A good teacher is always engaging children in thinking, fostering their curiosity and valuing their right to play. Big discoveries, big inventions come from people who were able to play.We need to teach children for a globally competitive world. That demands a lot of creativity, good communication, thinking skills, and problem solving. If teachers have high expectations with young children, they will provide high-level thinking activities. I started Visible Thinking about eight years ago at FIU in my classes. After two years, the students who took this course came back and wanted to continue learning. We started a learning community with three students, and now we have 50 students and teachers. The first part of making thinking visible is to unleash children’s thinking. We capture evidence of their thinking with notes, photos or video and then discuss how thinking is taking place in that activity. This is the teacher-researcher perspective. Because young children are concrete learners and thinking is invisible, the teachers have to be creative. For example, using a metaphor like a thinking key to tell the children: “Let me unlock your thinking,”  creates the disposition for thinking in a child. They then become aware of their thinking and learn how to learn. We have found that by engaging children in high-level thinking they are learning to think globally. We use children’s literature to awaken children’s desire to understand the world around them. They end up discussing peace and they make connections to their lives. They say, “People are fighting because they don’t know how to use their words.” What makes me proud is that we are building a thinking community. Students don’t graduate and say goodbye. That’s teaching – a lifelong learning experience.

A good teacher is always engaging children in thinking, fostering their curiosity and valuing their right to play. Big discoveries, big inventions come from people who were able to play.We need to teach children for a globally competitive world. That demands a lot of creativity, good communication, thinking skills, and problem solving. If teachers have high expectations with young children, they will provide high-level thinking activities. I started Visible Thinking about eight years ago at FIU in my classes. After two years, the students who took this course came back and wanted to continue learning. We started a learning community with three students, and now we have 50 students and teachers. The first part of making thinking visible is to unleash children’s thinking. We capture evidence of their thinking with notes, photos or video and then discuss how thinking is taking place in that activity. This is the teacher-researcher perspective. Because young children are concrete learners and thinking is invisible, the teachers have to be creative. For example, using a metaphor like a thinking key to tell the children: “Let me unlock your thinking,”  creates the disposition for thinking in a child. They then become aware of their thinking and learn how to learn. We have found that by engaging children in high-level thinking they are learning to think globally. We use children’s literature to awaken children’s desire to understand the world around them. They end up discussing peace and they make connections to their lives. They say, “People are fighting because they don’t know how to use their words.” What makes me proud is that we are building a thinking community. Students don’t graduate and say goodbye. That’s teaching – a lifelong learning experience.

Were you “Born This Way”?

Funny story, Roary was always on my chest so I knew I was headed to FIU from the beginning. The blue kicked in around 6 years old. Talk about throwing off the doctors.

What’s your take on Roary?

I have a Roary sticker on my laptop, a giant magnet on my fridge, a customized Google Chrome skin of Roary and pictures of him throughout my room. Roary is my idol!

What’s the secret to your glowing blue complexion?

Cocoa butter. A little in the morning and before bed keeps me looking young and blue!

What’s one thing everyone should know about Blue Man?

I ABSOLUTELY HATE when people leave games early! Have pride in our teams. Stand by them even if they lose a game. There is no better support than a packed stadium!

How welcoming would you say FIU has been to you as a person of unusual color?

FIU is such a great, diverse university and everyone has been very welcoming and encouraging. The Student Programming Council even took me in as one of their own.

What’s your plan to take on the Blue Devil when Duke comes to town Oct. 1 for Homecoming?

I need everyone’s help with this. My plan is to overwhelm him with a super-excited, jam-packed crowd at the stadium. We’ll be so loud and proud, he won’t be able to resist chanting the Blue & Gold too. Imagine what that will look like on ESPN3!

You’re not related to him, are you?

OH NO! I’m one of a kind, just like FIU.

What super powers do you have?

My superpower is my awe-inspiring school FIU spirit. I’ve been known to bring an entire crowd to its feet. No one can resist the Blue Man spirit.

Which FIU cheer is your favorite?

You can never have enough cheers, which is why I’m trying to start a new one: “GOLD GOLD! BLUE BLUE! GOLDEN PANTHERS FIU!” I challenge every student to come up with a new tradition to leave their mark in FIU history.

Why isn’t there an FIU Gold Girl?

Well, actually, FIU Gold Girl should be coming this fall to a stadium near you.

Were you “Born This Way”?

Funny story, Roary was always on my chest so I knew I was headed to FIU from the beginning. The blue kicked in around 6 years old. Talk about throwing off the doctors.

What’s your take on Roary?

I have a Roary sticker on my laptop, a giant magnet on my fridge, a customized Google Chrome skin of Roary and pictures of him throughout my room. Roary is my idol!

What’s the secret to your glowing blue complexion?

Cocoa butter. A little in the morning and before bed keeps me looking young and blue!

What’s one thing everyone should know about Blue Man?

I ABSOLUTELY HATE when people leave games early! Have pride in our teams. Stand by them even if they lose a game. There is no better support than a packed stadium!

How welcoming would you say FIU has been to you as a person of unusual color?

FIU is such a great, diverse university and everyone has been very welcoming and encouraging. The Student Programming Council even took me in as one of their own.

What’s your plan to take on the Blue Devil when Duke comes to town Oct. 1 for Homecoming?

I need everyone’s help with this. My plan is to overwhelm him with a super-excited, jam-packed crowd at the stadium. We’ll be so loud and proud, he won’t be able to resist chanting the Blue & Gold too. Imagine what that will look like on ESPN3!

You’re not related to him, are you?

OH NO! I’m one of a kind, just like FIU.

What super powers do you have?

My superpower is my awe-inspiring school FIU spirit. I’ve been known to bring an entire crowd to its feet. No one can resist the Blue Man spirit.

Which FIU cheer is your favorite?

You can never have enough cheers, which is why I’m trying to start a new one: “GOLD GOLD! BLUE BLUE! GOLDEN PANTHERS FIU!” I challenge every student to come up with a new tradition to leave their mark in FIU history.

Why isn’t there an FIU Gold Girl?

Well, actually, FIU Gold Girl should be coming this fall to a stadium near you.

I develop new materials and coatings for biomedical, aerospace and defense applications. My main lab is called the Plasma Forming Lab. Our plasma gun creates temperatures of 12,000 to 15,000 Kelvin, which is twice the temperature of the sun’s surface. Everything in my lab is done by students. They are the technicians, engineers and researchers. The students are maintaining things at an industrial level of operation. I have been working with a material called carbon nanotubes. They are 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. You can’t see them without an electron microscope. But these materials are very, very strong, 100 times stronger than steel. My vision has been to translate nanotechnology into a real-life application.There could be three or four different applications — orthopedic applications, like a new, much stronger bone for hip replacements or knee replacements or next-generation thermal protective aerospace space coatings. I also have a project with biology professor Lydia Kos, who works on skin cancer. She has a theory that cancerous cells and healthy cells have different hardness and stiffness, but it was a challenge for her to measure the hardness of cells. I don’t know anything about the physiology of those cells, but I know how to measure the hardness. We are measuring the hardness and stiffness of those cells hoping one day this will become a very nice diagnostic tool for skin cancer and other diseases. After the end of my bachelor’s program I realized I wanted to have a career in research. I didn’t want to have a boss. I wanted to do what I like. Research gives me that independence. I am my own boss. There cannot be a better job than this.

I develop new materials and coatings for biomedical, aerospace and defense applications. My main lab is called the Plasma Forming Lab. Our plasma gun creates temperatures of 12,000 to 15,000 Kelvin, which is twice the temperature of the sun’s surface. Everything in my lab is done by students. They are the technicians, engineers and researchers. The students are maintaining things at an industrial level of operation. I have been working with a material called carbon nanotubes. They are 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. You can’t see them without an electron microscope. But these materials are very, very strong, 100 times stronger than steel. My vision has been to translate nanotechnology into a real-life application.There could be three or four different applications — orthopedic applications, like a new, much stronger bone for hip replacements or knee replacements or next-generation thermal protective aerospace space coatings. I also have a project with biology professor Lydia Kos, who works on skin cancer. She has a theory that cancerous cells and healthy cells have different hardness and stiffness, but it was a challenge for her to measure the hardness of cells. I don’t know anything about the physiology of those cells, but I know how to measure the hardness. We are measuring the hardness and stiffness of those cells hoping one day this will become a very nice diagnostic tool for skin cancer and other diseases. After the end of my bachelor’s program I realized I wanted to have a career in research. I didn’t want to have a boss. I wanted to do what I like. Research gives me that independence. I am my own boss. There cannot be a better job than this.

Profession: President and CEO of Tortuga Rum Cake, Inc.

FIU degree: Bachelor’s in Business Administration

FIU affiliations: I am a Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association and remain in contact with a few of my professors. I always support FIU both financially and through product donation for the many galas and functions that are held by the College of Business Administration and the Alumni Association. I will continue to support FIU in any way I can. I believe strongly that education is the foundation for your life. Knowledge is power and nobody can ever take your knowledge away.

Q. What are your fondest memories of FIU?

A. My fondest memory was my Entrepreneurship course. I remember professor Martin Luytjes Jr. well – he had a profound impact on the path I chose for myself. Professor Luytjes inspired me to be creative and unique. The objective of this class was to create an idea for a business and present both oral and written business plans. I actually had an invention and refused to share my idea until the class and the professor signed a non-disclosure agreement. I was that serious, and so was professor Luytjes, who commended me on my work. His words inspired me to become who I am today.

Q. What advice would you offer your fellow Panthers?

A. Having an education is of paramount importance to your future. Continue to work toward obtaining your degree and, if possible, try to expand upon that degree. In addition, I would like to offer this bit of advice: It is not always easy to sit back and listen, but I find that I learn so much more by doing less talking and more listening. More importantly, perseverance is the answer to achieving any goal you desire. Never allow anyone to tell you that you can’t do it! “Can’t” is not a word I take kindly to; in fact, I believe it should be removed from our vocabulary.

Q. Why is it important to be involved with the
Alumni Association?

A. Every student should want to give back and create a better place for the next generation of students. After all, it was the generation before us that created a better place for us. Today, when I walk around the campus, I feel proud of the growth of FIU. The sky is the limit for FIU and I encourage the young alumni to get involved and support the university. I’m doing my small part and I hope to be able to do much more in the future.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment?

A. My family. Yes, I am a proud entrepreneur, but without the love and support of my dear husband and our three children none of this would matter.

Profession: President and CEO of Tortuga Rum Cake, Inc.

FIU degree: Bachelor’s in Business Administration

FIU affiliations: I am a Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association and remain in contact with a few of my professors. I always support FIU both financially and through product donation for the many galas and functions that are held by the College of Business Administration and the Alumni Association. I will continue to support FIU in any way I can. I believe strongly that education is the foundation for your life. Knowledge is power and nobody can ever take your knowledge away.

Q. What are your fondest memories of FIU?

A. My fondest memory was my Entrepreneurship course. I remember professor Martin Luytjes Jr. well – he had a profound impact on the path I chose for myself. Professor Luytjes inspired me to be creative and unique. The objective of this class was to create an idea for a business and present both oral and written business plans. I actually had an invention and refused to share my idea until the class and the professor signed a non-disclosure agreement. I was that serious, and so was professor Luytjes, who commended me on my work. His words inspired me to become who I am today.

Q. What advice would you offer your fellow Panthers?

A. Having an education is of paramount importance to your future. Continue to work toward obtaining your degree and, if possible, try to expand upon that degree. In addition, I would like to offer this bit of advice: It is not always easy to sit back and listen, but I find that I learn so much more by doing less talking and more listening. More importantly, perseverance is the answer to achieving any goal you desire. Never allow anyone to tell you that you can’t do it! “Can’t” is not a word I take kindly to; in fact, I believe it should be removed from our vocabulary.

Q. Why is it important to be involved with the
Alumni Association?

A. Every student should want to give back and create a better place for the next generation of students. After all, it was the generation before us that created a better place for us. Today, when I walk around the campus, I feel proud of the growth of FIU. The sky is the limit for FIU and I encourage the young alumni to get involved and support the university. I’m doing my small part and I hope to be able to do much more in the future.

Q. What is your proudest accomplishment?

A. My family. Yes, I am a proud entrepreneur, but without the love and support of my dear husband and our three children none of this would matter.