From singer to paratrooper to mathematician, this alum took a different route to NASA

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–By David Drucker for FIU News Michael Lopez ’20 is a bit of a thrill-seeker. In his 20s, he picked up a guitar, started a folk-rock band and moved to Nashville. In his 30s, he became a paratrooper for the U.S. Army in Germany before busting his leg on a jump. Now, using his degree […]

Brian Breittholz named new FIU AVP for alumni relations

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–By Clara-Meretan Kiah and Todd Ellenberg for FIU News Brian Breittholz is FIU’s new associate vice president for alumni relations and chief alumni officer. Breittholz, an accomplished higher education leader with a wealth of experience in alumni relations, development, student affairs and communications, joins FIU after serving seven years as Cleveland State University’s (CSU) assistant vice president for alumni affairs and executive […]

Education alumna becomes assistant principal at 24

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–By Angela Nicoletti for FIU News Amanda Hernandez became an assistant principal at 24 years old — in the middle of a global pandemic. The FIU early childhood development alumna works at the Ann Storck Center, a Fort Lauderdale nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with special needs and developmental disabilities. She […]

Alumnae create sustainable, reusable cutlery line to ease pandemic anxiety

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–By Tatianna Basanta for FIU News Following months of quarantine and a citywide lockdown, alumna Margie Stein ’14 finally braved visiting restaurants this past summer, only to discover she felt admittedly uncomfortable. After taking a look at her surroundings, she realized she was not the only one. Stein noticed dozens of restaurant patrons elected to […]

Alumnus creates film for Amazon Prime Video using smartphone

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–By Zion Sealy for FIU News Award-winning filmmaker Gabriel Rhenals ’16 produced his first full-length feature film “For My Sister”—now streaming on Amazon Prime Video—on his smartphone. In 2019, Rhenals was looking for a simple, cost-effective way of creating the movie; he decided to film the entire production using his Samsung Galaxy S9+. “There was […]

Alumnus shares experience as political analyst for Telemundo during election season

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–By Katherine Dagand for FIU News Alumnus Michael Hernandez ’04, MPA ’11 has had an extensive career in public affairs. He worked both Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012 and served as the director of communications and senior advisor for Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez for four years. He’s currently a senior vice president […]

Alumna makes her mark on the film and entertainment industry

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–By Tatianna Basanta for FIU News Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez MA ’08 (@michellejubilee) is a self-proclaimed storyteller and has made a career for herself in the film and entertainment industry in whatever capacity she could – actor, voice-over talent, singer, stunt performer, producer and, most recently, writer. Gonzalez graduated from FIU’s School of Music with a master’s […]

Alumna to lead refugee team at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

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–By Tatianna Basanta for FIU News Architecture alumna Ileana Rodriguez ’08, M.Arch ’11 was appointed chef de mission for the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. As chef de mission, Rodriguez will be a mentor, sponsor and spokesperson for the RPT team throughout the Paralympic games. Born and raised in Cuba, Rodriguez […]

Exceptional Alumni: Indie music business pro John Guinan

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Head of content and operations for an independent label and co-founder of another, this 2016 grad has seen his star rise in no time flat. –By Sarah Hernandez for FIU News School of Music alumnus John Guinan (@jay.__.peh) graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s in music business and has been steadily making a name for himself […]

Remembering FIU super fan Dennis Castro ’77, the ‘Paw Claw Guy’

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The FIU Alumni Association was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of FIU alumnus Dennis M. Castro ’77, on September 14, 2020. A longtime Panther super fan, FIU Football season ticket holder and a graduate of one of the first classes of the College of Engineering & Computing, Dennis was known affectionately as the ‘Paw Claw Guy’ for the homemade Panther […]