{"id":30775,"date":"2018-08-03T15:33:19","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T19:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=30775"},"modified":"2018-08-15T16:33:08","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T20:33:08","slug":"proud-panthers-over-1000-fiu-business-grads-receive-degrees-at-summer-2018-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2018\/08\/proud-panthers-over-1000-fiu-business-grads-receive-degrees-at-summer-2018-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Proud Panthers: Over 1,000 FIU Business grads receive degrees at Summer 2018 commencement."},"content":{"rendered":"

They entered the arena as students. Nearly two hours later, they left as alumni, ready for their next challenges.<\/p>\n

In front of friends, family and faculty, FIU College of Business<\/a> students were awarded degrees at Summer 2018 commencement ceremonies on July 29 and 31, 2018 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. A total of 1,104 students \u2013 478 graduates of the Alvah H. Chapman Graduate School and 626 from the R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School \u2013 were awarded degrees.<\/p>\n

\"FIU<\/p>\n

FIU Business Dean Joanne Li and FIU President Mark Rosenberg greeted the graduates as they walked the stage. The ceremonies also recognized five FIU Business Worlds Ahead graduates<\/a>, accomplished students who met unique challenges in the course of their lives.<\/p>\n

FIU Business faculty member S. Christopher Ellis sang the The Star Spangled Banner and the FIU Alma Mater at Sunday\u2019s ceremony. He was joined by fellow faculty members Donald Roomes and Louis Melbourne on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Tom Cornish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Sunday\u2019s Chapman School ceremony, Tom Cornish (BBA \u201985), chief operating officer of BankUnited, served as the commencement speaker. The first person in his family to go to the university and also to graduate from high school, Cornish was inducted in 2013 into the FIU Business Hall of Fame. He is a member and past chairman of the FIU Foundation Board of Directors. In 2017, he received the Torch Award from the FIU Alumni Association, the organization\u2019s highest honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cFIU formed the foundation of the success I achieved later in my career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"FIU<\/p>\n

His advice for graduates: \u201cDream big, have great goals and execute small. Think about how you execute from one job to another in small segments and never underestimate the power of hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess is determined by the depth of your determination,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you think about your goals maximize them, make them as large as possible. But when you come across a stumbling block, minimize them and look at the great things you will achieve. Don\u2019t ignore them, make them small.<\/p>\n

Staff members add a new degree to their accomplishments. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Ashley
Ashley Fornaris and Katherine Grau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ashley Fornaris, graphic designer in the Office of Marketing and Communications, received her MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin
Kevin Cuellar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kevin Cuellar, program coordinator at the Office of Executive and Professional Education, received his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts.<\/p>\n

Camilo Gonzalez, program assistant at the Hollo School of Real Estate, received a Bachelor of Business Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Katherine Grau, program manager at the Department of Finance\u2019s Capital Markets Lab, received her MBA.<\/p>\n

\"Myung
Myung (Martin) Sub Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Myung (Martin) Sub Kim, teaching assistant at the School of Accounting, received his Ph.D. in Accounting<\/a>. He will start work as an assistant professor at Saint Joseph\u2019s University.<\/p>\n

Jung Hoon Kim, adjunct lecturer in the Department of Management and International Business, received a Ph.D., and will be moving on to a new job as management lecturer at Central Michigan University.<\/p>\n

\"Celene
Celene Torres and Luisa Perez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Luisa Perez, director of the Office of Marketing and Communications, received her Master of Science in Global Strategic Communications.<\/p>\n

\"Celene
Celene Torres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Celene M. Torres, senior special events manager in the Office of Marketing and Communications, received her Master of Science in Global Strategic Communications.<\/p>\n

Cristina Lopez Yakimenko, full stack engineer in the Office of Graduate Enrollment and Retention Management, received a Master of Science in Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yue Zhao, doctoral assistant at the Department of Management and International Business, received a Ph.D., and will become an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.<\/p>\n