots Initiative Award from the Gold Coast APA Chapter. And his idea for redesigning local bus shelters to make them more attractive and more protective against the elements garnered an award in the Miami Foundation’s 2015 Public Space Challenge.

Armando Hernandez ’89 MS ’96, president and CEO of Hernandez & Company, has been selected by the National Academy of Public Accounting Professionals as

one of the 2015 “Top 10 Public Accounting Professionals” in Florida.

David Barbeito ’97, M.Acc ’03 and Cristina Perez ’98, MS ’01 were named partners at De La Hoz, Perez & Barbeito, P.A.

Lourdes Oroza Ed.D. ’97 was named president of Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus.

Ian Rambarran ’98 received the distinction of Top Lawyer in Sacramento from Sacramento Magazine for exemplary practice in both construction and business/corporate law.

Carolina Sarassa ’05 is

a three-time Emmy award- and a four-

time National Gabriel award-winning

news anchor and correspondent for

MundoFOX National Network News

in Los Angeles. Prior to joining that

organization, she was the anchor and

producer for Univision’s KINC in Las Vegas and a

correspondent for the news-magazine show “Primer

Impacto” and, before that, anchored and reported for

Univision KORO in Texas. Carolina has served on the

board of governors for the Academy of Television Arts

and Sciences and is currently a board member for the

LA Press Club.

Adding to her list of accomplishments, Sarassa in

2014 saw the publication of “Dancing on her Grave,”

the true story of the brutal murder of a college-

educated Las Vegas showgirl, a crime that shocked

and riveted the public. Sarassa co-authored the book,

which recounts the months of investigation that led

to the apprehension of a suspect and his subsequent

trial and life imprisonment.

WINTER 2015-16 | 29

CLASS NOTES

Twelve FIU alumni were honored in Legacy magazine’s 2015 40 Under 40 Leaders of Today and Tomorrow in July 2015. They were chosen for making a significant contribution within their fields and in the local community. Honored were Kareem Brantley MSF ’02; Kenol Thomas ’02; Theo Williams ’02; Kristina Jones ’07, MS ’11; Calonie Gray MS ’07, Ph.D. ’09; David Coleman MBA ’08; Kenasha Paul ’10; Jonise Sainvil MPA ’11; Mikhaile Solomon M.Arch. ’11; Adia McKenzie ’12; Donna Comrie Ph.D. ’13; and Jadine Louissaint MBA ’13.

Beth Goldstein MS ’99 was named Florida Outstanding Secondary Art Educator of the Year. She was honored by the Florida Art Education Association in October 2014.

2000sJorge Grossmann ’00 composed the piece “Notus,” which will be performed by the Grammy award-winning Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra at the inaugural concert of the Festival Latinoamericano de Música in October.

Mike Gonzalez MS ’01 was named the Junior and Middle School Administrator of the Year by the Wisconsin Association of School Councils.

Robert Noroña MBA ’01 was promoted to senior vice president at Ocean Bank.

Joanne Bashford Ed.D. ’02 was named president of Miami Dade College’s InterAmerican Campus.

Justo Torres ’02 was named director of contracts and grants at North Carolina State University.

Zameer Upadhya ’03 was named one of Houston Business Journal’s 2015 “40 Under 40” business leaders.

Vivian Gonzalez MS ’04, Ed.S. ’07 was a semi-finalist for the inaugural Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation.

Casandra Roache Henriquez ’04, MPH ’06 married motivational speaker Andy Henriquez in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on Oct. 18, 2015.

Breny DaParre Garcia ’05, MA ’07, Ph.D. ‘15 has been appointed assistant vice president of institutional relations for FIU. In this role, she leads select institutional and presidential initiatives pertaining to key university donors and prospects, community partners, academic organizations, student success and constituent relations. Breny also volunteers her time as a board member for FIU’s Young Alumni Council and Janelle’s Wishing Well Foundation and recently was elected to a two-year term on the national Supreme Council of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. She has served the organization for 10 years as a member of multiple committees and task forces as well as a chapter key advisor.

Brian Matijevic ’08 joined U.S. Century Bank as assistant vice president, treasury officer.

Charles Rego ’08, president of the Veterans Panther Network, has recently moved to Boston with his wife and family for six months to complete his master’s degree at Harvard.

Daniela Ottati ’09, Ph.D. ’15, an adjunct professor of communication arts in the College of Architecture + The Arts, was presented with a proclamation honoring her continuous dedication and commitment to education by City of Aventura Mayor Enid Weisman and the city council.

Marla Baldomero ’09, MS ’13 and Daniel Oliu ‘11, who met at FIU freshman year and spent their first year together hanging out at the Barnes & Noble cafe in the Graham Center, were married July 11, 2015.

Latoya Brown ’08, JD ’13 was elected to the Dade County Bar Association Board of Directors, where she will serve a three-year term as director for Group 1.

Liliana Korn Custy ’09, a professor in the Department of Interior Architecture, spoke for the fourth year in a row at the National Homebuilders Association International Builders Show in January.

2010sRebecca Rodriguez MS ’10, an associate at the GrayRobinson, P.A., Fort Lauderdale office, was accepted to Leadership Fort Lauderdale’s Class

XXII. Leadership Fort Lauderdale is a tri-county program intended to help business leaders understand local issues and create a strong bond with fellow graduates.

Elizabeth Fernandez ’10 passed the Florida Bar Exam and has joined EPGD Law as an attorney.

Christin “Cici” Battle ’11 ’14, former Biscayne Bay Campus Student Government Association president, moved to Cali, Colombia, where she teaches leadership development and industry-specific English to college students as a full-time volunteer through the Colombian government and Volunteer Colombia. While there, she is also working with women and girls’ organizations to do capacity building, program development and fundraising.

Helena Ramirez ’11, former president of the Student Government Association and eastern coalitions coordinator for LIBRE Initiative, was featured

in Forbes 2015 30 Under 30 in Law and Policy for her work as the inaugural chair of She Should Run’s Frontrunners, which encourages women to run for public office, as well as her work with Hispanic churches, entrepreneurs and women for the Koch-affiliated conservative group.

Steven Cruz ’12, representing the Alpha Chi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi at the 176th General Convention in Orlando in August, was recognized as

Rookie District Chief of the Year.

Michael Perez ’12, Latin America marketing and promotions associate at The Walt Disney Company, was a featured speaker at the Idea Center, presenting the various ways Disney uses creativity to support brand initiatives.

30 | WINTER 2015-16

Panthers invade Venice: FIU was well represented on the streets — and waterways — of Italy’s most storied city when a group of friends took a fall trip together. Pictured, left to right, are Ofelia Gonzalez ’87; Francis Hondal ’87, MBA ’94; Elizabeth Falla ’88; Manny Becerra ’86; Ana Becerra ’87; Eddie Hondal ’88, MS ’00.

Nelson Hincapie ’06, a children’s advocate, and Patricia Kayser ’15, an advocate for those with autism, spoke in November at the fifth annual TEDxFIU. The pair joined seven FIU faculty and current students who each contributed positive stories under the theme of “Always Forward.”

Hincapie, who today heads the Voices For Children Foundation, talked about his work with children in foster care. Kayser, founder of the nonprofit Autism & Music and pictured above, recounted the moment she discovered the power of music to help her brother, who suffers with autism, better communicate and socialize.

Held at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center before a sold-out crowd, the event was hosted by four-time master of ceremonies Alberto Padron ’98, MBA ’09.

Katie Edwards JD ’12, a state representative was given the 2015 Florida Chamber Distinguished Advocate award by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Andy Señor ’13 directed a Spanish production of Jonathon Larson’s musical “RENT” in Cuba. It is the first Broadway show that has been produced in Cuba in 50 years.

Dylan Gonzalez JD ’14 and Igor Hernandez ’09, JD ’13, FIU Law and Trial Team alumni, placed second and third, respectively, during the 2015 Legal Eagle Closing Argument Competition.

Nick Aquart ’14, former Student Government Association senator and founder of Hope2o International, a nonprofit organization devoted to finding solutions to the global water crisis, earned an internship with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Paola Katherine Rodriguez ’15 had her photographic work “Takia,” a part of her series “Broken Free,” which documents the stories of victims of abuse,

featured in the Fifth Annual Exposure Award reception’s portraiture collection at the Musée du Louvre.

Nathalie Alfonso ’15 curated her “Among Body Marks,” created in conjunction with FIU Department of Art and Art History professor Michael Namkung, at The Projects/FATVillage in Fort Lauderdale in February.

Bill Draughon, center, the former executive director of the Alumni Association,

retired in 2015 from his position as associate vice president for Advancement. Named

an honorary Panther by President Rosenberg in 2012, Draughon will continue to

run the Alumni Association travel program, information about which can be found

at FIUalumni.com/travel. Pictured above with Draughon are past presidents of the

Alumni Association Board of Directors, from left, Jose Perez de Corcho ’93, Will

Trueba ’90, Gayle Bainbridge ’75 and Jack Gonzalez ’97.

Clara-Meretan Kiah ’15 was hired as a full-time staff writer for the Division of External Relations.

Alumni participate in TEDxFIU

WINTER 2015-16 | 31

Jack Vaughn’s old friend Cal has gone

missing. His vintage Cadillac has been

pulled out of a South Florida canal. His

house is suddenly up for sale. His gym has

been appropriated by a gang of Russian

thugs. Vaughn suspects foul play. The

fictional ex-cop goes in search of his friend,

hoping to find him alive.

And that is where Vaughn’s story was

about to end.

Jack Vaughn is the creation of FIU

alumnus Anthony Gagliano, who earned

his Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative

Writing in 2002. The search for Cal was

Gagliano’s second crime novel featuring

Jack Vaughn. Gagliano titled the book “The

Emperor’s Club.” But in 2009, midway through his manuscript,

Gagliano suffered a stroke. He died shortly after at the age of 53.

The plight of Vaughn and his missing friend Cal was resigned to the

fate of a book not yet finished.

Gagliano’s first book, “Straits of Fortune,” was critically

acclaimed. His former professors, best-selling writers Les

Standiford and Dan Wakefield, were fans. So when their former

student unexpectedly passed away, they were disappointed to

know his next novel would never see the light of day.

“I knew Anthony was a real talent from the first time he read

in my class,” Wakefield said. “I told him, ‘You can just take Jack

Vaughn and keep going.’”

But because he couldn’t, Wakefield and Standiford decided they

would keep Vaughn going — at least until the story ends in “The

Emperor’s Club.” So they contacted Gagliano’s widow and asked

for the incomplete manuscript. She dug it up from his computer

and sent it to the professors. They got to work.

“This was a labor of love. We wanted to do it,” said Standiford,

who is director of FIU’s Creative Writing Program within the

Department of English. “The manuscript was really good and close

to being publishable. So we gave it a shot.”

There are many challenges in finishing another person’s

creative work, especially when you don’t know how the story was

supposed to end. Maintaining another author’s cadence and the

voice of their characters is tricky. And making sense of unfinished

chapters can be downright confusing.

“I’d be reading along and I’d say, ‘Wait, didn’t this just

happen?’” Standiford said.

It was in that moment Standiford realized Gagliano would move

around pieces of the plot to find the best fit within the storyline.

Existing text sometimes would be repeated later in the manuscript,

and it became evident that the writer had intended to reconcile

these replicated storylines in the final draft. With Standiford

gaining clarity of Gagliano’s organizational style, he was able to

reconcile the incomplete storylines. He sorted out the old from the

new, inserting transitions as he went. Standiford and Wakefield

passed the manuscript back and forth, collaborating throughout

the process.

“It was challenging but not impossible,” Standiford said.

While Standiford did a lot of the heavy lifting, it was up to

Wakefield to decide how the book ends. He was tasked with

writing the final chapter. Once the manuscript was completed,

FIU colleague John Dufresne stepped in as editor.

“I was a fan the first time I read it,” Dufresne said.

He gave the book a second read to ensure it was ready for

publication. Satisfied, the trio went in search of a publisher. Three

years went by with nothing. The crime novel was facing a major

challenge. Typically, publishers expect authors of mystery and

suspense thrillers to create a series out of their lead characters.

“The Emperor’s Club” was the second book to follow fictional ex-

cop Jack Vaughn. It would also be the last.

“Publishers look at what it will be like at the end of 10 books in

somebody’s career. Not a single book,” Standiford said.

Undeterred, Dufresne turned to a friend and colleague at

MidTown Publishing in New York. With a single phone call, they

found their publisher. “The Emperor’s Club” hit bookshelves

earlier this year, and Gagliano’s widow arranged to donate

proceeds from the book to the FIU Creative Writing Program.

“For me,” Dufresne said, “this is Anthony getting his rightful

place in Miami literary history.” n

The Last WordTwo FIU Creative Writing professors pay tribute to their deceased former student by completing

his unfinished second novel for publication

Listen to John Dufresne read from The Emperor’s Club at

magazine.fiu.edu

By Evelyn Perez

32 | WINTER 2015-16

Belkys Nerey• WSVN-TV Anchor

• Bachelor of Science in Communication, 1989

• Torch Award recipient, 2015

Q: What ignited your passion for news?A: I’m naturally an inquisitive person interested in what’s going on

around me. It’s probably not a big surprise I ended up doing a job

where I get to ask people questions. I enjoy telling their stories.

Q: Your light-hearted on-camera persona differs from how many news anchors portray themselves. Where does this come from?A: It’s just me being me. My personality comes through during the

broadcast. My greatest compliment is when people meet me and tell

me I’m just like I am on TV. Viewers can spot a fake from a mile away.

Q: You have covered every type of news. Is one most satisfying to you?A: I’ve covered history-making events like Princess Diana’s death,

Prince William and Kate’s royal wedding and the election of Pope

Francis, to name a few. Whenever I’m covering something of that

magnitude, I take a minute to remind myself how lucky I am to

witness history firsthand. Those stories are the ones I’ll be telling

my friends in the nursing home.

Q: Do you have a secret to staying energized in what is a very demanding job? A: No secrets, really. I just try to lead a balanced life. I have a boyfriend

I adore, and we love to travel. I have great friends and a wonderful

family. I love my work, but I can also disconnect from it completely.

Q: What advice do you have for young people looking to break into broadcast news?A: I would tell young people to be prepared to start small and work

their way up. Young people today think they can graduate and sit

at the anchor desk. That’s not the way it works. My first job was

at a cable station where I shot and edited my own video in English

and Spanish. I would also tell them to be prepared to move away to

some small town for their first job if that’s what it takes.

Q: Do you have an FIU memory to share?A: I just remember being at FIU and wanting to do this so

badly. I couldn’t wait to graduate to get my career started. My TV

broadcasting class final project was to shoot and edit three stories

about FIU, and that tape landed me my first job at the cable station.

Q: How do you decompress?A: I love eating out for my Bite with Belkys blog, then coming home,

plopping on the couch and watching anything that’s on Bravo.

Photo courtesy of WSVN

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First-Class First Class: More than a dozen dignitaries and 196 freshmen turned out for the opening of FIU’s

lower division on August 26, 1981. Until then, FIU had served only upperclassmen and graduate students.

President Gregory Wolfe presided over the festivities, which included an introduction of Laura Metscher,

above, a Sunset High graduate who exemplified the excitement and promise of a new era for the university.

Photo courtesy of FIU Special Collections & University Archives