{"id":16547,"date":"2024-02-28T09:00:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T09:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/?p=16547"},"modified":"2024-02-27T15:27:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T15:27:50","slug":"bringing-it-all-back-home-paw-2024-fosters-reconnection-growth-and-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/2024\/02\/28\/bringing-it-all-back-home-paw-2024-fosters-reconnection-growth-and-pride\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing It All Back Home: PAW 2024 Fosters Reconnection, Growth and Pride"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pop quiz! (And don\u2019t look up the answer. Hey! We saw that peeking!)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What anniversary of Panther Alumni Week just took place?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*Patiently waits for answer*<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you guessed 11, you\u2019re right!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From February 5<\/span>th<\/span> to February 12<\/span>th<\/span>, Panthers came back to FIU for more than 20 engaging events that connected almost 6,000 alumni and students. The week featured more than 150+ class speakers, insightful panels, and workshops that boosted attendees\u2019 networking skills.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To truly appreciate how far PAW has come, however, it\u2019s important to take a quick look back at how it started.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inviting Alumni to Reconnect<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

More than a decade ago, PAW\u2019s story began with Gerald C. Grant Jr. \u201978, MBA \u201989, former president of the Alumni Association, former member of the FIU Board of Trustees, and the first recipient of the Alumnus of the Year at the 2014 Torch Awards. Grant had a simple idea for what would become PAW: reconnect alumni with FIU.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of FIU\u2019s constant evolution, Grant envisioned an added benefit, too. As he commented in an interview during PAW\u2019s sixth anniversary, the week would afford alumni \u201can opportunity to see what FIU looks like today and come back to share their story about how FIU prepared them for the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey can talk about the success they\u2019ve had because of the skills they gained here, and how those skills translate to the real world.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe to say that there\u2019d be no PAW \u2013 and certainly no eleventh iteration \u2013 without the inspiration and work of Grant.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Standout Events<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

PAW 2024 kicked off when architect <\/span>Malcolm Jones \u201918 <\/span><\/a>hosted a panel discussion with former professor Glen Santayana \u201908, for the College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts. During the panel, Jones and Santayana shared their journeys from being student and teacher, to peers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Malik
FIU Alumni Board member Malik Wilkes ’08 speaks at the Financial Wellness Workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As their discussion progressed, Jones noticed the same reactions in the students that he once had.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe session turned out to be more than just an exchange of questions and answers; seeing the students\u2019 eyes light up with every story and piece of advice shared was a stark reminder of my own aspirations and dreams when I was in their shoes,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a reminder that, no matter where we are in our professional journey, our experiences and knowledge have immense value to those following in our footsteps.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on his experience during PAW 2024, Jones said \u201cas an alum who graduated in 2018, stepping into those familiar rooms again was a surreal experience. It wasn\u2019t just about revisiting where my foundation was laid but also about sharing the essence of what I\u2019ve learned and absorbed in the real world with eager minds.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the same day, Malik Wilkes \u201908, an Alumni Board of Directors member, led the inaugural \u201cFinancial Wellness Workshop.\u201d During the workshop, experts in mortgage banking, credit, and investing met with alumni and students to answer questions and give advice on financial management.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For those unable to attend the workshop in-person, they still could participate virtually. Wilkes engaged his social media followers throughout the day by asking them to share their questions regarding home ownership and financial wellness on Instagram.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
FIU students and alumni at “The Power to Connect” workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Later in the week, Alberto Padron \u201998, MBA \u201909, CEO of Stinghouse Creative, facilitated \u201cThe Power to Connect: A Comprehensive Networking Workshop\u201d to help bolster the networking skills of students and young alumni. Padron shared his networking insight and expertise, while detailing tips and tricks to master the networking process. Participants could then apply what they learned that evening at the PAWs N\u2019 Connect Networking Reception, hosted by Young Alumni.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other notable events throughout the week included the \u201cWashington, D.C. Kickoff Networking Event,\u201d which brought together students and alumni in the DMV area; \u201cDouble Panther Appreciation,\u201d which honored Double Panthers, alumni who are employed by the university, for their remarkable dedication and passion for FIU; and the \u201cKovens Cultural Arts Series Celebrating our FIU Alumni Artists and Emerging FIU Panthers,\u201d which showcased the work of alumni artists. For anyone who missed the opportunity to attend the exhibition, it will be open through March 8<\/span>th<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mentorship Matters<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you couldn\u2019t participate in PAW 2024, there\u2019s no need to wait a full year for PAW 2025. Be on the lookout for new programming that will launch soon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrograms such as Panther Alumni Week and our upcoming mentorship program foster meaningful relationships between FIU alumni and current undergraduate and graduate students,\u201d said Sara DuCuennois, Chief Alumni Officer of FIU Alumni. \u201cThe connections made in these programs help prepare our students for a successful future and leave a lasting impact on our campus and alumni community.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pop quiz! (And don\u2019t look up the answer. Hey! We saw that peeking!)\u00a0 What anniversary of Panther Alumni Week just took place?\u00a0 *Patiently waits for answer*\u00a0 If you guessed 11, you\u2019re right!\u00a0 From February 5th to February 12th, Panthers came back to FIU for more than 20 engaging events that connected almost 6,000 alumni and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[369,195],"tags":[387,265,444,393],"class_list":["post-16547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-spotlight","category-career-development","tag-alumni-association-board-of-directors","tag-events","tag-panther-alumni-week","tag-young-alumni"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16547"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16547"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16553,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16547\/revisions\/16553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fiualumni.com\/stay-connected\/alumni-news\/newsroom\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}