FIU Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law News Blog

"Service to the student, the school, the profession and the community"

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Meet The Nominees: Ana Maria Rodriguez

My name Is Ana Maria Rodriguez, and I am running for the Executive Board position of Secretary.

Why are you interested in the position?

Joining Phi Alpha Delta has been the best decision I've made as an undergrad, the organization has opened numerous doors in my path to entering law school. Giving back my highest quality of work to PAD has always been my priority. The position of Secretary would grant me the opportunity to proactively work towards the continued success of our chapter, promoting the best opportunities in advancing my brothers’ professional accomplishments.

What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

If elected to the Executive Board, my goals for the upcoming year would be to strengthen fraternal relationships in the organization, work diligently with the newly elected board to collectively carry out future projections, and most importantly, establish close bonds with all my brothers to ensure their path to law school and professional development goals are effectively met.

What skills and strengths do you possess that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

Working as an English tutor my Freshman and Sophomore year allowed me to perfect my articulate writing and speech abilities, which are paramount in effectively carrying out the communicative duties required by the Secretary. My previous experience as Secretary of my Student Government Class, along with professionalism and diligence in ensuring the highest quality of work, are strengths I will carry to the highest standard.

A fun fact about you!

I am an avid animal  lover and enjoy cooperating with local animal shelters on my free time to help encourage the adoption of animals in shelters!

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Meet the Nominees: Sulany Perez

Hey Brothers!

My name is Sulany Perez, and I am running for your Vice President. Being a member of Phi Alpha Delta for 2 years has allowed me to experience first-hand the impact our fraternity has on our future and the lasting connections that it establishes. As a result, what this fraternity has provided for me it has inspired me to run for this position. It has allowed me to incorporate new ideas and help grow Phi Alpha Delta as a fraternity to the student body. My previous experience as a Vice President of my high school for a student body of 2,000 students and my current position as a member of the social committee have allowed me to an excellent candidate for this position. A fun fact about me is that I was a figure skater for about 7 years! Vote for me !

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Meet the Nominees:Giovanni Fillichio

Why are you interested in the position?

I want to become part of the PAD e-board in order to create a fulfilling coming year experience for current members and upcoming members

What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

I have many ideas to further the appropriate use of funds from dues to be put towards events and such. One such idea would be to create a payment plan for the Nationals and states trips to allow for members to pay their trip costs through a plan. I along with the future recruitment chair will attend individual classes that have a focus on Law to give presentations to prospective students looking to become members.

What skills and strengths do you posses that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

I run my own business through my parent corporation Supreme, selling clothing, we have a large mark up with no overhead and no left over merchandise. Our merchandise sells out very quickly due to a very high demand. I manage the funds coming in to my business and I manage the output of funds going into re-purchasing of future merchandise, along with the appropriate usage of funds for my employees. It is not too time consuming because most of the business is done through my iPhone.

I also work in an art gallery appropriating funds from art purchases to fund events and create more revenue for the gallery

A fun fact about you!

I like fashion and art. I love to skateboard and surf. I know a little bit about everything and if you get to know me you will be surprised what I like and know a lot about! I am very focused on creating an even better Phi Alpha Delta for the coming year.

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Meet the Nominees: Danielle Robinson

My name is Danielle Robinson and I want to beyour President. I don’t think any good candidate can fully introduce him or herself and explain all of their ideas in less than 200 words, so I apologize if I seem abrupt or incomplete. Give me a chance during Tuesday’selections to lay foundation as to what our plans as a fraternity should be moving forward. 

 Why are you interested in the position?

 I want to be able to contribute my ideas to fix many of the problems I, along with other members, have seen in PAD. I have six years of experience in pre-law programs (including high school) during which I have created many networks that are valuable to our organization.

 What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

 I want to establish a better campus and community based fundraising model and include all members in our fundraising activities. This model will benefit will bring long-term benefits for PAD if followed.

I want to encourage brotherhood by giving members more opportunities to participate in fundraising, fraternity promotion, and planning so that they are not left out.

For promoting our fraternity I would use more campus resources not limited to GC-tabling.PAD letters must be seen in more places.

 What skills and strengths do you possess that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

 I have great leadership, organizational, supervisory, communication, and motivational skills, which can be seen in my semester as mock trial chair. I organized two teams, both placed 3rd and 4th at States in addition to competitors winning two individual awards. I am a visionary, and leaders must provide a vision to motivate members of the fraternity to pursue.

 A fun fact about you!

I love to tell people that I am from a pirate town called Port Royal which is one of the places Pirates of the Caribbean is filmed… it’s true, I have pictures, but I’m not a Pirate I promise.

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Meet the Nominees: Daniel Brey

Daniel Brey has developed a set of personal and professional skills that will best suit the position of either the president, or vice-president position. His platform spans from gathered experience as the Spring 15' Professional Development Chair. As chair, Daniel granted members the opportunity to travel to Orlando, FL free of charge during one of the multiple law school tours throughout the semester. In addition, Daniel coordinated all law school representative panels, judge panels, and the upcoming brotherhood retreat. As president/vice-president Daniel plans to add one-two additional law school tours to our semester itinerary.  Also, he plans to create an incentive program and future partnership with his current employer, The Miami Marlins.

Professionally, Daniel has dipped his mind into many spheres of knowledge. Having been employed by FIU, ESPN, The Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and The Office of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Daniel has experience and networked within prominent political, business, and media organizations.

Additionally, The Miami Marlins, his current employer, have granted the 21-year old the opportunity to head a major league clubhouse for three seasons.

As a well-seasoned professional, Daniel will incorporate the above experience, and more importantly, networking opportunities through these various mediums for fellow members.

Daniel Brey is nominated for the president and vice-president position.

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Meet the Nominees: Sergio Molina

Why are you interested in the position?

I've always felt that it's my responsibility to better allthat I'm involved in. Being the current Vice-President, and someone who has seen how the Executive Board operated behind the scenes to offer our members a useful chapter, I feel I've gained the experience necessary to keep our achievements growing greater than those that we've accomplished this year. 

 What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

Once again, as the current Vice-President, I have learned that the only way to have a successful chapter is to have successful brothers. That means that it should be our duty to make sure that all of our members are given not only numerous opportunities, but also the best opportunities. Because of this, I plan to get our brothers more involved in leadership positions, which would include some that already exist, and,  with the agreement of the future board,a few more I'd add that we feel would help the chapter run more smoothly. 

 What skills and strengths do you posses that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

More than anything, I feel that my greatest asset is my ability to not only look at situations with a fresh set of eyes, but also to take them on with a unique perspective; one that's very much out of the box. On top of that, I try to make sure that all I do is done in a systematic manner, meaning that I keep things organized and that I have a clear, concise, and defined plan of action and execution for all of our ideas. 

 A fun fact about you!

I have been a competitive swimmer since my 8th grade year, which would now make it six years.

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Meet the Nominees: Marjorie Lluveres

Brothers,

 My name is Marjorie Lluveres and I want to be elected as your secretary for the 2015-2016 term because I truly believe in this organization. In the short time that I have been a part of Phi Alpha Delta, I have learned and grown so much and I have seen our organization become stronger than ever before. I want to continue to pioneer this growth so that Phi Alpha Delta at FIU can become all that it can be. As secretary, I will make sure that Phi Alpha Delta is not only recognized nationally as it is now, but also for us to have a strong presence within the FIU community. Working as secretary has provided me with the experience to fulfill the most important tasks of this position and of course being the current fundraising chair has helped me understand what it is to manage this organization internally. I have so many ideas and dreams for this position, and I am eager to make them a reality. I want to make sure that all members are well informed and engaged in every thing that is going on in the chapter and that brothers get the best experience possible that Phi Alpha Delta has to offer. 

Fun fact: This summer I will spend one month studying abroad in six different countries in Europe!

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Meet the Nominees: Alexi Lopez

Hello fellow Brothers,

My name is Alexi Lopez and I am running for Treasurer of this fraternity for the mere reason that I want to be apart of the growth this fraternity will continue to concur. Our current Treasurer, Vilerka Bilbao, has some really big shoes to fill and I firmly know that I possess the skills and strengths it takes to carry out the duties for this position. I have been passionately involved in PAD for over a year now and I believe that I have proven through my hard work as the current Recruitment Chair that I have PAD's best interest in mind. Having initiated the largest class this fraternity has ever seen in just two semesters shows that I am reliable, dedicated and punctual. I as well have an extent of financial experience between budgeting my families finances and making sure medical insurance companies are billing the company that I am currently working for. With these skills, I will review and audit the checking and investment accounts for accuracy and allocate the money in the fraternities best interest for all brothers including our committee chairs and future brothers to benefit from. I am a big proponent in driving ownership in the organization and with your referendum, I am allowed to justify that. A fun fact about me is that I work with animals at Homestead Animal Hospital every weekend. Thank you for this opportunity and I hope to serve well for this organization that I am most passionate about.

Fraternally,

Alexi Lopez Recruitment Chair

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Meet the Nominees: John Cervera

Why are you interested in the position? 

I am interested in the Vice Presidency for several reasons. I've been a member for a long time and PAD has done so many great things for me and I want to give back. I want to leave legacy of betterment. So that future undergrads at FIU can benefit even more than I have. Moreover, I believe that my skill set is best suited for the vice presidency specifically.

What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

    My main platform is to work with E-Board to produce the best year that Phi Alpha Delta has ever seen and ensure the continuity of our organization. I also want to work closer with other student groups to expand our network and associate ourselves with professional organizations. As they say, you can tell a lot about a person through the people they associate with, and this applies to professionalism as well. 

What skills and strengths do you posses that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

   I've been in student groups since high school and in college also, so I understand groups. Being on the E Council has given me insight into how PAD works administratively. I can transition much better and I can get the figurative ball rolling sooner. This means a smoother path for the year and a better overall experience for all members.

A fun fact about you!

   I was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania! 

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Meet the Nominees: Jennifer Mosquera

Why are you interested in the position?

I am interested in the position of President because I want to give back to a community that has already given me so much. I am passionate about PAD and I feel that my drive and commitment to PAD makes me an ideal candidate.

What are your goals and ideas for the upcoming year if elected on to the Executive Board?

One of the goals that I have is to establish a moot court team. I also want to develop better quality events that will attract more new members.

What skills and strengths do you possess that are specific to carrying out the duties of the position you have applied for?

I am a very open individual who is almost always available. As the face of the organization, I would make my best effort to participate in all of our PAD events and be involved in the planning process so that everything runs smoothly. I am a great listener. I love working with others and coming up with new ways to tackle the challenges that we face as an organization.

A fun fact about you!

I have been a sculptor for over nine years.

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Alabama’s legislative districts are ‘racially gerrymandered,’ Supreme Court rules

The Supreme Court has ruled that Alabama’s redistricting plans weaken blacks’ political power by concentrating them together, thus increasing Republican power. Justices sent the case back to the same District Court that had okayed Alabama’s new maps.

 In 2012, Alabama’s Republican-led state legislature re-drew the  boundaries of the state legislature’s 105 House districts and 35  Senate districts. It focused on obtaining the theoretical ideal  of precisely equal population by keeping any deviation from that  goal to less than one percent. Alabama also sought to avoid  hampering racial minorities’ ability to elect their candidates of  choice ‒ as required by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of  1965 ‒ by maintaining roughly the same percentage of  African-Americans in majority-minority districts that existed  within the previous district lines.

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The Huge Implications of Voting That No One Talks About

Presidential appointments may not be sexy, and neither are the mechanisms that regulate the process. (Most of the more than 3,000 appointments require Senate approval; just a scant 300 positions may be appointed by the U.S. President without Senate confirmation.) But when Capitol Hill seems embroiled in partisan squabbling, appointees move forward issues you care about - and often issues that are too hot for Congress to touch.

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'We’ll out-Siri Siri, until we have consciousness': Futurist touts mind clones at SXSW

In the near future, cyber-consciousness will mean constitutional rights for increasingly humanoid robots, while humans will download their thoughts and memories to their mind clones, a futurist told the SXSW Interactive festival.

These processes will be part of the further “merging together” of human and cyber worlds, transhumanist philosopher and a pioneer in artificial intelligence Martine Rothblatt said Sunday at the conference for emerging technologies set in Austin, Texas, this week. In the long term, advances in software technology will create robots that will operate in tandem with and separate from humans.

“I believe Mind Clones will be humanity’s biggest invention. The market opportunity is limitless,”Rothblatt told Bloomberg News in February. “Ultimately – just like we all want a smart phone, we all want a social media account – we are all going to want a Mind Clone. It will make everything in our life more useful, more valuable. It will give us twice as much time to do everything.”

[attndotcom]

The President’s Sweeping Immigration Action is Now on Hold. Here’s Why

A federal judge has blocked President Obama’s immigration enforcement plan, which would have used executive action to stop deportations of people who came to the United States as children or early teens and people with children who are legal U.S. residents. Judge Andrew Hanen, who sits on the federal bench in Texas, issued a preliminary injunction putting the law on hold a just a day before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was to begin accepting applications for these new protections. Judge Hanen says the president’s actions went beyond the president’s authority to enforce the law.  

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Law School in Spotlight: Florida State University College of Law

Choosing a law schoolis arguably one of the easiest decisions in the whole process.  Between the chaos of achieving good grades and acing the LSAT, deciding on a school is just a simple matter of research. Luckily for our readers our chapter was visited by Ralph J. Keiffer, an Admissions Officer of FSU’s College of Law. 

Here are some highlights:

Reputation: The U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 ranking of law schools placed FSU’s College of Law #1 in the state of Florida and #45 overall. National Jurist ranked it the nation’s #10 “Best Value School” and HispanicBuisness considered it the nation’s #2 best law school for Hispanic students. These titles are due to the school’s strong employment rates. In fact, it was ranked #25 in the nation by the National Law Journal.

The Alumni network makes a difference. FSU’s College of Law attributes its strong employment rate to its strong alumni network that actually engages with students. Alumni from all fields of law host networking meetings, conduct mock trials or just simply answer questions about their specific fields.

The Cost: Let’s face it. Law school doesn’t come cheap. However, for the quality and reputation, students get a lot of bang for their buck.  Non-Resident students are also encouraged to apply for Residency after completing their first year.

Location, location, location. The College is only a step away from the Florida State Capitol. This provides numerous opportunities in private firms and all branches of government.

One of the Best. The bar passage rate is 82.8% compared to the 72.9% of all first-time test takers— FSU law students obviously do it better.

For more information visit their website here

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Alumni Panel Preview

Hello Brothers,

This Thursday evening we will be hosting our Phi Alpha Delta Alumni Panel for recruitment week. During this event, we will be highlighting past PAD members, including executive board and council members. We hope that by inviting past members who were highly involved in the inner workings of PAD we will be able to show you what PAD can do for you as a development of professional skills and opportunities. Our panelists will discuss how they were involved with PAD, their post-graduate experiences, and provide plenty of advice you should take in as invaluable information. This is event is designed to provide you, potential members and old members alike, with insight into how PAD can affect your academic and professional careers. Show respect and courtesy as these panelists have kindly volunteered their time because they believe in our mission. Take advantage and ask any question you may have in mind about undergrad, law school, employment, and so on.

The panelists include Olga Torres (Past VP), Vanessa Terrades (Past Historian), Amanda Duran (Past Social Chair), Eddie Perez ( Past member), and Anais Saavedra (Past Member).

 It will be a great event. Come and learn about our great alumni and the value PAD added to their lives!

Stay tuned for more articles provided to you by the Alumni & Public relations committee.

John Cervera

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Court will rule on same-sex marriage (UPDATED)

UPDATE 7:51 p.m.  The Obama administration will file a brief in the same-sex marriage cases, supporting equal access to marital rights in all of the states, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. --------- Taking on a historic constitutional challenge with wide cultural impact, the

Stay up to date with the latest Supreme Court rulings! Have something to say? Tag your commentary with the hashtag #fiupadprelaw for a chance to be featured on the blog.