A new mural hit the walls of Barnes and Noble at MMC this month. Photo by Margi Rentis.

July 2020 in photos: A commencement caravan, a new mural and preparations for fall

July 31, 2020 at 10:00am

As summer goes by and fall comes into view, the university celebrates its grads while preparing for the future. FIU welcomed hundreds of soon-to-be grads–official commencement ceremonies take place online on August 2–for the first-ever commencement caravan on campus. The bookstore at FIU also added a dose of eye candy this month with a new mural painted by a student. Here are some of our favorite moments from July, as captured by FIU photographers Margi Rentis and Lucy Logan.

Summer 2020 grad Geraldine Vilato took home the best-decorated car award at FIU's first-ever commencement caravan, a socially distanced celebration on campus for grads. Photo by Margi Rentis.

In lieu of a traditional graduation, summer grads received a week of celebrations. Check out what the university did for them here.

This month, freshman Nia Nelson moved into a dorm at FIU after being homeless for nearly two years. The Miami native earned a 3.9 GPA at iPrep Academy while she and her family lived at Chapman Partnership, a residential facility in Miami. Today, Nelson is studying nursing at FIU. Photo by Lucy Logan.

For more on Nelson's journey to the university, check out our full story.

Art student Ozzy Samper painted a sprawling mural this month in the Barnes & Noble at MMC. Photo by Margi Rentis.

For the minority of students who will attend in-person classes on campus this fall, what should they expect? Mandatory face masks, use of the Panthers Protecting Panthers app and socially distant classrooms–shown here in an example featuring senior marketing major Khareem Oliver–are just part of the plan to help safeguard everyone's health and wellbeing. Photo by Margi Rentis.

For more information regarding the Fall, check out the university's coronavirus updates page.