Emily had less than ten years of teaching experience when a group of students at MDC's Eduardo J. Padrón Campus chose her as their advisor for a campus magazine. She has now been the advisor of Urbana for fifteen years, and a member of the Florida College System Publications Association since she submitted Volume 1 of Urbana for competition in 2008. Urbana has received national awards in recent years, such as Pacemaker finalist, Pinnacle general excellence, and Community Colleges Humanities Association individual and general excellence awards.

 

Prior to her work as a college media advisor, Emily graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University in 1996 and her Master of Arts from Florida State University in 1998. She has been serving as a professor at the Eduardo J. Padrón Campus of Miami Dade College since 1997 in the Communication, Arts, & Philosophy Department. During her time as a professor, she has also served as a founding advisor for the LIT CLUB, MDC Democrats, Imagination Federation Serve Club, and the Hermione’s Army-Chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance.

 

She also has a passion for service, having raised about $40,000 for the education of children in rural Nicaragua through a project she co-founded entitled Tengo un Sueño. Emily is also a member of the CMA’s Diversity and Inclusion committee and works to advocate for all marginalized students, embracing all races, ethnicities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and students with disabilities. Emily was also a National Council of Teachers of English Nell Anne Pickett Service Award nominee in 2020, was named the Student Life Advisor of the Year in 2018, and received a Florida Campus Compact Florida Service-Learning Faculty of the Year award in 2012.

 

We're so proud of you, Emily! Thanks for all you do!