Explore the
MDC Digital Commons
Homestead Campus
Welcome To the Shore: The Psychosocial Repercussions of Reality Television |
In The Shadow of a Dragon: Tolkien's Effect on Fantasy Storytelling |
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| Gabriella Bonilla Faculty Mentor: Susan Lichtman |
Alexander Rodriguez Faculty Mentor: Wendy Goodwin |
| Gabriella, a South Florida native, is a Miami Dade Honors College scholar working towards her Associates in Arts degree in English Literature and Education. Age 19, she represents a Dominican household and is extremely proud of her Afro-Latin roots. Involved with organizations such as Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta, Gabriella holds both the humanities and community service very close to her heart. With aspirations to earn her Doctorate, the sharing of knowledge and ideas is her true passion and goal in life. | Alexander Rodriquez is an English major currently studying out of the Homestead campus of Miami Dade college, with aspirations to become an English professor and eventually a published author. He was born and raised in South Florida to a Dominican mother and Mexican father and is currently twenty-two years old. From a young age he was obsessed with fantasy be it in books, films, or games and this love eventually became a passion for storytelling and a fascination with the way people write and the way emotions can be conveyed through writing. |
Kendall Campus
| VirginiaDare "Virginia" Goss currently attends Miami Dade College, pursuing a degree in English Language and Literature. As an artist, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor of Cutler Bay. Virginia has participated in multiple art exhibitions, most notably the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Currently, she is a New Media intern for Jitney Books. |
Karen Levy is an art student currently enrolled at Miami Dade College Kendall campus. With a passion for painting and drawing, she has actively showcased her work in events like the Quest for Peace Art Show and Emerging Artist Art Show. She is currently working as a service grant student for the art gallery in Kendall campus. Karen's dedication to her craft is evident as she aspires to further her education, aiming to attend a four-year university and ultimately achieve a master's degree in Fine Arts. |
Voiceless Choir - A Call for All |
Seeing Beyond Sight: Bridging the Gap In White Cane Awareness and Guidance |
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| Claudia Oliver Faculty Mentor: Rodney Castillo |
Ricardo Salazar Faculty Mentor: Trinidad Arguelles |
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Claudia Reina Oliver is a student at Miami Dade College. At 22 years old, she is currently pursuing a major in Fine Arts and Art Education. Claudia is very proud of her Cuban-Nicaraguan heritage, which has provided her a lens through which to see social issues around her. Her research project, “Voiceless Choir – A Call to All” explores various social issues and ways in which they can be addressed. She hopes her project inspires others to seek solution to the many injustices taking place across the world. Her work seeks to provide a voice to those who do not have one but need to be heard. |
Ricardo Salazar is a twenty-one-year-old foreign language student at MDC. He is very passionate about language learning and culture. He discovered this from an early age learning English as a second language while still living in his country of origin, Venezuela. He’s also very interested in advocacy related to visual impairments. As an infant, he was diagnosed with a congenital eye disease known as LCA. This condition deteriorated his sight progressively. Today, he only has approximately 30 percent of usable vision left in both eyes, meaning that he is legally blind and visually impaired. Thanks to a great amount of support from family, friends and institutions as well as a positive attitude alongside his dedication, he has been able to overcome many obstacles along the way and is pursuing an AA degree at MDC. |
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita: How a Russian Author Wrote One of the Great American Novels |
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| Stephanie Venedicto Faculty Mentor: Marisol Varela |
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Born in Miami, Florida, to a Cuban-American father and a Syrian-Italian mother, Stephanie Venedicto learned the value of different perspectives. Having been Homeschooled, she spent her childhood in libraries, museums, and nature. Her mother emphasized the importance of public works, arts and literature, and a well-rounded education. It is because of these experiences that she developed a love for reading and writing, hoping to one day work in a library, museum, or publishing house. Stephanie plans to continue her degree in literature and minor in history to better equip herself for her future career. |
North Campus
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Temiloluwa Alagbe is a second-year Miami Dade College Honors College student pursuing an Associate of Arts degree in English literature. Originally from New York, she moved to Miami in high school and graduated from Barbara Goleman Senior High School. Temiloluwa discovered her love for reading and writing as a child and hopes to work as a journalist or a writer in the film industry. She enjoys reading, dancing, and drawing.
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Nicole Del Rio is an honors college student on track to receive an associate in arts in English Literature and Education. Her goal is to either complete an MFA or a Ph.D. in English Literature, as she plans to have a career in academia. Outside of the professional field, she is an aspiring author and avid reader. Other hobbies of hers include journalism and gardening. |
| Erica Fleuregiste is a Haitian-American Art student at Miami Dade College, currently working towards getting her associate's Degree in Graphic or Commercial Arts. At 21 years old, she is the youngest child in her Haitian household, with two sisters and two brothers. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Erica has always been interested in the arts and using her skills to create fun projects for others to enjoy, informing people on topics that she is interested in, and also using art as an outlet for her personal life. She hopes to become a graphic design artist when she's older, or a content creator. When she's not creating art projects, Fleuregiste enjoys listening to music, playing games, watching TV shows, videos, movies, and hanging out with friends and family. | |
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Apollinaire S. Mendoza is an international relations student at The Honors College in Miami Dade College. His work has stretched from teaching at Breakthrough Miami, to research with the Mellon-funded Humanities Edge initiative, and striving to find community solutions with Phi Theta Kappa. He is supported by his Cuban immigrant family who, with their love, pushed him toward museums of various subjects to find his interests. He found his passion in the paintings and stories of the figures that dotted the halls of natural history museums. While on television he discovered the world of diplomacy and politics with the speeches of Barack Obama and the geopolitics of China's Belt and Road. Apollinaire aims to make events, figures, and the story behind them more accessible to youth to create a more globally sensitive generation in the future. |
Khaylia Sajous is a sophomore at Miami Dade College studying Mass Communication and Journalism. Khaylia might transfer to FIU or UCF to continue with her studies in Journalism. She aspires to become a writer in the future. Currently, she is enjoying her journey as a researcher for The Humanities Edge program. |
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Natushka Senat is an Haitian-American student, artist, and activist who grew up in the city of Opa-Locka, Florida. Growing up in a household with vibrant and colorful personalities, she sees the world as a beautiful masterpiece. She creates her art with all the resources around her. To her, there are no bounds and her creativity is limitless. She says often that she enjoys the pauses in life because she believes that they are also apart of the rhythm that is the song of life. With a mother who immigrated from Haiti in the early 90s, she learned to see the world in different perspectives. “The layers in life is what makes us whole” quoted by Senat. Her love of the arts and her impending drive to seek what is underneath and go deeper than the eye can see, takes her to a places unknown filled with compassion, knowledge and heart. And to her, this is just only the beginning. |
Padrón Campus
Getting to College: The Story of Immigrants |
The “Proper” Way to Speak English: Linguistic Racism and the Arbitrary Nature of Language |
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My name is Leidy Padrino, I am a twenty-eight-year-old undergraduate student at Padron campus, I am an English Literature major looking to learn all the tools necessary to start a career in editing. I am Co-Editor in Chief of Urbana Literary and Arts Magazine here at Padron campus, and through Urbana I have found a passion for editing and writing. This is my first research project, and I am excited to bring this story to life for you all. |
Andrea Terrero is currently studying English literature at Miami Dade College. She is the president of an activist club on campus called Queer Collective, as well as co-Editor in Chief for the literary magazine Urbana. Outside of school, she is an organizer for the Cleo Institute, an environmental non-profit. She loves to read and write poetry, workout, and play the guitar. Andrea hopes to transfer to Columbia University to pursue a double major in Comparative Literature and Political Science in order to combine her love for literature with her passion for activism through education, journalism, and non-profit work. |
Wolfson Campus
Bannedlander Project: Feminisim, Book Bans, and Outlander Controversy |
Cuban History: Queer Edition |
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Paola Arriaza is an English literature student at Miami Dade Honors College. She serves as editor-in-chief of Metromorphosis literary magazine and holds the position of Vice President at Speakwave, the Wolfson campus public speaking club. Additionally, she is on the leadership board for Wolfs in Training, a mentorship program for the Wolfson campus honors college. She also serves as an intern and ambassador for the Miami Book Fair. Paola aspires to become a publisher one day. In her free time, Paola can be found exploring new destinations, curating her growing collection of rare books, and perfecting the art of baking mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies. |
Lisbeth Triana is a full-time college student, nineteen years old. She attend New World Schools of the Arts and will shortly transfer to the University of Florida to continue her education and earn a BFA. Lisbeth's degree is Graphic Design, but she enjoys experimenting with many art forms. Her Cuban American heritage influences every area of her life. It inspires her to not only appreciate her ancestors and those who came before her, but also to learn about the culture that is rich in hidden treasures. As a developing artist, Lisbeth feels it is critical to never stop feeding her brain knowledge. Thus, her long-term aspirations include continuing to study and create art. |