Mechanical Engineering Sophomore Patricia Garcia Is on the Fast-Track to Success

Patricia Garcia

By the time she entered FIU as a freshman, she had already completed a full-time, summer research internship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She then spent last summer in Massachusetts Institute of Technology research labs working on engineering 3D skeletal muscles for applications in the development of bio-robots, pre-clinical drug advances, and transplantation.

But things haven’t always been easy for the young woman with a seemingly natural affinity for STEM. As she was nearing high school graduation, her mother fell gravely ill and was unable to work. With medical bills piling up, Garcia was unsure how they would afford her college education.

But Garcia was quickly matched with a scholarship from the Miami Bayside Foundation. “Soon the scholarship funds kicked in, and things were easier,” she said.

Garcia had the opportunity to meet the chair of the Miami Bayside Foundation, Nathan Kurland, at a breakfast held by the FIU Foundation, Inc. on April 8 to recognize scholars and their benefactors.

Kurland is proud of the work the Miami Bayside Foundation and FIU have accomplished together since 2011. The foundation’s work includes supporting scholarships in the MBA program and the general scholarship fund.

“We believe we have a real partner in FIU,” Kurland said.

With the financial intervention her scholarship provided her, Garcia has more free time to focus on her studies as well as her interest in advancing women and minorities in STEM careers. She plans to get involved in the initiative on campus.

“Because I believe the research laboratory and the engineering classroom are the perfect places for a girl like me,” Garcia said. “Thank you FIU and the Miami Bayside Foundation for believing that too.”