Happy Mother’s Day, Panther Moms!

By FIU News and Communications Staff

Mothers bring warm hugs that make problems disappear and listening ears when everyone else just keeps talking. They change diapers, help with homework, drive us to soccer practice, sit next to us while we’re choosing colleges, worry that we’re not eating well and, most importantly, they believe in us – even when we stop believing in ourselves.

They do this from the day we are born. And they keep doing it no matter how old, big or tall we get. Because that’s what mothers do. Our moms have done so much for us, and we often forget to say thank you.

FIU News is happy to celebrate Mother’s Day in true Panther style, giving a shout-out to all our Panther moms! We spoke to families in which blue and gold runs strong in the genes: two generations of Panther moms and kids.

Laura Dinehart (right) and her mom Celia Bolzani, who works for  the special education office in the south region for Miami-Dade Public Schools

Laura Dinehart and Celia Bolzani

Interim Executive Director of Education Laura Dinehart ’00 and her family moved from Brazil to Miami when she was three. Her mom, Celia Bolzani ’88, MS ’91, Ed.S ’95, had to start over. She learned to speak English, went back to college and, along the way, earned her bachelor’s and master’s in the field of psychology from FIU.

Dinehart recalls that as a child she often visited FIU with her mom and would serve as a sort of “guinea pig” for her mom’s classmates who needed to conduct assessments like IQ tests on kids. Thus began Dinehart’s love affair with FIU and psychology.

“FIU is part of the family,” Dinehart says. “It was just part of growing up. Not every kid gets to experience their mom going to school, but it gives you an appreciation for college.”

“Parents always belong to their children, but children are going to make their own lives and raise their own families,” Bolzani says. “What I admire [Laura] most for is that, not only is she an amazing professional woman, but she is an incredible mother to my three granddaugthers.”

Dinehart credits her mom as an outstanding role model. “She has always been very ethical, hardworking, and she’s so caring and loving. We’ve always been very close.”

The two used to take trips to the movies every Sunday. Lately, it’s been difficult to have the schedules line up, but Dinehart is looking forward to catching up with her mom this weekend.

Armeen Irani and daughters

Armeen Irani (second to left) with her daughters, alumna Kathryn Barlow ’12, Jessica Johnson and elementary education major Vanessa Zach (left)

When her daughters were young, Armeen Irani ’06, MSW ’07 decided to go back to college.

“It was a big sacrifice for my children and my husband,” says Armeen, assistant director of the Victim Empowerment Program. “I was preaching higher education to them, and I couldn’t instill a love for higher education in my children without getting one myself.”

A breast cancer survivor and a two-time graduate of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Irani says her children have inspired and motivated her since the day they were born.

In turn, her youngest daughter Vanessa Zach says of her mom, “She really motivates me and pushes me to reach for the stars because I see how successful she is. She does so much more for us than she realizes because it’s effortless for her.”

Just a few priceless moments: from sitting up until midnight talking with her daughters to one of Zach’s favorite spontaneous celebrations – Irani coming into their rooms at two in the morning and asking them if they want to have pancakes with her.

“She’s my hero,” daughter Kathryn Barlow ’12 says. “Every time I hear her voice or see her, and I see her perseverance through her cancer and how she inspires and helps others…I look at her, and if I’m going through a hard time, she shows me there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

Zach says its simple. “She’s the glue that holds our family together.”

Emily Rodriguez (left) with her mom Ester Canamero ’90, who earned her bachelor’s in elementary education and teaches at Fairlawn Elementary School.

Emily Rodriguez and Ester Canamero

Criminal justice major Emily Rodriguez and her mom Ester Canamero ’90 take yearly trips to New York to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

More than a checkmark off their bucket lists, these trips are special because mother-daughter time is top priority.

“My mom means everything to me,” Rodriguez says. “She’s my rock, my go-to. Moments like that [when we’re together] help me realize how precious life is and how you can never take your mom for granted.”

Rodriguez adds she’s grateful for all the sacrifices her mom has made to give her a good education at a private high school and then at FIU.

“She basically gives the shirt off her back to make me happier,” Rodriguez says. “Even if she’s stressed, she still pulls through, puts a smile on her face and makes sure I’m happy. And then she’ll worry about herself. She always wants the best for me, so everything I do, I do for her.”

Canamero says her motivation is simple. “It’s like my heart is beating [because of Emily]. She’s really always there for me. She’s always made me proud. I love my daughter unconditionally and will go through whatever it takes for her. [Our mother-daughter bond] means the world to me. She is what keeps me going.”

Marianela H. Merille with her son Eddie Merille

Marianela H. Merille and Eddie Merille

Director of Marketing and New Media Eddie Merille ’97, MBA ’00 was still in the womb when he first arrived at FIU.

For years, Eddie accompanied his mom, Marianela H. Merille ’77, MS ’79, to FIU as she earned her bachelor’s in education and master’s in special education. Sometimes, Marianela would bring baby Eddie in a wicker basket to class with her, and when he was a toddler, she would drop him off at FIU’s day care.

When it came time to choose a college, naturally, Eddie decided on FIU.

“My mom always told me I could go anywhere I wanted,” he says. “And if I would’ve decided to go away to an expensive college, she would have figured it out. She inspires me by everything that she’s given for me, the hard work that she’s put into supporting what I want to do with my life. She’s willing to go to great lengths to make me happy. That’s just the way she is.”

Just one of many instances: Eddie recalls his mom left her job as an elementary teacher to enter the pharmaceutical field to pay for his education at Belen Catholic School – which he says prepared him extremely well for college.

“Being a mother means everything to me,” says Marianela, who currently works for Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. “He knows that I’m there for him, and I know that he’s there for me. Our bond is very strong. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I love him dearly, and he makes me proud every day. ”

Iliana Llosa ’01 and her daughter, future Panther Karina Bullitt

Iliana Llosa and future Panther Karina Bullitt

Iliana Llosa ’01, the activities director at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School and a graduate of FIU’s education program, has lived in Hialeah her entire life.

And so has her daughter, H-ML senior Karina Bullitt, who grew up going to the same elementary school, middle school and high school as her mother. And starting in the fall, Bullitt will be a Panther, too—just like her mother.

Llosa had Bullitt while she was still at FIU, so she used to take the baby with her to class. Baby Bullitt even had her own “Future Panther” onesie.

“So I guess she’s always been a Golden Panther,” Llosa said.

Since then, the two have been inseparable, and now they spend all their free time together after school at H-ML, where Llosa directs the Student Government Association and Bullitt serves as its president.

So it only made sense for Bullitt to follow in her mother’s footsteps, making FIU her future alma mater, too, she says. She plans to study social work in college.

Visiting FIU during the application process this year has been a bonding opportunity for them, and nostalgic for Llosa, who remembers the university being much smaller when she attended in the late 1990s.

“The fact that I’m going to her alma mater is just that much more special to [mom],” Bullitt said.

At an Alumni Association event earlier this month, Lauren Alexandra Reynolds ’13 snapped a picture with her mom Matilda Choto-Reynolds ’80, who works at the University of Miami

Lauren Alexandra Reynolds and Matilda Choto-Reynolds

“My mom’s pretty much my best friend,” says Lauren Alexandra Reynolds ’13, who will be starting her master’s in athletic training this summer. “If I have somewhere to go and no one to go with, I ask my mom.”

And Matilda Choto-Reynolds ’80, who earned her bachelor’s in travel and tourism management, regularly accepts the invitation.

Lauren is happy to show off her alumna mom to her friends. “She gets to talk about how there were only two buildings, and she enjoys going to all the events. The fact she is an alum is even better. She’ll tell me her experience at FIU, and I’ll tell her what’s happening now.”

She recalls her mom has come to events and football games alike, often mingling with Lauren’s friends.

“I was right there in the middle of it all,” Matilda says. “We spend a lot of time together, not just because we have to, but because we’re friends. It totally, totally changed my life when she was born. You will never know how much you  love somebody until you have a kid.”

Happy Mothers Day to all our golden moms!