Tag: Alumni

Generosity Shines In Uncertain Times: Santosh Jacob

NSU alumnus, staff member, and now – a President’s Associates Society Member – pledges continued support of the COVID-19 Student Support Fund.

Santosh Jacob (M.Acc. ’16) is the Transfer Evaluation Services Manager at Nova Southeastern University and is a graduate of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

When the NSU’s COVID 19 Student Support Fund launched in April 2020 to help students financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Santosh pledged to give weekly contributions to this important initiative.

Jacob shares that he was inspired by “Dr. Hanbury’s commitment to raising the standards and getting NSU to national recognition.” The pride for his workplace and alma mater, he explains, has ignited Jacob’s unwavering commitment to give back.

“If I could do my part and help by giving a little bit, I’m up for it,” he said. “It is nice to step up to the plate when special situations arise, to be a part of that,” said Santosh referring to his pledge to the NSU COVID-19 Student Support fund.

Santosh has been among NSU’s most continuous annual giving supporters, donating for five consecutive years to at least six initiatives including the Alvin Sherman Library, the Veterans Resource Center, the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Cancer Research Discretionary Fund, NSU Cares, and most recently NSU’s COVID-19 Student Support fund.

Santosh’s gifts and commitments during the 2020 fiscal year have qualified him for membership into the NSU President’s Associates giving society.

“I have the benefit of working here, so I’m aware of all of the opportunities to participate and ways to give,” he said, following a general ask for other alumni to engage as well.

He continued explaining that his motivation to donate to NSU is to improve current students’ university experience, and to continue to inspire them “to stay, to graduate,” and pursue graduate degrees here as well.

Santosh graduated from NSU in 2016 with a Master of Accounting and is coming up on his eight year of service as a staff member at NSU.

NSU Distinguished Alumna, Nilda Banchs (Pharm. D., ’01) Leads A Career Of Service Through Puerto Rico’s Toughest Times

Dr. Nilda Banchs is the President of Farmacia El Tuque in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and co-owner of the pharmacy’s parent corporation, ServiFarma, Inc. She is a proud NSU Distinguished Alumna from the NSU College of Pharmacy.

Farmacia El Tuque is a 16-year old community pharmacy where Banchs oversees a staff of 20 employees. They serve a community of 50,000 residents, most of whom live in significantly underprivileged conditions.

Among her employees are NSU alumni Juan Santos Olivares (Pharm. D. ’05) and Nichole Arcelay (Pharm. D. ’17), and current intern and NSU Pharm.D. candidate, Melanie Pacheco.

“We operate as a community pharmacy… we offer special prices, sometimes sacrificing profit margin, to make our products more attainable for our community, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Banchs mentioned.

Banchs and her staff have served the Ponce community through the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the earthquakes in southwestern Puerto Rico at the end of 2019 and into 2020, and now during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have learned to adapt to rapidly changing, and sometimes dangerous, conditions to continue to serve our people,” said Dr. Banchs.

Banchs’ staff is facing what they refer to as “a different concept of their profession.”

They continue to serve their community now with protective gear, acrylic barriers, patient holding areas in tents outside of the pharmacy, taking all patients’ temperature, and practicing social distancing all-around inside the building.

Dr. Banchs remembers her years at NSU as the experience that taught her to be a new and more compassionate mentor and pharmacist. “NSU guides the student, step-by-step, through components of science and compassion that I now instill in my own staff,” she said.

“This is a tough chapter in the history of Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria and the earthquakes, because it has surfaced pain and loss, but it is our people’s gratefulness and words of encouragement that keeps us going,” said Dr. Banchs.

Beginning in December 2019, several earthquakes ravaged parts of Puerto Rico including a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck the region on January 7, 2020. Through the NSU Cares Fund, Dr. Banchs and her team received emergency financial support to set up tents outside of their pharmacy to help victims and community members at no charge during the weeks following the earthquakes.

“Our patients often say, ‘gracias for being there, for your service, and for not closing your doors,’ and that means so much to us,” Dr. Arcelay added.

The NSU Cares Fund helps NSU students, alumni, faculty, and staff in the aftermath of natural disasters or traumatic events. To learn more, apply, or make a gift, visit nova.edu/nsucares.

Education Professor to Host Zoominar on Blended Instruction

 

Michael Simonson, Ph.D.

Michael Simonson, Ph.D.

Michael Simonson, Ph.D., Professor, at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice will host a short “zoominar” titled, Blending In – Returning to the Classroom by Mini-Blending your Class, via zoom on Wednesday, May 27 12:00 p.m. EST.

This session will explain one of the most popular ways to blend a course, known as MINI-flipping or MINI-blending, which involves identifying single concepts — the building blocks of course content — and recording that content for remote delivery. Face-to-face sessions, whether with the entire class enrollment or in a divided class, is then reserved for discussions and explanations–approaches that work when social distancing is required.

Simonson is a professor in the Instructional Technology and Distance Education program. He has authored four major textbooks dealing with distance education, instructional technology, instructional computing, and instructional media. His two most recent books received first place book awards from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.  He is also the founding editor of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, Distance Learning Journal, and Proceedings of Papers presented at the Annual Conventions of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Link to join: https://zoom.us/j/91446394580

 

Education Alumna Receives City of Coral Springs MLK Monument Award

Bessie Cristwell, Th.D., graduate of NSU’s Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice, received the Coral Springs Martin Luther King Jr. Monument Award earlier this year.

She was honored for many achievements, among them, her decades of work in assisting underprivileged children, helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships for youth struggling to pay for college and trade school, and helping create a day of learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cristwell has served on Coral Springs’ Martin Luther King Jr. Committee and Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee for the past 25 years.

She is a retired school administrator and teacher and worked for four schools before being employed with the Broward School district office, specializing in multi-cultural education. She made sure children took learning about cultures and diversity seriously.

She earned her Educational Specialist Degree with the Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal justice in 1979 and a Theology/Psychology Th.D. from Brewer Christian College and Graduate School in 2005.

NSU Community Goes “All In” for Giving Tuesday Now

Nova Southeastern University alumni, faculty, staff, students, and supporters have proven, once again, that Sharks dominate.

On May 5, 2020, also known as #GivingTuesdayNow, NSU raised $23,436 from 351 gifts in support of the COVID-19 Student Support Fund and NSU programs, colleges, and initiatives.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled time for everyone, the spirit and resiliency shown by NSU students, alumni, faculty, and staff are inspiring.

Traditionally, “All In For NSU” is celebrated annually to raise monetary support for the ongoing resources that are crucial to the growth and success of NSU as a world-class institution.

In light of the global pandemic, originally planned were cancelled, and NSU’s Division of Advancement and Community Relations switched efforts to focus on #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of unity and support in response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

The overwhelming support of the NSU community, even during uncertain times, proves the power of the Shark Nation. We are truly ALL IN this together.

Students in need of emergency financial assistance may submit an application for the COVID-19 Student Support Fund and Federal CARES Act.

Contributions to the COVID-19 Student Support Fund can be made here.

 

 

 

 

NSU Alumna Named Chief Relations Officer For Kelley Kronenberg

Michelle Martinez Reyes (M.B.A., ’14) was named Chief Relations Officer for Kelley Kronenberg.

She joins the executive team for the multi-practice business law firm with more than 160 attorneys and 11 locations throughout Florida and the United States.

Martinez Reyes earned her M.B.A. from NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship in 2014 with a concentration in global management.

“I am excited to embark on the next chapter of my career at Kelley Kronenberg. I am looking forward to contributing and becoming part of the firm’s legacy, joining the principal partners that have helped build it from the beginning. Magic sometimes happens when hard work meets opportunity and you have a great team in place,” Martinez Reyes said.

Martinez Reyes has over 20 years of experience as a trusted business advisor in the field of marketing and public relations.  She has earned a proven national reputation as a marketer, publicist, key brand builder, and catalyst to growth.

In 2020, she was most recently selected amongst the “Top Women in Communications” as a “Game-Changer” by Ragan Communications and PR Daily, selected amongst the “Top Women In PR” by PR News, and named a “National Latino Leader” for the year by the National Diversity Council.

Martinez Reyes previously worked as part of the marketing and business development teams for some of the largest firms in Florida and the U.S. Most recently, she served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Greenspoon Marder. She was part of the firm’s leadership team during their initial national expansion in 2016, successfully leading the marketing strategy, brand development and growth focusing on business development, client relations, media and public relations, philanthropic efforts, and community service throughout the U.S. until early 2020.

Dorinda Segovia, Pharm.D. (’92) Wins STUEY for Alumni of the Year

Dorinda Segovia, Pharm.D. (’92) was awarded the Student Life Achievement Award (STUEY) for Alumni of the Year.

As a vice president at Memorial Healthcare System (MHS), Segovia demonstrates the value of innovation by continuously developing methods to highlight and integrate pharmacists into every facet of patient care.

“My time at NSU was special and unique. I made lifelong friends and had exceptional mentors, who to this day keep up with my professional progress and continue to be influential in my career,” Segovia said.

 In the STUEY nomination from NSU’s College of Pharmacy, peers describe Segovia as student-centered and passionately involved paving the way for future NSU pharmacists.

“I was nurtured academically and professionally by excellent [NSU] faculty and was introduced to pharmacy leadership by the student level involvement opportunities in professional associations,” she said.

As an alumna, Segovia continuously volunteers as a presenter for student organizations, as well as host open houses at MHS for NSU students. She has also served as guest speaker at the college’s White Coat Ceremony.

Segovia has a history of accolades that speak to her commitment to serving our community, including the Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award (2008) from the Florida Pharmacy Association, which is awarded to pharmacists who share their knowledge and experience with pharmacist candidates.

“I take pride in being a servant, giving back to our community by creating awareness about prescription drug abuse, actively engaging in professional associations, and mentoring students and pharmacy residents to instill professional pride and ownership,” Segovia said.

Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice Sends Hope and Positivity to its Students and Alumni

The faculty and staff at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice (FCE&SCJ) created two videos with messages of hope and positivity for their students and alumni. The goal of the videos was to remind them that their Fischler family is here for them during these unprecedented times. To view these videos, please visit FCE&SCJ’s You Tube Page here.

Additionally, the college connected with its alumni to share their stories of how they’re positively impacting their community, students, or patients despite what’s going on in the world. FCE&SCJ is highlighting some of their stories on the college’s Facebook Page, which can be found here.

Conflict Resolution Alumni is a City Commissioner in the City of Weston

Margaret Brown, M.S., is a graduate of the master’s program in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies (DCRS) in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS). Brown serves as a City Commissioner in the City of Weston. Elected in 2016, she was also appointed by the commission to serve as the Director for the 2018-1919 Broward League of Cities Board of Directors. She has served on a number of boards and committees including the Broward Council on Aging and the United Way of Broward County-Women United.

Brown received her B.A. in psychology from Connecticut College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi.

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