Skip to Content
December in photos: Grad caps, celebrations and a great gift
Roary dancing with events manager Michelle Garcia at President Mark B. Rosenberg's holiday celebration. Photo by Margi Rentis.

December in photos: Grad caps, celebrations and a great gift

It was a month for breaking records. The biggest class in university history graduated in December. FIU also received the largest gift ever made to a music school in the State University System of Florida. Here are some of our favorite moments from December, as captured by FIU photographers Carl Frederick-Francois and Margi Rentis.
Campus & Community

By David Drucker

December 27, 2019 at 11:00am

A grad cap inspired by Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night." A record 5,728 students graduated this fall, making this senior class the largest in university history. Photo by Carl Frederick-Francois.
Check out more grad caps below and our full photo album of commencement on Flickr.
Show Gallery Image 1
Show Gallery Image 2
Show Gallery Image 3
Show Gallery Image 4
Show Gallery Image 5
Worlds Ahead graduate Cristina Moguel, who completed her master's degree in hospitality management in Fall 2019, owns a bakery with her family. Photo by Margi Rentis.
Dr. Herbert Wertheim (center) prepares to cut the cake at a ceremony honoring the Wertheims' $10 million naming gift to the School of Music. Photo by Carl Frederick-Francois.
Read more about the naming gift from Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim here.
Latin Grammy Producer of the Year Tony Succar ’08 performs with his band at President Rosenberg's holiday celebration. Photo by Margi Rentis.
Learn more about two-time Latin Grammy winner Tony Succar in his Q&A with FIU News.
Nicholas Barbery (right) and Umer Rahman claim victory at the Taste of FIU Cook Off, the university's annual cooking competition benefiting the United Way. Photo by freelance photographer Vanessa Castillo.
Bigfoot was spotted in the Graham Center drinking Café Bustelo in anticipation of the exclusive, on-campus premiere of Expedition Bigfoot starring FIU scientist Mireya Mayor. Photo by Margi Rentis.
Students took a day to absorb history in Montgomery, Alabama, while they were in town for the Camellia Bowl. When they visited Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor for years, every student was welcomed with a giant hug by community docent Wanda Howard. Photo by Carl Frederick-Francois.
Check out a video of the students' experience in Montgomery below and our recap of the trip.
It's been a great year at Miami’s public research university. We can't wait to see what the new decade holds. Photo by Margi Rentis.