Carla Jarquin

2020 was a tough year for the world and was especially hard for Carla Jarquin. She nearly dropped out of school when she suddenly lost her father. Remembering her father’s advice to “always keep going even when things get rough,” Carla took over the family business along with her brothers and continued with her studies.

This summer, she graduates with a master’s in Hospitality & Tourism Management from the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management with a 3.93 GPA.

Carla’s work goes well beyond the classroom. She has effectively combined her food knowledge and culinary skills with a desire to help her community and environment. She serves as a chef instructor for Empowered Youth Miami, a non-profit organization that helps keep at-risk youth off the streets by teaching culinary skills. She has also been a kitchen crew volunteer for the Miami Rescue Mission, which provides food and shelter to Miami’s homeless. Carla was on a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary team of FIU students who served over 1,000 meals to deserving veterans. She has also served critical roles in leading teams of FIU students in the Chaplin School’s sustainability and food rescue efforts at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival®, the Ultra Music Festival, and most recently the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, recovering and redistributing more than 50,000 meals to area homeless shelters. 

Carla, 51, hopes to use her studies and experience to work as a culinary or hospitality professor and continue to be involved in community projects to help others. In the future, she plans to continue her studies to pursue a doctoral degree. 

Ivonne Yee-Amor
Communications, PR & Marketing
Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management