Noemi Reyes

As a child of migrant parents, Noemi Reyes of Immokalee, Fla., spent her summer days in the blazing heat, and her nights sleeping on cardboard vegetable boxes in small motels. The constant traveling to find work, the dependence on the weather for pay and the long hours of picking soon had her dreaming of a better life. Noemi’s childhood experiences motivated her to make a change. This led her to finish high school, enter a college preparatory tutoring program, and eventually earn enough scholarship funding to attend FIU.

During her junior year, while speaking about her experiences at a fundraiser for the Immokalee Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps the working poor in Immokalee, she caught the attention of Barbara and Dale Morrison, a board member of the InterContinental Hotels Group. After a meeting and interview, Noemi obtained an internship in the downtown Miami hotel and continued to work part-time after her internship. She graduates this spring and hopes to one day join the Peace Corps to do youth development in a developing country.

While at FIU, Noemi has joined the American Marketing Association, Sales Society, Level-Up, Tau Sigma National Honor Society, and Peace Corps Prep.  She has participated in sales competitions, taken on marketing projects and leadership roles and volunteered at Miami-area high schools to mentor students.

By Ana Acle-Menendez
Writer, College of Business.