Mi SWFL Gente PODCAST

In this episode, we have Dr. Keiana Desmore who serves as the Assistant Dean of Student Support and Graduate Advising in the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). She enjoys providing guidance and helping students accomplish their dreams of becoming degreed professionals. Dr. Desmore started working at FGCU in April of 2005, and has worked in various roles including grants management, academic advising and as an adjunct instructor. She is a southwest Florida native and feels passionate about “giving back” to her community. Dr. Desmore has lived in Immokalee, Fort Myers, and Lehigh Acres. She also lived in the east coast while she attended the University of Miami. She loves cook, bake, play video games with her children, attend their basketball games, and enjoy family- friendly community events. Keiana also enjoys taking her kids to see the FGCU basketball games. Go Eagles! Keiana is also very involved in her community. She worships at Victory In Jesus Christ Tabernacle, a church in Immokalee, where she serves as church secretary, works with the youth’s group, and sings in the praise team. She is also involved in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., where she chairs a couple of committees with the mission of community service. She also shared that before Covid-19 she also attended the events that were organized by the African Network of Southwest Florida and family-friendly events organized by the Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida, Inc. Dr. Keiana Desmore shared that one of her best memories in Southwest Florida was when she graduated with her doctoral degree. She described how she was the first one to receive her degree at the graduation ceremony and how her family were watching her from one of the suits at Alico Arena. Keiana shared that she is passionate about education and that she hopes to start a nonprofit organization that is focus on young ladies who are interested in going into education. This is a very special project for her because it will be established in memory of her mother who served 41 years as a Collier County School teacher. She plans to do events, workshops, and create scholarships. Recommendations: HeadPinz Entertainment Center https://headpinz.com Dave & Buster's https://www.daveandbusters.com FGCU Women’s Basketball https://fgcuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball FGCU Men’s Basketball https://fgcuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball Victory In Jesus Christ Tabernacle - Immokalee, Florida. https://www.victoryinjesuschristtabernacle.com Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. https://www.deltasigmatheta.org African Network of Southwest Florida https://www.africannetworkofswflorida.org Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida, Inc. https://qualitylifecenter.org Sanibel Island Lighthouse http://sanibeltrails.com/sanibel-lighthouse.aspx Pastor Roxanne McGrone https://m.facebook.com/destinylifeflorida/ Edison Mall https://shopedisonmall.com Gulf Coast Town Center https://www.gulfcoasttowncenter.com Miromar Outlets https://www.miromaroutlets.com Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/ Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgentepodcast/

In this episode, we talked with Fabiana Solano. She is a recent graduate from FGCU and is currently pursuing her master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Planning at FGCU. Fabiana is originally from Venezuela and has lived most of her life in the United States in the east coast of Florida. She came to Southwest Florida to attend FGCU, where she completed her bachelors in three years in Communication and marketing.

Fabiana told us about her current role as planning intern in the city of Punta Gorda in the urban design department, where she is working in the parks and recreation masterplan 2020. She also shared with us how being healthy and going to gym is a very important part of her life and that she got that sporty personality from her mom, who used to be a gymnast when she was younger in Venezuela.

She also shared with us her transition from social media and her concerns about what she posts and the labels connected with them about her. She explained that on one hand she wants to share on social media how her body is developing through fitness but is also concern about judgment from others regarding her posts and assumptions that they can make about her.

At the end of the episode, Fabiana shared with us her growth and positive outlook on life after having experienced sexual assault.  She also shared a few tips about what to do if you feel uncomfortable in a place a like a gym. Please feel free to skip the last part of the episode if that section might trigger you.  The purpose of this podcast is to spread positivity while sharing the experiences of the people who live, work, and visits SWFL.

Recommendations:

GinZa Japanese Restaurant

endlessginza.com

Millennial Brewing

www.millennialbrewing.com

Green bites Go

https://www.greenbitesgo.com

Shift Coffee Bar

www.shiftcoffeebar.com

Follow Fabiana Solano:

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ2AbDoiEBtu7Fh1An2vnIQ

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/fabianamsolano/

Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/

Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgentepodcast/

In this episode, we talked with Yolanda Montoya de Ruiz. Originally from Peru, Yolanda has lived more than 30 years in Southwest Florida. This episode is bilingual about 80% English and 20% Spanish. Yolanda, who is a special needs teacher, described the joys and challenges of her current positions a hospital homebound teacher, her future goal of becoming an assistant principal in the future and how she is also completing her Ph.D. 

In our conversation, Yolanda described herself as an astrologist, who make her own astral cards and read the tarot cards as a hobby. She also shared with us how she is exercising doing weights and growing her own food in her garden with her husband. She is growing several fruits such as pineapple, papaya, avocado, mango, banana, and mamoncillo, also known as Spanish Lime or Quenepa, they are related and similar to lychee, but they are a different fruit. At the time of the interview I thought she was talking about lychee. In the notes for the episode you will find a video about the fruit and also a link to Miami Fruit, where you can buy a box of mamoncillo and other fruits if you are interested.

Yolanda also shared with us the challenges that she experienced during the pandemic, teaching her students who are at the hospital or homebound and explained how happy her students were every time she had a session with them. She also shared with us that she is currently experiencing a difficult time in her life as takes care of her father who has dementia. And although she tries to keep herself positive, there also times that she feels emotional burnout.

At the end of the episode, Yolanda shared some positive messages for the listeners and talked about her experience as a teen mom and why she recommended breastfeeding, which she called a passport to good health.

Recommendations:

Barefoot Beach Preserve (Naples) https://www.colliercountyfl.gov/your-government/divisions-f-r/parks-and-recreation/beaches-and-boats/barefoot-beach-preserve-county-park

Mamoncillo Fruit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnX3rxrTgPk

https://miamifruit.org/products/mamoncillo-guinep-box

Follow Yolanda Ruiz

Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/

Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgentepodcast/

In this episode, we talked with Dr. Locksley Knibbs. He is originally from Jamaica and has lived more than 20 years in Southwest Florida. Locksley is the Lead Academic Advisor for Team Natural Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University. 

As the Lead Academic Advisor for Team Natural Sciences, Locksley is charged with implementing programs and policies to achieve the College of Arts & Sciences overall goals and objectives in assisting students to graduate within a timely manner and to ensure that they are making progress towards degree completion. 

Dr. Knibbs teaches a required course in the College of Arts & Sciences at FGCU titled IDS 3300 Foundations of Civic Engagement (3). Since Fall 2016 Dr. Knibbs has taught a required course in the College of Arts & Sciences titled Foundations of Civic Engagement to sophomore, junior and senior students. This course teaches the fundamentals of Civic Engagement and help them understand, evaluate, and analyze foundational elements of engagement including associating, serving, giving, leading, and foundational techniques including critical thinking, problem solving, civil dialogue, perspectives and spheres of engagement, and application to meaningful community projects.

Locksley holds a doctorate in Education, with a Concentration in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from FGCU, a Master of Education degree with a Concentration in Higher Education Administration from Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Advising Award at FGCU in 2017 and became the first African American to have achieved this feat and the first male to have won the award. 

NACADA Involvement

2019-2021 NACADA Administrative Division (AD), Chair: Inclusion & Engagement Committee 

2019-2021 Co-Chair NACADA Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Inclusion

2018-2020 NACADA Administrative Division, Emerging Leaders Program Advisory Board NACADA Advising Communities Division (ACD) Cluster 6: Probation/Dismissal/ Reinstatement Committee 

Advising Communities: 

Scholarship & Research

Locksley is a noted scholar practitioner. He has presented at various NACADA conferences at the National, Regional and International levels. The most recent was at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) International Conference in Hasselt, Belgium, hosted by Hasselt University last summer and in 2018 at the University College of Dublin Ireland in 2018. His research interest is on Minority and Underserved Populations in Academic Advising, African American Males and the Leadership within Higher Education. In 2016, National Academic Advising Association NACADA-The Global Community for Academic Advising, selected Locksley as one of the ten Emerging Leaders for 2016-2018. 

Follow Locksley Knibbs on all things social: 

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/ locksley.knibbs/

 Instagram- www.instagram.com/locksleyknibbs/ 

E-mail: lknibbs@ fgcu.edu 

Follow Mi SWFL Gente on all things social: 

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/

Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgente/

Listeners, this week we have Dr. Kathleen Jasper with us. Kathleen has lived most of her life in Southwest Florida. She grew up in Naples Florida and now lives in Fort Myers with her husband Jeremy, 11-year-old daughter, and black lab Rosie. She began her career in education as a high school teacher and has served in multiple positions, such as curriculum specialist and assistant principal at Estero High School. Dr. Jasper is the founder and CEO of NavaED, an academic consulting company that prepares prospective educators interested in passing the several certification exams, such as the FTCE Professional Educator Exam. Dr. Jasper talked with us about her work at NavaED, and how through her company, she has produced several books and digital courses to prepare teachers for the certification exam. Her company works with the Collier County School District, the Lee County School districts, and other districts, as well as with several public and private universities in the state of Florida. She also shared with us that her company is expanding to help teachers outside of Florida who also need to pass the teacher certification exams for their corresponding states. She also talked about how she loves to go to the beach and boating in the gulf with her family. She shared with us some beautiful memories she has about growing up in Naples and going to beach with her sister. Now she takes her daughter to beach and do paddle boarding with her. Kathleen strongly recommends people to take some time to explore Southwest Florida as a way to relax and keep a healthy work-life balance. She shared with us that she needs to also work on taking the time to watch more sunsets. Lastly, she recommended a few places for you to visit. Recommendations: Little Hickory Island Park https://www.leegov.com/parks/beaches/littlehickory Riverwalk in Naples http://www.riverwalktincity.com Everglades https://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm Follow Kathleen Jasper, Ed.D. on all things social: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/KathleenNavaED Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/kathleenjasper NavaED - https://navaed.com  Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/ Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgente/

Episode Notes In this episode, we have Brenda Salgado. She is from Argentina and has lived more than 20 years in Southwest Florida. This episode is bilingual about 50% English and 50% Spanish. Brenda talked to us about her work as a social worker and her future goal of becoming a supervisor in her field. She also talked to us about her recent family trip to Mendoza Argentina. She recommended you visit Mendoza if you ever have the opportunity to travel to Argentina. Mendoza is best known for her wine. Brenda also said that you have to try the food and visit the thermal waters. Mendoza also borders the neighbor country of Chile and is 2 hours away by plane from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Brenda also shared a tip that helps her calm down when she feels her stress level rising up. She also described how her faith and praying has helped her during difficult times in her life and how she enjoys painting and Zumba, and hanging out with her friends to recharge her energy. Lastly, she recommended a few places for you to visit. Brenda recommended: Mendoza (Argentina) - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g312781-Mendoza_Province_of_Mendoza_Cuyo-Vacations.html Volcano Bay (Orlando) - https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/volcano-bay-water-theme-park/ Lakes Park (Fort Myers)- https://www.leegov.com/parks/parks/lakespark Buffalo Chips (Bonita Springs)-https://www.buffalochipsrestaurant.tv  Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social: Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/ Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgente/

Episode Notes Courtney Kern - Soon-to-be graduating masters student in Environmental Science, defending thesis sometime in September. She worked as Senior Naturalist at FGCU, Environmental Program Mentor at FGCU and Newsletter Editor for Audubon Society of SWFL. Courtney enjoys birding, biking, painting shoes for my business, and exploring outside.  She is a young professional looking for Environmental career opportunities. Courtney recommended:  Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Naples) - https://corkscrew.audubon.org Facebook page-   https://www.facebook.com/CSS1954 Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (Fort Myers) - www.leeparks.org/sixmilecypress Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/sixmilecypresspreserve/ Lovers Key (Fort Myers Beach)- https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lovers-key-state-park Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/Lovers-Key-State-Park-Park-Site-565702553458415/ Carlton Reserve ( Venice) https://www.scgov.net/home/showdocument?id=39133 Momentum Brewhouse (Bonita Springs) www.momentumbrewhouse.com Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/momentumbrewhouse/ Follow Courtney Kern on all things social: Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/customshoesbycourt/ Instagram- www.instagram.com/courtscustomcreations 

Follow  Mi SWFL Gente on all things social: Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/miSWFLgentepodcast/ Instagram- www.instagram.com/miswflgente/