BOLD Says Goodbye to Another Successful Semester—Spring 2021

BOLD said goodbye to an amazing Spring 2021 semester at the final meeting on Tuesday, April 13th. Members met one last time over Zoom to share memories and reflect over the last few months. After an exceptional semester, graduating members also said their final goodbyes to their fellow team members and colleagues. 

The meeting was kicked off by the account’s memory lane, where all account executives shared their favorite moments working with their team. “It was an amazing semester, we had a great time working with the Alumni Association because they would not only give us feedback but also create content with us as well, and the two reels that we’ve posted reached 10k views in two days so that shows that our strategy and hard work paid off,” recalled Account Executive for FIU Alumni Association, Claudia Hernandez.  Despite having to operate fully online, all accounts were able to bond and connect with their team members throughout the semester to achieve amazing work for their clients. 

The meeting was followed by a game of BOLD Masked Singer, which has become a new BOLD tradition following last semester’s game. Participants included Patricia Menendez as I-Scream; Juan Hernandez as Two-Eyed Mike Wazozski; Maria Duque as Two-Eyed Mike Wazozski (Again); Atiya Pitakktrakul as Wat-A-Melon; Carlos Ortiz as The Ghost; Camille Garcia as El Brocoli; Ashley Nicoli as Meow Meow; Tabetha Augustin as TikTok Girl; and Juanita Guzman as El Cochinito. Members were also featured in BOLD’s Got Talent where they had the opportunity to showcase their unique talents. Laydette Figueroa started off the talent show showing members her imitation of Mickey Mouse followed by Director of Digital, Juan Hernandez who shared his rendition of Vienna by Billy Joel, and Director of Design Chris Abinader who showed a Tik Toks showcasing his design skills. 

It would not be a BOLD final meeting without sharing the winners of the BOLD Superlatives which are awarded to selected members at the end of every semester. The winners included: 

  • Maria Duque as most likely to start their own agency;
  • Adrian Williams as most Likely to go viral;
  • Carlos Ortiz as most likely to go back as a guest speaker;
  • Morganne Stephenson as most likely to forget they’re unmuted on zoom;
  • Andres Camacho as most Likely to be on Forbes “30 Under 30 List”;
  • Alejandra Chahine as most likely to cause a PR crisis;
  • Camille Garcia as best astrology radar;
  •  And Atiya Pitaktrakul as biggest conspiracy theorist. 

Certain members were also recognized for their exceptional work and character throughout the semester with special awards including Account Executive of The Semester which was given to Malena Parra, Account Executive for FIU Career Talent and Development. The Be Creative Award recognized Creative Director of Digital, Chris Abinader, for his outstanding work throughout the semester for BOLD itself and the clients. Director of Accounts, Maria Duque was awarded the Be Strategic Award for her work in managing 12 accounts. “I have worked with amazing Account Executives and Account Supervisors this semester and past semester, you guys have made things a lot easier and Carlos and has always been there for me all the time, thank you all,” said Maria on her recognition.  Atiya Pitaktrakul’s drive and character throughout the semester were recognized with the Be Passionate Award and Director of Culture, Patricia Menendez, was given the Be Bold Award for embodying what it means to be bold as well as her amazing work in building up BOLD’s culture. 

The new executive board team was announced which includes Juanita Gomez as Director of Accounts, Atiya Pitaktrakul as Director of Culture, Ashley Nicoli as Creative Director, and Samantha Zawadzki as Director of Operations. Former BOLD president Carlos Ortiz also introduced Camille Garcia as the new BOLD president for the upcoming year. In talking about her new position as president Camille said “I am really excited to give back to BOLD, I feel like BOLD has given me so much and I am super excited to be taking the next step, continuing in BOLD makes me so happy and I can’t wait to have a great semester with everyone,”. 

Graduating members also put together a short goodbye video where they shared what BOLD means to them and their plans after graduation. “BOLD is a chain of opportunities because everything that is done within the organization will truly pay off at the end of the day,” said Account Supervisor, Andres Camacho, on what BOLD means to him. 

As the meeting wrapped up, several members spoke about their experiences with BOLD and how it has impacted their college experience. “I think a lot of us, coming into FIU, we never found that organization that reflected our major, and then we found BOLD it was like ‘yeah this is it.’ If it weren’t for BOLD I wouldn’t have known where I was going and it has really guided my way. For me, success meant having a job after graduation and that is something that BOLD gave me. I just want to thank BOLD for everything it has given me” said graduating member Ashely Nunez. Associate, Morganna Stephenson also shared her experience, “Honestly I could not be any more grateful for what BOLD has done for me, a year later here I am with two internship experiences within BOLD and I have an upcoming internship with MAIP thanks to you guys.” 

Former BOLD president Carlos Ortiz concluded the emotional meeting with his final words to all members. “I always say that BOLD is not something that you look for. BOLD is something that you stumble upon. BOLD is something that finds you. I just want to say that BOLD found you for a reason. I want you guys to understand the impact that you have on BOLD. I want to thank all of you guys for giving me the opportunity to serve as president. “. 

BOLD is a student-run strategic communications agency at Florida International University. Click here to learn more.

Written by: Alejandra Chahine, Director of Public Relations