Tag: Diversity

Honors Student’s Nonprofit Bridges Global Educational Gaps

Tasfia Howlader

Tasfia Howlader, a passionate freshman Farquhar Honors College student, is making a global impact through her nonprofit, Amader Shopno (Our Dream). Fueled by the challenges faced by underprivileged students, her mission is to bridge the educational divide.

“The gap between education and the educational supplies [needed] for those around the world is one that not a lot of people are familiar with,” Howlader said. “Amader Shopno strives to raise awareness [about] the significance of education and empower the next generation with gratitude for the individuals who help shape them into who they are.”

Howlader was inspired to create this nonprofit during the COVID-19 pandemic as she witnessed family members in Bangladesh struggling without access to educational devices when classes moved online. Her passion was further intensified by a trip to Ghana in 2022 as part of the Nyah Project, where she witnessed the disparities in education there.

Her nonprofit has provided school supplies to those in need in both local and global communities, including Bangladesh. Social media is a big part of her advocacy, as she uses Instagram (@AmaderShopnoInc) to promote and achieve her goals.

“[The] most fulfilling part is [seeing] the difference the small steps make,” said Howlader. “I love being able to see a simple smile in exchange for effortless work.”

Her nonprofit work is intrinsically tied to her academic journey. Her drive to make education accessible for all propels her exploration of public policy and inclusivity in education as a public health major. She aspires to contribute to the healthcare field specifically, focusing on research, public health policy, and the impact of identity in healthcare.

Learn more about Amader Shopno.

Posted 12/10/23

USchool Students Meet Public Defender of Broward County

Gordon Weekes, the head Public Defender for Broward County, speaks to University School students.

Upper School students participating in the Legal Education Seminar had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with Gordon Weekes, who holds the position of head Public Defender for Broward County.

Weekes is a distinguished graduate of the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University and is responsible for overseeing a team of more than 100 public defenders in the second-largest public defense office in Florida. During his interaction with the students, he shared his lifelong commitment to advancing equitable justice for marginalized communities within our region.

Learn more about NSU University School’s college preparatory program for students in Preschool – Grade 12 at www.uschool.nova.edu.

Posted 11/27/23

Sherrol Reynolds Named Optometry Professor of the Year

Sherrol Reynolds

Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NSUCO) is proud to announce that Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, O.D., has been recognized as the Optometry Professor of the Year and is nominated for the President’s Distinguished Professor Award of Excellence for 2023.

Reynolds is a professor and an alum of NSUCO in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a graduate of the University of Florida. She serves as chief of the Davie Primary Care Clinic and director of the Retina Clinic.

“Dr. Sherrol Reynolds wears many hats within our optometry department,” said some of Reynolds’ students. “In these positions, she has helped mold the minds of my classmates and myself into exceptional future optometric physicians.”

She has received several awards such as the National Optometric Association (NOA) NOA Optometrist of the Year in 2013, the Women in Optometry Leadership Award in 2021, the American Optometric Association (AOA) 2021 President’s Award, and the inaugural 2022 American Academy of Optometry Foundation Excellence in Diversity Awareness and Education Award.

Currently, she is a planning group member for the National Eye Institute National Eye Health Education Board (NEHEP) and co-chair of the Eye Health, My Health: Eye Health for African Americans.

Posted 11/26/23

NSU Faculty Honored for Receiving External Funding

The External Funding Recognition Reception is an annual event that provides recognition for the efforts of NSU faculty and staff who have received external grant funding in the previous fiscal year. Fiscal Year 2023 had exceptional activity in the area of external funding, with total cumulative active awards of about $167 million, of which $71 million supported research. This event recognized the extraordinary efforts of all faculty who contributed to this accomplishment and encourages the continued pursuit of all external funding.

There were 168 NSU Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators from 14 colleges and eight units who were honored at the NSU External Funding Recognition Reception for their external funding successes in FY 2023.   Provost Chenail also announced this year’s Provost’s Research and Scholarship Award recipients during the event. This year the event took place on Monday, Nov. 13, at the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation in the Alvin Sherman Library. The event was hosted by Ronald Chenail, Ph.D., NSU Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs; Kenneth Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., NSU Senior Vice President of the Division of Research and Economic Development; and Gary S. Margules, Sc.D., NSU Vice-President for Research.

Posted 11/29/23

Business Professor Among Panelists at Economic Summit

From the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, from left, Dean Andrew Rosman, Professor Albert Williams, Tanya Pawlowski, Amanda Conde, and Jose Poza.

Albert Williams, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of finance and economics at NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, was one of three panelists at the Economic Summit and Expo Wakeup Breakfast for the Coral Springs Coconut Creek Regional Chamber of Commerce, held Nov. 14, 2023.

Williams entertains the summit attendees with some music.

Williams discussed inflation, past and present, and provided a forecast for 2024. He stated that, in 2024, the U.S. economy will grow at a similar, or slightly higher, rate than in 2023.

Williams addressed questions regarding the difficulty of finding skilled and unskilled workers in Florida. With a low unemployment rate of 2.6 percent in South Florida, most people are already working. Also, due to a recently signed state bill, many farm, construction, and service workers are leaving the state. He discussed how employers can help their employees with the burden of inflation.

This includes giving employees annual salary increments that reflect the inflation increase and providing financial literacy training for them. Williams also recommended that employees have a candid self-reflection on their lifestyle and either increase their income and/or cut costs, such as reducing the number of meals away from home and reducing transportation costs by doing “batch” trips (buying groceries, buying gas, getting your prescription, and getting pizza in one trip).

Because of the shortage of workers, Williams strongly recommended that the employers attending the session come to NSU to find students who have the potential to be excellent workers. In addition to sharing his economic and finance knowledge, Williams also shared his guitar talent and entertained the 80 participants with his smooth guitar music, which is a fusion of rock, reggae, calypso, and Latin.

Posted 11/26/23

Celebrate Native American Heritage Thursday, Nov. 30

Native American Heritage Month is a yearly commemoration from November 1-30 that aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. Native American Heritage Day, November 24, is recognized as a civil holiday observed on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States.
We invite our NSU Community, including faculty, staff, alumni, students, and the public to join us on Thursday, Nov. 30. We are honored to have Van Samuels, Museum Educator, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, as our guest speaker.  We will have a rich discussion on the aspects of Seminole history, traditions, heritage, culture, and way of life.
This will be an event with breakfast and networking starting at 9:30 a.m.  For those registering for this in-person event at the Cotilla Gallery at the Alvin Sherman Library, please register here.
For those joining us online register here – the program begins at 10 a.m.
To learn more about Native American Nations and Communities in South Florida, check out https://libguides.nova.edu/nahm

Posted 11/09/23

International Men’s Day Panel Discussion, Nov. 16

Every year on November 19, International Men’s Day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness about various issues that men face, such as parental alienation, abuse, homelessness, suicide, and violence. It is also an occasion to celebrate men’s lives, achievements, and contributions to their nation, union, society, community, family, marriage, and childcare. This year’s theme is “Zero Male Suicide.”
To support this cause, the BEDI BOOKS + MORE CLUB and the College of Psychology are organizing a special panel discussion on November 16, 2023, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. The discussion will focus on how everyone can contribute to supporting fathers, brothers, sons, grandfathers, uncles, and neighbors to prevent male suicide. According to the CDC, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
We are honored to have a lineup of distinguished NSU experts who will share their insights during the deep-dive shark chat.

  • Scott Poland, Ed.D., director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office;
  • Juliette Hubbard, Psy.D., assistant director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office;
  • Gregory Gayle, senior director, Recruitment and Admissions, NSU College of Psychology

This event is open to the NSU community. Please register here by Tuesday, November 14, 2023, to participate.

If you would like to learn more about International Men’s Day, check out our BEDI Library Resource Guide. 

Posted 11/09/23

Dive Into the Science Behind Gender Identity, Nov. 15

The Farquhar Honors College and the Alvin Sherman Library present “The Open Classroom: The X’s, Y’s and O’s: The Biologic Basis of Gender Identity.”

Join us for an open discussion on the possible genetic, epigenetic, and physiologic forces that make us male, female, or gender-nonconforming.

  • When: Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 12:00 pm
  • Where: Cotilla Gallery, Alvin Sherman Library, 2nd floor
  • Free and open to the public
  • Register here

The Open Classroom series features conversations with scholars from various disciplines who share their expertise on important issues and provide insightful perspectives rarely seen in the media.

Posted 11/09/23

Professor Presents Dementia-Related Research in England

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D.

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D., from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at NSU presented a research poster titled “Assessment and Management of Dynamic Aphasia in the Context of Frontotemporal Dementia” at the 61st annual meeting of the Academy of Aphasia (AoA) hosted by the University of Reading, England, UK.

His research sheds light on a lesser-known manifestation of frontotemporal dementia referred to as “dynamic aphasia.” Unlike other variations of aphasia, individuals with dynamic aphasia perform well on clinical tests of naming, verbal repetition, auditory-verbal comprehension and reading, but they have substantial difficulty during conversations. They struggle to answer open-ended questions/requests (e.g., “Tell me about your hobbies”) and it is proposed that they have a breakdown at the stage where thoughts are converted into verbal messages (i.e., the thought-verbal interface).

Through his research, Chandregowda hopes to increase awareness about this clinical condition and contribute to the development of appropriate assessment and management strategies for clinical practice. His presentation at the AoA meeting was well received.

Posted 11/05/23

Speech-Language Pathology Welcomes Former NBA Player

When Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recently sat in front of Nova Southeastern University speech-language pathology faculty and students, he made one thing clear: “I don’t like talking, and I never will.”

He told the crowd about times he spent in the principal’s office after his teacher asked him to read aloud in class and he refused.

His actions were not a product of disobedience, he says, but a part of what would be a lifetime of dealing with a stutter.

“It’s lonely,” said the National Basketball Association veteran and University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Champion to a crowded room of students, faculty, and members of the stuttering community on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at NSU.

Kidd-Gilchrist calls himself lucky, though, despite his stutter. His towering height and athletic abilities have not only brought him success, but often provided a way to mask his condition. When his family was looking at colleges, he said, they sought out campuses with clinics. UK was a perfect fit, allowing Kidd-Gilchrist to play basketball for legendary Wildcats Coach John Calipari, and also have an opportunity to work with his first speech-language pathologist.

“I remember a time when I didn’t want anyone to know about my stutter,” he said. “When I entered speech therapy at the University of Kentucky, I told my therapist that I didn’t want anyone to know.”

As his connection with his therapist grew, Kidd-Gilchrist learned how to use a metronome to time his speech and also developed ways of overcoming adversity both physical and mental.

“My speech-language pathologist helped me start to understand that I wasn’t broken,” he said. “She was always there for me.”

Yet there still were struggles. Being good at basketball meant being in the spotlight. And being in the spotlight meant the dreaded microphones and interviews.

“I felt like I was teased in the media and couldn’t say anything back,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.

After being drafted in 2012 by the NBA as the second overall pick of the first round, Kidd-Gilchrist played in the NBA for nine years, mostly with Charlotte. While spending time in the NBA “bubble” in 2020, Kidd-Gilchrist began reflecting on his journey as a person who stutters. He wanted to turn his knowledge and experience into something that would help others who stutter.

“I have a responsibility to speak out for others,” he said. “Not because I have to do it, but because I want to do it.”

In 2021, he founded Change & Impact, Inc., a stuttering initiative with a mission to improve access to health care and expand services and resources for those who stutter.

NSU speech-language pathology Professor Rachel Williams, the facilitator of Kidd-Gilchrist’s university visit, explained that often stuttering sessions are not covered by insurance, because stuttering is a condition that has no definitive end point.

Since Change & Impact’s inception, Kidd-Gilchrist has been on a national speaking circuit visiting universities, hospitals, stuttering camps, and support groups. His goal is to raise awareness about gaps in the health care system for those who stutter, and the medical need to improve speech therapy insurance coverage for stuttering.

Kidd-Gilchrist shared his life as an SLP patient, student, father, husband, and basketball player during his visit to NSU. Besides his speaking engagement, he met with top administrators with the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, received a tour of the Davie Campus, and also toured NSU’s speech-language pathology clinic. He closed his visit at NSU by thanking the students and faculty who have pursued the speech-language pathology field.

“I appreciate that you wanted to get into this field,” he said. “In doing so, you have an opportunity to help someone.”

To learn more about Change & Impact, visit www.changeandimpactinc.org

Posted 11/05/23

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