@ Our Centers
Meet UI&U Florida Center Graduates, Leading Educators in the Miami Area
Deneric Forbes
Deneric M. Forbes started working as a teacher's assistant at Miami-Dade's Carol City Elementary School October 17, 1994 and called in sick the very next day. "I didn't think working with kids was for me," he said.
But Forbes had a change of heart and walked back through the school's doors two days later. In May of 1997, due to budget short falls, there was a need to let go a few staff members. Forbes voluntarily asked to be released and began working as a customer service representative for a major shipping company. When he was promoted to trainer, he had an epiphany. “I knew from that moment that I needed to get back in the school system and work with children, which was and still is my passion. I returned to the school system in August 2000.”
Today, Forbes is an instructor at Carol City Elementary, where he teaches an all-male, third-grade class. And he sees every one of his students as success stories. "The students in my class all have the potential within them to be the best students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. I am the individual who is pulling that out of them."
Forbes says the enthusiasm and confidence he has for his students today is the same enthusiasm and confidence his instructors showed him when he was earning his bachelor's degree and majoring in education at Union's Florida Center. "They were phenomenal. It was a real family-oriented environment; one you will not experience at any other educational institution," said Forbes. "To see the compassion and understanding that was given to the learners by the instructors was quite impressive and much appreciated."
Patrick Lowe
“Teacher of the Year.” “Most Valuable Counselor.” “C.E.O.”
All three describe Patrick Lowe, an alumnus of the UI&U Master of Education program in Florida. Since graduating three years ago, Patrick has founded the Keeping Dreams Alive Foundation, coached as a youth counselor for Athlete’s Edge, Inc, and served as a S.M.A.R.T. Camps director. It’s no coincidence that he specialized in educational leadership at UI&U.
“I was looking for a program with all the components of educational leadership,” he explains. “I wanted to learn all the aspects of successfully running a school and integrating relevant instructional strategies and community-based learning activities for today’s youth.”
After working as a teacher for nearly a decade, Patrick is currently the district coordinator for the ClubZ In-Home Tutoring Services, where he sees his UI&U success coming to life in his everyday work.
“Union Institute played a major role in my career. I gained real-life experiences of successfully organizing, monitoring, and evaluating all aspects of a school. I guess my biggest gift, though, has been the honor of dealing with different cultures, interacting with other educators, and striving to be the best of any group.”