Next we’re gonna visit the sky lounge, where Juliana is gonna share her undergraduate research experience. At FIU, students are entrusted with major projects in the lab and in the field before grad school. Juliana is an honors college student who is in the early assurance program, which guarantees graduates admission to FIUs Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Thank you Alex, hi everyone, I am an Argentinian Cuban born and raised here in Miami, Florida. Ever since I was in high school, I knew I wanted to come to FIU because of the cultural diversity. FIU has one of the top programs in the nations for Hispanics like myself. With hard work and dedication, I am blessed to have been granted some of the many scholarships offered by FIU, including recognition for my leadership ability and academic excellence in biological sciences. Through FIU I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with multiple organizations such as the Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Program, which is a service learning project that immerses medical students in our community. We visit households and learn about the social determines of health while making a difference. At the FIU biochemistry and chemistry department, I worked at the x-ray diffractometer and I assisted Dr. Minjun and Dr. Lisa Brinn in teaching students about the functions of the human body. As the president of the national society of leadership and success, I helped to organize food drives to fill the FIU pantry, which aids students suffering from food insecurity. In addition, I was able to join the pre-medical honors organization known as STITCH. Through this organization I was able to share my knowledge and love for science with children in underserved community. As a sophomore through the competitive FIU honors early assurance program, I was granted a seat at my dream medical school, FIU. Medical school is very competitive, this is an amazing opportunity for me and future FIU students who aspire to become physicians like myself. I am proud to say I’ll be continuing my education at FIU medical school because of the combination of my love for learning, research and serving my community. FIU is not only my second home but my second family. One day I hope to see you all in the halls of our wonderful FIU. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Now back to you Alex.
You had me at x-ray diffractometer, Juliana, you did a great job highlighting the academic rigor at FIU. It’s exhilarating to see what you’ve already accomplished, good luck in med school, take care.
Now let’s check out one of the coolest facilities at FIU, civil and environmental engineering PhD student, Kehinde is at FIU Wall of Wind, located at the engineering and computing center, the facility is part of the university’s extreme event institute. Research conducted there has helped inform building practices and codes throughout the region. Kehinde I can’t wait to hear about the work you and your fellow Panthers are doing there.
Thanks Alex, hi everyone, I’m a PhD student at the department of civil and environmental engineering here at FIU. I’m Nigerian, and moving to Miami to start my PhD was a big decision for me. This is because I’ve never been to the country and I’ve only had about the US from the news and interaction with some of my friends who study here. When I arrived on campus, I noticed the diversity in the student population and how nice the staff were in directing new students in the right direction. My doctoral research is in the area of structure wind engineering, and my research group sits within the International Hurricane Restart Center, which is a part of FIUs Extreme Events Institute. The Extreme Events Institute was launched in 2012, to use both a multi hazard and a transdisciplinary approach in understanding extreme environmental events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. The goal of the center is to reduce the vulnerability of the community to hurricane events. The Wall of Wind is one of the research laboratories within the center. It is a recognized NSF experimental facility with a six fan open jet wind panel capable of producing category five hurricane wind speed. This unit facility has provided a test bed for both academic and industry researchers, to understand how hurricane winds affect buildings and other infrastructure. Some of the building code changes to the Miami-Dade and Florida building code are direct results of research carried out at our Wall of Wind by our amazing faculty, staff and students. The center also organizes STEM events for kids, including the annual Wall of Wind challenge and other outreaches to inform community members on homes best to protect their homes during hurricanes. Aside from research, I’ve improved on my leadership skills by participating in the Inaugural Academy of Leaders Training. This gave me the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests. I have also been able to connect with many other Nigerian students at FIU. For achieving PhD here at FIU was a great decision, and I’m grateful for the wonderful environment that the university provide and the opportunity to contribute to the work of protecting our community. As you can see, we’re about to fire up the Wall of Wind now. Back to you, Alex.
Wow that blows me away we’re in good hands when it comes to environmental resilience. Thank you for sharing your work with us and the next generations, cheers Kehinde.
Next is Ally Gee. She is from Low Mountain, Arizona, located on the Navajo nation. She’s a senior public health major, the Hozhoni Ambassador, and a remarkable woman who’s gonna talk to us about diversity here at Fort Lewis College. Which, as you will see is very special here on campus. Ally, it’s all yours.
Hi, everyone. As Alex stated, my name is Ally. I’m now going to introduce myself in my Navajo language. What I just said in my Diné language are my four clans that I use to identify myself as a Navajo woman. I personally chose to attend Fort Lewis because of their commitment to serving students and the diversity within this community. And it’s proven to be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Fort Lewis is a unique place where diversity is central to who we are. Over 50% of our campus are students of color representing nearly all 50 States, 15 countries and 170 Native American tribes and Alaskan villages. Fort Lewis is a Native American serving, non-tribal institution that offers qualified students a tuition waiver if they come from federally recognized tribes. The tuition waiver was established in 1934 to provide Native American students an opportunity at affordable higher education.
The old Fort Lewis property in Hesperus, Colorado, was home to a military base and Indian boarding school in the 1800s. Fort Lewis College is currently taking steps to address its history. And the school has been working to understand and represent the diversity of the student body. One of the ways that this is done is by the resource centers that we have available to us. On campus, we have resources like the Native American Center, El Centro De Muchos Colores, the Black Student Resource Center, and the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. These centers play a huge role in everyday student life, from free tutoring to events on campus, there is a place for everyone.
The opportunity to meet new people from a variety of backgrounds, interests and concentrations of study are always available here at FLC. That is something that I truly love about this campus. Together as Skyhawks, we work hard to create an inclusive community. By actively seeking to understand the diverse backgrounds of our community, we become agents of change to create a more equitable world and I love it. Thanks, everyone. That was super fun to share what diversity means here at Fort Lewis. And back to you, Alex.
Ally, thank you. Thank you for being so open and honest about diversity here at Fort Lewis. The world needs more people like you. Great job.
All right, everyone. Now, we’re heading to meet Nate Decremer. He’s the senior here at Fort Lewis College, an outdoor adventurer in every sense of the word. And he’s gonna talk to us about outdoor recreation here at Fort Lewis. Nate, how you doing? Take it away.
How’s it going, everyone? One of my favorite parts about the Fort is the fact that I have all this great access to outdoor recreation out here. I’m a raft guide during the summertime, rafting down the Colorado River in the desert. During the winter time when I’m not in school, I’ll dedicate my time to backcountry snowboarding. During the spring, I go and do ski mountaineering, which is riding technical lines down the big high peaks out here in the San Juans. During the fall, I explore the infinite canyons of the desert.
What’s really cool about Durango is that the San Juans are right there in our backyard and the desert’s only about two and a half hours away. So that means that you got world-class skiing, climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, it’s awesome. Durango is home to the Animas River. It flows right through the heart of downtown Durango and it’s an awesome spot for whitewater kayaking and rafting out here.
Durango is also home to the end of the Colorado Trail. We got a ton of trails out here, hundreds of miles weaving in and around town that is great for trail running, mountain biking, hiking, you name it. If you like national parks, then you will have a ton of options out here. We’ve got places like Grand Staircase-Escalante, Chaco Canyon, Canyons of the Ancients, Arches, Canyonlands and Mesa Verde is only about an hour away. Not to mention all the national forests as well as all the designated wilderness areas that you can explore and camp in all by yourself.
Whether you’ve been exploring the outdoors for your entire life or if you’re just getting into it, outdoor pursuits here at FLC is an awesome resource. It’s located right here on campus at the Student Life Center and they provide free gear rentals to all the students. You can rent anything from a mountain bike to split boards to hiking and backpacking gear, anything you need to be successful out there in the wilderness. Not only do they provide free gear, they also provide guided trips and training tutorials so that you can hone your skills before you go out there on your own. These trips are provided by student outdoor leaders and guiding professionals themselves in the field and range anywhere between backpacking trips over the weekend here in our backyard or mountaineering trips all the way around the world.
I love going to college here because this place has really allowed me to explore all of these new recreational activities and truly find all these cool outdoor experiences. And it has really shaped who I am today. Back to you.
Nate, next time I’m back here, you have to take me on one of those awesome adventures you do all the time. That was awesome, great job.
We are now heading over to the courtyard of the Colangelo College of Business. Here, we have Maya waiting for us. She’s a GCU alum, and she’s gonna talk about the community impacts beyond the classroom here at Grand Canyon University. Maya, you are on.
– Hi, everyone. I’m a second-generation Latino. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and my parents are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. One of the most profound memories I have while attending Grand Canyon University is being able to experience the growth and development. There’s so much collaboration between professors and students. You get one-on-one coaching from professionals who have so much experience in the field. It’s amazing to be able to knock on their door and have a conversation with them. Every professor is there to help you through the process, and they encourage you to work in small learning groups. GCU offers an excellent curriculum, where you learn how to start a business from beginning to end. Entrepreneurship is highly encouraged in the university between staff and students, because they’re dedicated to the success of the students. My story is a true example of GCU’s commitment to community growth and job creation. The Colangelo College of Business has helped me and prepared me to stimulate my ideas and creativity and bring those personal business plans to life. In August of 2019, I opened my first business called Sleep Simple Co. It’s a furniture store and mattress store. With GCU’s rapid growing community of residence halls and apartments, they needed mattresses. My professors and the Colangelo College of Business dean, made it possible for me to pitch a business proposal to supply GCU with mattresses from my family business. Not only has Grand Canyon University purchased thousands of mattresses from our company, we’ve had the great opportunity to support West Phoenix local business expansion. GCU’s partnership has enabled us to provide jobs to members of our community. We started in an 11,000 square foot building. and this year our growth has become exponential, and we moved into a 30,000 square foot building. I feel so accomplished being able to support the community and provide more jobs in West Phoenix. So this is my story. Alex, back to you.
– Maya, that was great to hear how GCU supported your business, which in turn supported the surrounding community. It’s incredible. That was really fun. Keep up the great work and congrats on all your business success. Cheers, Maya.
Okay, everybody, let’s kick this episode off by hearing first from the university’s president. Mr. Brian Mueller is a visionary and innovator in an industry slow to adapt to change. Since Mr. Mueller joined GCU about 13 years ago, the university has experienced unprecedented growth. Enrollment on the Phoenix ground campus has increased from roughly 1000 to over 22,000, while online enrollment has grown exponentially to more than 90,000. He is a force, and he is excited to share the vision of Grand Canyon University with you all. President Mueller, the floor is all yours.
– Thank you, Alex. It’s great to be here today, and thank you for your interest in Grand Canyon University. A lot of people are asking, how did this miracle in a desert happen? Really, 13 years ago, we came here with the idea that, could we create a private Christian university that would be affordable to all socioeconomic classes of Americans. It would require a whole different way to think about the economics of higher education. We came here for that purpose. We actually went to the public markets 13 years ago. The public markets actually liked our idea and they invested in it. We brought it back to Phoenix with the idea of creating a hybrid campus. To be honest with you, it worked out way better than we thought. In the fall, we’ll have 25,000 students on our campus in Phoenix, we have 90,000 students studying online. They’re leveraging a common infrastructure, and we haven’t had to raise tuition for 13 years, Grand Canyon University students now take out less debt than the average state university student. What happened then, is that we had this period of unbelievable growth. Academically, we came here with three colleges, less than a hundred academic programs, and today we have nine colleges, over 270 academic programs, including in very difficult and rigorous academic areas like engineering, computer science, information technology than natural sciences. We’ve invested almost $1.5 billion into the campus, and it’s been ranked the seventh nicest campus in the country, and the growth just isn’t stopping. All of those things then, led to the development of an incredible community. In fact, I will tell you, if I line up 10 kids today and say, why’d you choose Grand Canyon? Nine out of 10 they will say, it’s the strength of the community. We teach in very small class sizes. We hire professors based upon their ability to teach the material, but we also hire them based upon their ability to build relationships with our students. We have a very vibrant campus culture. Spiritual activities like chapel, where we have as many as 7,000 students there. We probably have the largest intermural sports club program in the country, huge outdoor rec program. We have students in music, theater, dance. Those are all ways for our students to get connected, to build relationships, to build a network of friends. The most important thing that’s happened here though, is that the university is grown up in the middle of a immigrant community that has a lot of needs. A lot of these people are asylum seekers. They’re just getting started in America. We decided that our faith expression was going to be lived out by pouring into the lives of these immigrants. And it’s our students and our faculty, and their willingness to participate in all that, that is our faith expression. And that’s what we’re trying to do here. We’re very grateful for how things have gone for us. We’ve been extremely blessed. In return, we try to bless the community, but I want you to hear it from our faculty and staff, and especially our students. And so with that, let me throw it back to Alex.
– President Mueller, you are an inspirational leader in every sense of the word. We thank you for sharing all that with everyone. You’re like a rock star here on campus, and I can see why everyone from the students, to the faculty, to the parents, all love you. Thanks again. Cheers, Brian.
Okay everyone, next, we’re heading just down the road from campus to the gorgeous beaches of Melbourne, Florida where Maria Sagastume, is waiting for us. Now, here’s a young woman who finished her bachelor’s, and master’s degree at Florida Tech, and is now working on a PhD in human centered design. She’s a serious student, who’s seriously into having fun in Florida’s sun. And Maria is going to walk us through the amazing location here in Melbourne. Maria, how are you? Take it away.
Hello everyone, welcome to Melbourne, Florida. Melbourne is located on the Space Coast of Florida. We are centralized in a great location where you can explore all of the cool places that Florida has to offer. Whether you want to go to the amusement parks in Orlando, the NASA Kennedy Space Center, or big cities like Miami or Tampa, they’re all a car drive away. However, there is no place like Melbourne.
Melbourne has so much to offer. Whenever I want to go out to eat, find a cafe to study, or even do some shopping, Downtown Melbourne is my go-to place. It is a charming strip with locally owned, and unique restaurants and shops. Florida Tech even has a panther mural located in the heart of Downtown Melbourne, where you can stop by for some really cool pictures. However, one of the best hangout spots is the beach. It is located 10 minutes away from campus, or 30 minutes if you’re biking, or rollerblading. There are so many beach parks for you to go to. Whether you want to play volley ball, go surfing, or just relax or hang out with friends, there is a place for you to go. The weather is perfect all year long allowing us students to enjoy outdoor activities all the time.
Beyond going to the beach, Florida Tech students love to go to the pier, the springs, or visit the natural trails that we have around here. One of my favorite things to do, is to rollerblade by the crossway. It has an amazing view of the Indian River Lagoon. Once you’re up there, you can actually see the ocean peeking from behind the barrier island. It is a great spot for you to watch the sunrise or sunset. The waterways not only provide great views, but a great place for you to go kayaking, paddleboarding, or even surfing. You can also encounter manatees, or dolphins, or even sea turtles hatching at the beach. Ocean engineering, and marine science students are even lucky enough to use the lagoon, or the beach as their classroom. They come here to get hands-on experience, and work on research projects.
Also multiple organizations from Florida Tech, take advantage of the beach, and the lagoon like the surf club, or the fishing club. The Space Coast is a hub of innovation and technology. We’re home to a wide variety of aerospace and engineering companies that Florida Tech students get the opportunity to work with. I, for example, have been working for a local medical company, called Medicomp, for three years. It is a great opportunity for me to meet other Florida Tech alumni, and also increase my network and get valuable experience for my future career.
All of these things come together to make Melbourne the best place for both relaxing, and studying. You will definitely enjoy your time here, and make great memories as you discover all of the cool things that Melbourne has to offer. Now, I’m off to enjoying this amazing place. Back to you, Alex.
Maria, that was great. The location here at Florida Tech is fantastic. Everyone loves perfect weather, and beaches, and you all certainly have that right here. Thanks again, Maria.
Next, we’re heading to meet the one and only Carson Ingram. He is the Student Body President here at Fort Lewis and it’s gonna take a few minutes to tell you about the housing and dining options here on campus. Mr. President, the floor is all yours.
Thanks, Alex. Mr. President has a nice ring to it. I wish more people would call me that. Now, let’s talk about student housing first. We have a lot of great options to choose from.
If you want a traditional college experience, you can choose Camp, Crofton or Escalante. You’ll have one roommate, a bathroom at the end of the hall and it’s a great place to meet a lot of new friends. But if you like your personal space, we have a lot of suite style options on campus just for you. Bader-Snyder, Cooper, West and right here at Animas Hall. Each of these share a bathroom with four different people and they come in single bedroom styles and double bedroom styles. Big shout to all my friends over in Bader B, that’s where I stayed when I lived on campus.
No matter where you choose, all of the options are amazing. And the staff there are there to help. They generally care about their job and they wanna see you succeed, whether you lock yourself out of your room or you just need someone to talk to. Of course, going to college isn’t all just about school. A lot of great events are planned on campus and a lot of them happen right inside of the residence halls, pizza parties, tie-dye mixers, open mic nights. These events helped me make new friends, adjust to college and really enjoy my first year experience.
And of course, while living on campus, we all have to eat. The San Juan Dining Hall and the Rocket Grill are great places to go if you wanna get a quick bite or sit with your friends and talk while you have a great meal. The San Juan Dining Hall has multiple options, every meal. So, there’s always something for everyone to eat. If you have any dietary restrictions, don’t worry about it. The dining hall will work with you to make sure that you can leave with a full stomach and a smile on your face.
And if you’re wanting something quick and easy in between classes, we have three great coffee shops to choose from, Animas Perks, Berndt Hall and Jones hall. They’re great places to stop if you wanna get a coffee and a bagel and it gets you back to class in no time. That’s housing and dining here at Fort Lewis College. Alex, back to you.
Mr. President, that was fantastic. Thank you for giving your personal tour into the housing and dining available here at the Fort. Thanks again, Carson.
Now let’s meet Prachi who is studying international relations with a minor in political science and also getting certificates in Latin American and Caribbean studies, European and Eurasian studies, human rights and political transitions and Peace Corp Prep. Wow that is an impressive resume, take it away Prachi.
Hi everyone, it’s an honor to talk to you today about how to create a just peaceful and prosperous world. I was born in Venezuela, but my whole family is from India. What can I say, I’m living the best of other worlds. I got the chance to travel to India when I was 12, and I saw how women were oppressed how they couldn’t express themselves freely, go to school or even sit in the same tables men do. From that day, I decided I will strive in the best of my abilities to help them, because I want them to experience the same freedom and opportunities I’m blessed to have today in my life. My work is driven by passion for helping and compassion for people. I believe that all of us were created at the image of God and we should support each other. As a daughter of two Indian parents, I realized that I need to prepare myself in order to make a difference. My American dream has started here at FIU. I have the opportunity to travel to different places just as Alabama, Boston, and LA, and create my own community in Faema. My goal is inspire and empower women. We offer mentoring, worship, live webinars and ally resources. And so far we have helped more than 1,200 women around the world. As a Hamilton scholar at FIU, I work as a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, creating and funding my own policy proposal called the Aasha Hope Program, which authors the domestic violence in the South Asian community. My policy has granted a woman in that community, educational resources, shelter, childcare through NGO and community-based solutions. All these experiences have helped me to create a just peaceful and prosperous world. I believe that if I can inspire someone, that person can inspire someone else and like this we can start a change reaction. Well that is my story, thank you so much for listening and get back to you Alex.
Thank you so much Prachi for sharing your story with us. You’re doing meaningful work, makes us feel positive about our future congratulations, cheers Prachi.
Okay everyone let’s head over to the beautiful Biscayne Bay campus across town. Nicole is waiting for us there near the kayak launch. She’s gonna share her work as a PhD student in aquatic and landscape ecology. Her love for all things water has led her to some pretty cool field research at FIU, which is a top three public university in the country for researching and educating students on life below water. Nicole, you are on.
Hello everyone, my name’s Nicole Strickland, I’m a fourth year PhD student here at Florida International University. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had an obsession with fish and anything related to the water. It’s kinda hard not to growing up in Michigan surrounded by the beautiful great lakes. Well, this curiosity developed into a passion drive for a quad biology. I always knew that I wanted to study environmental science, but didn’t know anyone close to me who was doing it as a career. When I was attending my undergraduate university, I was talking to a professor about applying to graduate school and he mentioned me a colleague who was conducting conservation and research in the Everglades. He even mentioned that they flew helicopters to remote sites. I told them I’m in and where do I apply? Here at FIU, I have the very special opportunity to work in the aquatic ecology lab. In our lab we study population and community dynamics and conduct monitoring studies throughout the Everglades through like data and information on how restoration affects different parts of the ecosystem. One program that benefits from our data is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan or CERP, which is a major restoration initiative that is trying to restore historic water flow back into the Everglades. This program is one of the largest hydrologic restoration projects ever undertaken in the United States. I get amazing opportunity to travel to different sites using helicopters and air boats and conduct experiments in the middle of beautiful wetlands. Sometimes if you’re lucky you get to see an alligator too. If wading through wetlands isn’t for you, then that’s okay because FIU has a vast array of majors and graduate school programs ranging from biochemistry all the way to Marine biology. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing professors and had unique opportunities that I would not have anywhere else. I feel proud of all that I’ve accomplished here at FIU and look forward to all my future findings from my research. I hope my stories inspire others to not be afraid of putting themselves out there because you never know who you might inspire on your way of achieving your goals. Thanks for listening, now back to you Alex.
Nicole that was really cool. Wading through wetland sounds like tons of fun, and helping save the Everglades right in your own backyard is amazing, I can’t wait to read about your findings in the future thank you for sharing your story, take care Nicole.