Seven-year-old Arisha Sofia Ahmed received a letter that she will cherish for the rest of her life.The third grade student at Bob Graham Education Center wrote President Barack Obama in February and the commander-in-chief responded five months later, making her the happiest kid in the world and the envy of her classmates when she returns to school for the new year.“I felt really happy because I was worried and sad that he wouldn’t...

Norka M. Diaz started in real estate 32 years ago and shortly after launched her own real estate company, Norka Realty Inc., in Hialeah where the office remained for 30 years until the move to Miami Lakes became inevitable. The company recently celebrated its first anniversary in the Miami Lakes office. “I’m a longtime resident of Miami Lakes,” said Diaz, “and so it was only a matter of time before I moved the...

St. Thomas University (STU) was among seven institutions nationwide selected by USA Funds that will share $2.3 million in grants with the goal of enhancing the college completion rates and career readiness of first-generation, low-income and minority students.The $325,000 grant for STU’s DRIVE (Developing Relevant Indices for Viable Employment) will provide a cohort of entering students with four years of career-oriented education and...

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) alumnus and Miami Lakes native, Kevin Garcia (B.F.A, interactive design and game development) won the top honor at The Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA) Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). E3 is the leading electronic entertainment exposition in the world for students and professionals alike.Garcia was among the 10-person student team from a senior project class at SCAD that...

Cle-Andra Rolle, a senior at Florida Memorial University majoring in biology, says her dream of becoming a doctor is a realty because of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan’s Summer Youth Internship Initiative (SYII).Rolle worked as an intern this summer at Jackson Memorial Hospital, assisting medical staff. “I saw someone being resuscitated...doctors brought them back to life,” she said. “That experience...