Learning and its Creative Process

Written by Prof. Dr. Marcela Moyano

Miramar, FL –

The President’s Graduation Reception took place on Friday, June 28th at 10:00 a.m. at the J. Alberto Moyano Auditorium. 

The event started with the pitching of the Business Expo students enrolled in Prof. Jack Rose who meticulously had put together their business ventures displays at the Summer Business Expo 2024. Watch a video of each of the student entrepreneurs in Prof. Rose’s blog post  on the Business Expo.

Followed by the student business pitching, the Wired: Satisfying Narratives Through Shapes, Colors, and Textures art gallery was officially opened and artists, Andres Zorrilla, Fernando Zicarelli, and Charly Silva were introduced. Art dealer and manager German Chavez from Colour Senses Project was also introduced and Dr. Marcela Moyano, Director of Communications of United International College thanked him and the artists for their support in enhancing the arts at UIC. 

Then, Prof. Rose commemorated President Lydia Bautista Möller and mentioned that United International College is about leadership that starts with UIC’s president. He said that leadership channels in the kind of team work that can be witnessed in events such as the President’s Graduation Reception. 

Right after Prof. Rose’s words, Dr. Marcela Moyano introduced the Documentary course that Communications and Mass Media students take as part of their last requirement of the program and presented senior students, Valerie Seguin, film Director, and Renata Diniz, film Assistant Director. 

During the course of six weeks, the students learned about the theory and historical background of the art of documentary production and produced United in Diversity: Voices of International UIC Students. The film features five students native to Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, Romania, and Russia. The purpose of the documentary is to portray the journey of international students from the moment they decide to embark on the journey of studying in the United States and explore all the challenges and opportunities they encounter along the way. 

The students opened up during interviews with Valerie Seguin and shared their most intimate emotions of their journey. The documentary is an uplifting piece of work that demonstrates to other international students of how their experience is alike and inspires students around the world to embark in such daring journeys that certainly elevates their life. 

Angelica Moyano, Provost of United International College is featured in the film and shares the history of UIC throughout its 24 years of having been established in South Florida and its passion for serving international students. 

The running time of the documentary is 32:02 minutes. After the screening, the audience asked questions to the filmmakers and Ana Maria Socha who was one of the students featured in the film. Everyone in the auditorium was moved and congratulated the filmmaker for having accomplished such a film in a short frame of time. They also thanked Ana Maria Socha and the other students for sharing their personal experiences in the film. 

The reception concluded and everyone was looking forward to celebration the XXII Commencement Ceremony on the very next day. A few of the students who participated in this event were graduating. 

by Marcela Moyano

Future Entrepreneurs Showcase their Business Ventures

Written by Prof. Jack Rose

Miramar, FL – The Summer 2024 term, at United International College, ended with the largest Business Expo in the college’s history, when 22 budding entrepreneurs showcased their businesses to visitors attending the Expo.

Under the direction of Professor Jack J. Rose, students learned not only the challenges of opening up a new business, but the importance of growing their business to achieve a higher level of success. Students had to submit their product/service for approval and identify their primary and secondary target markets. Ongoing marketing research was a key ingredient that Professor Rose emphasized, since each location has different clientele. As a former buyer, he stressed the importance of a merchandise plan, and knowing everything about their customers. Today, localization marketing is the key to all businesses having more than one location. 

From an economic standpoint, most cities want businesses to come to their community to boost the economy – providing employment and becoming involved community members. Globally, student must know the laws of each city/country, and the importance of knowing what marketing techniques are best to reach the target customer.

Chikamo Farms is the brainchild of Kumawuese Chiattitor. The farm specializes in producing organic vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, pepper, carrots, different bean varieties, and celery.

At the Expo, Kuma spoke with Thai Tran, the founder of Chao, featuring traditional Vietnamese Cuisine. Since Thai’s business is built on quality ingredients, a “marriage” was made between the two entrepreneurs.

Diana Carolina Enciso’s Exquisite Clean is a high-end luxury cleaning service and exclusive provider of cleaning and maintenance solutions for luxury home and properties located in the affluent neighborhoods of South Florida.

Rank Marathon Digital Solutions is the service provider created by Sadat Fahim. His company offers a comprehensive range of marketing services, including, but not limited to, Website Audit, Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, On-Page SEO, Of-Page SEO, Google Ads, and META ads. Rank Marathon’s goal is to provide convenient and effective marketing solutions for start-ups and established companies.

Nicholas Lamont Gravely’s 2047 Restaurant is the fulfillment of his dream to open a restaurant featuring American and Soul food, and become an important member of the community by being open 24 hour — serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 24/7. Every item arrives from the kitchen freshly made with the finest ingredients and love. Most important is the customer service experience to keep his customers returning to his business.

SnackSmart’s motto is “Fuel Your Day the Smart Way” and founder Jahed Hosson’s company provides vending machines to any company or organization that wants to promote healthy choices to their employees. These machines offer a wide-range of products, including organic snacks, gluten-free options, protein bars, fresh fruits, and natural beverages.

Sam’s Sweet Bakery attracted many attendees since they were invited to sample some of Samantha Igor’s delectable creations. Her slogan, “Find Happiness in Every Bite” came to fruition as each visitor sampled her baked goods. Within five years, Sam intends to build a great marketing brand and be an active member of the community.

Tanjim Ul Kahn’s Green Buds Waste company specializes in repurposing cigarette butts into a range of eco-friendly products including keyrings, mosquito repellants, pillows, dolls and more. By recycling these discarded butts, the company not only reduces environmental pollution, but also creates unique and sustainable items that serve various purposes.

Zen Rolls is looking to be the premiere establishment for sushi rolls. The brainchild of Maria Paula Malaver, her goal is to become the go-to place for real hand rolls, where besides the traditional rolls, customers will have the opportunity to sample different rolls, all made of the finest quality ingredients.

Marrying his love of baseball and his dream of owning a restaurant, Anthony Monroy, plans to open All Star Kitchens, using a baseball theme motif throughout the venue. His target market are families, students, and tourists who enjoy experiencing different cuisines in a friendly, inviting atmosphere. His future growth of his company includes becoming a source for family events, company picnic, and community events as the only source for successful events in the area.

Aqua Flow Essentials is a business that Benjamin Morganti is extremely excited about since his passion for water sports lit the lightbulb of excitement for his business as an entrepreneur. His tagline, “Flowing Towards Efficiency – Unlocking the Power of Fluid Dynamics for a Sustainable Future” aptly states the intention for his business. Benjamin sees his business location on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk offering top-quality paddle boards, water sports clothing, and extreme sports gear. His future goal is to grow his business within other beachfront locations throughout Florida and beyond.

Carolina Posse’s Inner Journey Expeditions is a travel agency that seeks to sell tours for women to erotic destinations or with a spiritual vibe, not only to get to know the destination, but to make a healing workshop on different topics such as female lineage, healing of the uterus, healing of father and mother, etc. Her target market is the group of Latin women (because tours will be in Spanish), over 35 years of age, and who are in search for their lkigai (purpose of life).

David Rhead’s Hills and Valleys clothing company reflects his religious beliefs and looks forward to spreading the word throughout the USA and Canada by helping others represent their faith. His target market are Christians, ages 20-35, and is convinced his slogan, “Put God First” will attract more people to love and believe in their faith.

Mikael Silva’s MSS Soccer Club, fulfills the dreams of this Brazilian Soccer player who wants to develop talents for this sport. His ambitious goals are to start with five youngsters that he will coach, and grow MSS Soccer Club in five years to ten coaches, each having a group of 50 kids. With his drive, hard work, and motivation, Mikael will succeed in developing players for not only Brazil, but the world.

Artem Sorokin has created JumpBall Agency to assist athletes to locate schools in the USA and Europe where they can receive a great education and participate in the college of university’s basketball program. A member of the United International College’s basketball team, Artem has the experience in knowledge in navigating this goal for so many young people.

Elite Skills FL was created by Elias Vera and his tagline, “Create Your Own Path,” mirrors his goal for training young athletes interested in basketball, with an emphasis on skills development, fitness training, and competitiveness drills. Within five years, Elias sees Elite Skills FL becoming the only destination for basketball training in the region, expanding their services to include summer camps, specialized coaching programs, and partnerships with school and youth leagues.

by Marcela Moyano

It Takes a Village and Gratitude to Get to Commencement Day: UIC Celebrates its XXII Commencement Ceremony

Written by Dr. Marcela Moyano

Miramar, Florida – United International College held its 22nd Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale, 503 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 awarding Master,  Bachelor, and Associate degrees to 34 students representing the USA, Pakistan, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Canada, Bangladesh, China, Romania, France, Haiti, Vietnam, Colombia, Brazil, and Honduras. 

The ceremony was opened with the interpretation of the National Anthem of the United States, the Star Spangled Banner by Alin Turculescu, a former Romanian folklore music singer and Business Administration Bachelor Degree recipient. 

UIC’s co-founder and President, Lydia Bautista Moller, delivered her speech and started by congratulating the Class of 2024. She accoladed the UIC Eagle Rays and mentioned her own love for the sport of Basketball. She also urged the students to always look for what makes them happy as the Holistic Model of Education of UIC teaches. 

Jean Souffrant, the Executive Director at Pierre Toussaint Leadership and Learning Center, and Director of Notre Dame D’Haiti Catholic Church served as the Commencement Speaker. He works alongside Father Reginald Jean-Mary who has been an influential agent of change in the Haitian diaspora in the United States, always bringing together Haitian migrants and prominent leaders , and empowering them with a message of hope from a powerful spiritual faith. 

Souffrant started his speech singing a religious song, delivered an empowering speech motivating students to always continue reaching their dreams, and concluded his speech with a teaching of Apostle Paul by stating that “in everything that you do, always maintain an attitude of gratitude…never forget where you came from.” 

Luis Hernandez was the Magna Cum Laude Business Administration Undergraduate Commencement Speaker. Hernandez is an Eagle Ray Baseball student athlete who shared in his speech the nuances of his daily work being a student athlete to reach the moment of his commencement ceremony from his associate in Business Administration. (a dream com true)

Hernandez mentioned that he had arrived from Venezuela as an international student to play baseball. He told the graduating class of 2024 that anyone in the world would love the chance to be in their place as graduates from UIC in the United States. He also recognized that students’ workload and responsibilities might seem stressful and over achievable and added: “we will always find a way to accomplish everything we desire and succeed.” 

You can learn about Luis’ journey as an Eagle Ray Baseball student athlete in a blog post that Prof. Jack Rose wrote about him after interviewing him. Learn about Luis

Angelica Moyano, the Provost of UIC, awarded the diplomas to students. The President guided the Alumni Oath, and the Graduating Class recognized Faculty and family members for their support throughout the years. The ceremony concluded with a sense of accomplishment and immense joy. 

Ximena Caraballo, an alumna from the Communications and Mass Media program, volunteered to conduct the media coverage and live stream of the ceremony. A fine team of volunteers joined to facilitate the Commencement Ceremony including UIC students, staff, and members of the community, including Detective Yesenia Diaz, from the Miramar Police Department of the City of Miramar. 

UIC Eagle Rays have a home away from home and they are always welcome back to study another degree or to share their life stories with their UIC family.

by Marcela Moyano