Miami, May 30, 2018 – The Braman Family Foundation has renewed its commitment of $1 million in scholarships for another 1,000 students to complete their studies at Miami Dade College (MDC) and Florida International University (FIU) during the 2018-2019 academic year.
In 2017, the Braman Family Foundation donated $1 million toward scholarships as an incentive for students to enroll full-time during their last year and accelerate completion. The Braman Scholarship awarded $1,000 to 500 MDC students and 500 FIU students. This fall, another 500 students in their final year of studies will be selected to receive scholarship funds.
In its first year, the Braman Scholarship was integral – helping the majority of these scholarship students graduate either this spring, summer or fall semester.
“We are so proud to see our scholarship support have a positive impact on students at Miami Dade College and Florida International University this year,” said Debi Wechsler, director of the Braman Family Foundation. “It gives us great pleasure to renew our support and do all we can to ensure Miami students have ample opportunities to succeed.”
“My completion scholarship helped pay for my tuition this year. It is so humbling to know that my community thinks it’s important to help me achieve my dream of owning my own technology company,” said Keionest Felder, an MDC computer engineering student who is graduating this year with his associate degree. “Thank you, Miami Dade College, for helping me get to the finish line and setting me on the right path.”
MDC’s wraparound services also played an integral role in providing the inaugural scholarship students with extra support to help them reach their educational goals. College advisors provided them with information and guidance related to their graduation requirements, course information, milestones and the transfer process.
“We are incredibly grateful the Braman Family Foundation has renewed its support for next year,” added Dr. Lenore Rodicio, executive vice president and provost at MDC. “A gift of $500 per semester really goes a long way to helping our students make ends meet, and we have seen such great results in the first year of this scholarship support. It is giving our students the extra boost they need to graduate and confidently enter the workforce.”
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is the nation’s largest, campus-based institution of higher education with an enrollment of more than 165,000 students. It is also the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to minorities than any other college or university in the country. The college’s eight campuses offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including several baccalaureate degrees in biological sciences, engineering, data analytics, information systems technology, education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film and others. MDC is the recipient of top national awards. As Democracy’s College, MDC changes lives through accessible, high quality-teaching and learning experiences. It houses the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, the Eig-Watson School of Aviation, the Idea Center, the School of Advance Studies, the New World School of the Arts, to name a few. MDC has been named among the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The College embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community. Its alumni and employees contribute more than $6 billion annually to the local economy, and MDC graduates occupy top leadership positions in every major industry. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, the Tower Theater, Dyer Building, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, a sculpture park and a large art gallery system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu
About Florida International University
Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a “R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity” and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy. The university is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine’s “America’s Best Employers” list and received honors in all categories of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2017 “Great Colleges to work for” survey. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU’s Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/
MDC Foundation contact: Alyssa Zamora, director of communications and digital engagement, 305-237-3331, azamora@mdc.edu.