Juan Toro Agudelo

When Juan Toro was seven years old, he, his single mother and twin brother moved to Naples, Florida from their native Colombia. None of them spoke English and they didn't know anyone in Naples.

Unable to afford a home of their own, Juan and his family lived in rented rooms, sharing homes with strangers.

Juan and his brother regularly stayed home alone while their mother cleaned houses, although she struggled to find work because she didn't speak English. Juan credits his mother's determination to being where he is today. Her sacrifice has been one of the driving forces behind his academic success.

While at FIU, Juan joined the International Business Honor Society (IBHS) and is the organization's vice president. As the IBHS' fundraising chair, he was one of the leaders of the group's 2016 international service project to India.

The students worked with a group of women to create a source of sustainable income through craft work. The students also taught basic English and math to small children and computer skills such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to the older girls.

Juan credits professors David Wernick and Louis Melbourne as mentors. After graduation, Juan will take the GRE and hopes to enter FIU's MBA program. Already focused on the electronics field, he hopes to get a job at Samsung, Amazon or an electronics retailer so he can work and study.