From breakthrough research to world records, FIU's summer graduates are making their mark

Florida International University will celebrate the graduation of nearly 5,000 students during summer commencement ceremonies Aug. 4-7, 2026. This year's graduates are advancing research, breaking records and overcoming extraordinary challenges as they prepare for careers in science, hospitality, business, engineering, public service, the arts and more. 

Among them: a Ph.D. candidate developing new approaches to detecting and treating Alzheimer's disease; a dietetics and nutrition major poised to set a Guinness World Record for international triathlons; and a hospitality management student who overcame hurricane damage in her community in Jamaica to graduate with a degree dedicated to helping others feel at home.   

“From breakthrough research to record-setting achievements, this year’s graduates reflect the very best of Florida International University,” said FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez. “Our graduates have excelled academically, conducted meaningful research, and demonstrated extraordinary determination and grit. We are immensely proud to watch them cross the graduation stage and earn their degrees and we look forward to seeing them back on campus as FIU alumni.” 

All ceremonies will be held at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus in west Miami-Dade County.  

Notable graduates include:  

Giovanni Junqueira Garotti, 22, completed six Ironman triathlons on six continents in 65 combined hours, an achievement now under review by Guinness World Records as the fastest aggregate time to complete the challenge. Each race required him to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, pushing through extreme humidity, cold weather, injury and time-zone changes. He credits his FIU education with helping him achieve this milestone, applying what he learned in his academic program in dietetics and nutrition to serve as his own nutritionist throughout training. From carb loading to electrolyte strategies, he used scientific literature and guidance from FIU faculty to refine his performance. Garotti is the highest-GPA graduating undergraduate in FIU’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition and is receiving the Dean’s Excellence Award. After graduation, he will begin FIU’s master’s program in dietetics and nutrition to eventually become a sports dietitian. Garotti graduates with a B.S. in Dietetics and Nutrition from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 3 p.m. 

Daniel Martinez-Perez, 34, is a Ph.D. candidate whose work at FIU helped advance research on Alzheimer’s disease and early detection. A veterinarian from Medellín, Colombia, Martinez-Perez first became interested in cognitive decline while treating cats and dogs with dementia-like symptoms. That curiosity led him from clinical veterinary medicine into neuroscience and eventually to FIU, where he joined the lab of Dean Tomás R. Guilarte at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. Martinez-Perez served as lead author on a study that examined TSPO, a brain protein linked to inflammation, and its relationship to Alzheimer’s progression. The findings could help move science closer to earlier detection and future treatments. Martinez-Perez continues to pursue research that bridges veterinary medicine, neuroscience and public health. Martinez receives a Ph.D. in Public Health from the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 3 p.m.  

Despite extensive damage to her home and community in Negril, Jamaica, caused by Hurricane Melissa, Okema Walters-Brown, 43, never lost sight of her goal. The Sandals Corporate University administrator often drove 15 minutes to a local car wash to access electricity and internet, completing coursework from her car while her community recovered. Now, Walters-Brown will graduate from FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management with a 3.96 GPA. She also oversees professional education programs serving more than 20,000 Sandals employees across 10 Caribbean islands, helping to strengthen FIU's partnership throughout the region. Walters-Brown receives an executive master's degree in hospitality management from the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m. 

Former CEO of Jackson Health Carlos Migoya will receive an FIU Medallion for Outstanding Alumnus on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 3 p.m.  

FIU Hospitality professor emeritus Rocco M. Angelo will receive the Albert E. Dotson, Sr. Blue and Gold Award FIU Medallion on Aug. 6. Angelo joined FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management in 1974, having previously served as a guest lecturer in 1972 and 1973.  

FIU Board of Trustees member Jesus Lebeña will attend the 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies on Friday, Aug. 7.