FIU Alumna Gives to Her Honors College ‘Family’

Scholarships allowed Tina Vidal to attend FIU. Now a successful entrepreneur, she is giving back to the university by making a planned gift.

Tina Vidal ’02, MIB ’04 is all about giving back—her time, talent and treasure. As an FIU alumna and chair of the Community Advisory Board of FIU’s Honors College, she has recently donated a $220,000 planned gift to the college that will support its general endowment, providing program funding in perpetuity. Tina’s leadership on the board has helped to substantially boost fundraising efforts for the college. And she continues to volunteer at FIU, she says, because it makes such a large impact on the community.

“FIU is one of the top employers in this area. It graduates students who contribute to this community. Those facts alone make it important to volunteer, give back and donate to the mission of continuing to make FIU great,” she says.

It’s that kind of philanthropy that continues to help FIU students who have limited financial resources and gives them the opportunity to receive an education at one of the top doctoral research universities in the nation designated as Highest Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Thanks to multiple scholarships funded by generous donors, Tina was able to attend FIU when her parents could not afford it. Determined to make the most of her college experience, she excelled academically, graduating from the Honors College magna cum laude in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in international business and marketing. Two years later, she earned a master’s in international business also at FIU. And in 2010, the Honors College honored her with a Distinguished Alumni Award at the FIU Torch Awards Gala.

Since graduating, Tina has served as director of corporate operations for Pacer Health Company, which specializes in turning around financially distressed companies. She also co-founded ML Management Group, which manages the careers of mixed martial arts fighters. A serial entrepreneur, she has recently started a new company, Pooch Perks, a monthly subscription box for dogs. Through her company, Tina also provides two paid internships for Honors College students.

“There are so many students who are brilliant but don’t have the resources to attend school full time. Giving back to improve the university, add new programs and create scholarships is my way of honoring those individuals who came before me and gave me those opportunities,” she says.

Like many other young donors, Tina loves the idea of planned giving because it allows her to make a significant impact in the future with little money now.

She adds, “I’m still young in my career and can’t afford to give a six- or even seven-figure gift yet; however, through the planned giving vehicle, I was able to make a six-figure financial impact with only a few dollars today.”

Tina chose to give back to the Honors College because it provided her major opportunities in life, including a study abroad experience in Spain and her first “real” job. She says FIU prepares students for real life, not just through books and theories in a classroom. Her loyalty to the Honors College stems from their recognizing her achievements and keeping in touch with her even long after graduation.

“I love the family atmosphere that FIU offers,” she says. “For being such a large institution with thousands of alumni and employees, you still get the feeling that it is a family. The people at FIU really care.”

With that affinity, she hopes to instill the pay-it-forward mentality at FIU and create an endless cycle of giving and therefore sustainability for the university.

“Someone helped me along the way. Now I’m helping others. Those whom I’ve helped should in turn help others and so on.”

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Join Tina Vidal in investing in the future of FIU by making a planned gift to the University. Contact us to get started.