On Wednesday, May 4, the FIU Alumni Association celebrated the Annual Meeting & Cocktail Reception, a spirited event which has helped the Alumni Association propel into each new year for over a decade.

Before the cocktail reception kicked off, an intimate group of volunteers gathered to be inducted into the 2016-2017 Alumni Association Board of Directors. The group was inducted by Duane Wiles, executive director of the FIU Alumni Association and Howard Lipman, senior vice president and CEO of the FIU Foundation.

Among inductees was new board president Eddie Hondal ’88, MS ’00, who shared inspiring remarks with over 200 alumni during the cocktail reception. Eddie shared that as his first order of business as the new president, he was appointing every alumnus to the role of brand ambassador, so that Panthers would be encouraged to share their FIU experience far and wide. 

Later in the evening, the FIU Young Alumni Council president Hiram Hernandez ’03 was honored to award the first ever Young Alumni Council Graduate Scholarship to recipient Ella Pulido. The Young Alumni Council Graduate Scholarship is awarded to an exceptional FIU alumnus who continues their studies as a graduate student at FIU.

In the perfect ending to a perfect night, Jorge Villacampa, Foundation Board of Director and Area President, Miami-Dade Wells Fargo Bank, presented a $50,000 check to the First Generation Scholarship Fund, which will be matched 100% by the State of Florida, resulting in $100,000 in scholarship dollars. 

Thanks to the generous support of FIU alumni and donors, the FIU Alumni Association was able to celebrate a memorable evening and provide thousands of dollars in scholarship support to FIU students.

To view photos from the event, click here.