Jaime Weiser

Jaime Weiser was born blind. Officially diagnosed at age four, she endured three eye surgeries over four years, with constant drops, patches and treatments. By the age of eight, she could see, with the help of prescription lenses, but had no depth perception. As a student, she required double the time to complete assignments and has lived with the potential relapse of irreversible blindness.

Yet these obstacles never stopped Jaime. In fact, they inspired her. At FIU, she received a Presidential Scholarship and was admitted to the Honors College. She finished her coursework in less than four years with a 4.0 GPA. She held nearly a dozen positions, internships and honors while at FIU, including peer advisor, resident assistant, vice president of education for her sorority, ΑΟΠ, and president of the Order of Omega, an honor society that admits only the top 3 percent of Greek scholars.

In addition to her parents, Jaime always had a secret weapon in her corner—her grandfather, Alan Weiser, who served as her motivator, study partner and comforter. Trained as an engineer, he lost his hearing and studied to become a paralegal so he could fight for the rights of the disabled. He passed away in May 2018 but continues to inspire Jaime, who inherited his passions for education and service to the disabled. She plans to follow in his path as an educator and advocate, someday becoming a Dean of Students or Title IX Coordinator.

By Ellen Forman, Associate Director, Marketing and Communications
College of Business