Endowment fund helps undergraduates explore career opportunities
19 Abril 2024 - 12:00PM
Internships play a crucial role in an undergraduate’s academic
career. From gaining invaluable hands-on experience to networking
with professionals in their prospective industry, an internship is
beneficial—whether paid or unpaid.
Mark and Maureen Angelo share that belief and a deep affection
for the University of Miami, which led them to make a $1 million
gift to the Toppel Career Center. Through the Mark and Maureen
Angelo Family Endowment Fund, which has also received support from
other parents of University of Miami students, undergraduate
students can receive financial awards as they pursue high quality
internships that foster their career exploration.
“We love the U,” said Mark Angelo, the founder of Yorkville
Advisors, a global investment manager. “As a family, we are proud
to partner with the University of Miami to make a difference by
providing resources to students as they pursue their career
interests.”
For Nicole Daitschman, a second-year architecture student, that
support enabled her to pursue a summer internship with Branco del
Rio Arquitectos, a small architecture firm in Coimbra,
Portugal.
For months, Daitschman lived in Coimbra, a place she had never
visited before, and was able to immerse herself in the culture and
professional architecture approaches.
“I was allowed to not only be a part of all the projects being
developed but also to have insightful conversations with the other
architects, including the firm's owners,” said Daitschman. “I
developed skills of model building, communication,
entrepreneurship, structure analysis, building codes, financial
aspects of a project, photography, and graphic design, besides
expanding my personal horizons of the Portuguese and European
culture.”
Juan Fernando Flechas Beltran, a senior majoring in biomedical
engineering with a biomaterials and tissue concentration, also
received an award from the Angelo Family Endowment Fund to help
fund his internship last summer with the NeuStem Research Group at
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
His internship had a very personal connection and helped provide
a sense of closure to a horrifying incident he had faced.
“On Jan. 6, 2023, while riding my motorcycle, I was hit by an
SUV that sped through a red light. As I hit the ground, I remember
I became paralyzed from my chest down,” he said.
After a 7-hour emergency surgery and a 3-week hospital stay,
Flechas regained autonomy eight months later.
“I like to think of this accident as an opportunity that allowed
me to have a more in-depth understanding of the needs of
individuals affected by paralysis,” said Flechas. “Experiencing the
fear of becoming paralyzed and witnessing the ability of our bodies
to heal after extensive trauma has further stoked my
commitment.”
In addition to Daitschman’s and Felchas’ experiences, other
students have landed internship opportunities at NASCAR, the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey, MD Anderson Cancer Center,
Creative Artists Agency, circuit and district courts, television
networks, and more.
“While we recognize that internships are important, the fact
remains that for many students, internships are out of reach
because they lack the funds to engage in one. That is why we are so
thankful to the Angelos for helping to remove barriers to
internship access,” said Christian Garcia, associate dean, Toppel
Career Center.
The Angelo family gift is part of the University of Miami’s
Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century. The most
ambitious in the University’s history, the $2.5 billion campaign is
set to conclude in 2025, when the University will celebrate its
centennial.
- The Mark and Maureen Angelo Family Endowment Fund empowers
undergraduates to excel and gain additional financial support while
pursuing paid or unpaid internships
Megan Ondrizek
University of Miami
3052843667
m.ondrizek@umiami.edu