University launches Next Horizon: The Campaign for FIU with community celebration

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A little rain didn’t stop FIU in its pursuit of the Next Horizon! On Saturday, Jan. 26, the FIU Foundation, Inc. hosted a community-wide celebration in the Graham Center to commemorate the public launch of Next Horizon: The Campaign for FIU. With a goal to raise $750 million, this landmark campaign is the university’s largest […]

On 30th anniversary of Armenian earthquake, alumnus recognized by ambassador for service as disaster responder

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On December 7, 1988, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake rocked Armenia, leaving 25,000 dead (with estimates ranging as high as 50,000) and hundreds of thousands homeless. In an unprecedented move, the Soviet Union, of which Armenia was then a member, called for help from the international community in the wake of the disaster. Days later, alumnus Raul […]

Do everything better – our alumni tell us how!

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By Alexandra Pecharich For FIU Magazine   By virtue of their education, professional backgrounds and personal experience, FIU alumni possess expert knowledge on a wide variety of topics. FIU Magazine asked two dozen to offer helpful suggestions (in 100 words or less) that almost anyone can use. WORK AND FINANCES Stay relevant in a fast-paced […]

Torch Awards Gala showcases the best and brightest

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This story originally appeared in FIU Magazine. The 2018 Torch Awards Gala attracted a record-breaking 1,000 attendees to make it the largest in FIU history. The November event, held at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, honored 15 alumni and one faculty member who are each making a difference in their professions, in the community and […]

Engineering grad creates Internet of Things startup company

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By Diana Hernandez-Alende Giovanni Giannola, an FIU alumnus, recalls how at the young age of seven, he began upgrading computers for his father’s company. His dad worked as a general contractor in their home country, Venezuela. Giannola would install Windows 95 onto the computers using what would be considered a fossil in this day and […]

Annual Torch Awards Gala returns to FIU this year, and you’re invited!

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The Torch Awards Gala returns to FIU this year! The annual celebration pays tribute to Panthers who are making an impact in their professions, the community and at the university. Last hosted on campus more than five years ago, the event will take place at FIU’s Ocean Bank Convocation Center for the first time on […]

Cancer Wars: Alumna and students tackle science, policy in new Honors College course

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—By Lianna Farnesi ’18 This fall, 20 students from FIU’s Honors College and one influential alumna are charting a new course for education at FIU in Washington, D.C. The Cancer Wars is a year-long class — taught virtually by Kate Houghton ’06, CEO of Critical Mass, the Young Adult Cancer Alliance — which will bridge policy, politics, history and […]

Talent, grit and making his own luck: The story of writer Dennis Lehane MFA ’01

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By Evelyn S. Gonzalez For FIU Magazine Controlling the brain. It’s a skill one of FIU’s most famous authors has yet to master. But, it’s a skill he might not want to master. The stories that have made him an award-winning novelist and screenwriter are all woven from the chaos in his own mind. “I […]

Online degree propels education alumna to success against all odds

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By Michael Martin In January 2011, during her first year of college at another university, Lauren Apodaca was struggling with severe anxiety when, one night, she felt a tingling sensation in her legs. As time went on, walking became increasingly difficult. One day, as she slogged her way to class, she passed out. When she […]

Hospitality alumnus goes from busboy to CEO

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Alumnus Regynald G. Washington ’74 was invited back to FIU to speak at this summer’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management commencement ceremony on Sunday, July 29, 2018. In this interview, which originally appeared in FIU News, Washington opens up about the steps he took in life that propelled his career as a restaurateur: […]