Giselle Galvan, Social Media Strategist. Giselle is a second-year architecture student pursuing her B. Arch at Florida Atlantic University. Giselle works part-time, creating content for our brand, and uses her skills as a graphic designer to create our event invitations, programs, and annual reports. She is a leader on our student-led communications committee, The Dream Storytellers, and has worked as an intern alongside our Director of Engagement since 2021. She dreams of working in residential and commercial architecture while learning new methods and materials to provide sustainable buildings for our future.

Jannatul Begum, STEM Program Specialist. Her recent graduation from The Wilkes Honors College at FAU completes her Master of Science studies in Biomedical Engineering after receiving her undergrad degree in Biological and Physical Sciences with a concentration in Neuroscience. Jannatul is an alumnus of our inaugural Path to College cohort from Lake Worth Community High School, class of 2019, and has supported students in our current fellowship as a college coach for 2 years.

McKenzie Marsch, Operations Manager, attained a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Multimedia Studies, as well as minors in English and Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University in 2018.

Mary Beth Mudrick, Senior Director of Development, is devoted to ensuring our high-impact programming and outcomes reach as many deserving students as possible. She is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University with a Bachelor of Science with Honors and a current master’s student at The Lilly School of Philanthropy, Indianapolis. After twelve years in Development and Communications at Florida Atlantic University, she is confident in her passion for equity in higher education and vision to expand our impact through stewardship that will further ignite the potential of this grassroots organization.She is a member of Executive Women of the Palm Beaches; serves as a Consumer Reviewer for the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program; and volunteers for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance in their outreach program, “Survivors Teaching Students” which educates third-year medical students to increase early diagnosis.Her vision for philanthropy is inspired by Cotton Mather who believed that we ought to deploy our most creative efforts to make the lives of our neighbors better so that our neighbors will be glad we are there.

Melissa Neider, an AmeriCorps member serving as a College Coach, is a 2021 graduate from Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Organizational Leadership program. Her dissertation focused on career advisors' strategies while working with Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) faculty and VPA majors in career exploration outside their course of study. Given today's gig economy and the importance of having several revenue streams as an artist, the career advisor is a bridge to faculty focused on their métier and VPA students seeking meaningful arts-related work after graduation. One outcome of the study was the importance of relationship-building with students and faculty/staff is crucial to facilitating effective advising and programs to ensure that college students have the career readiness skills they need to reach their life and educational goals. Melissa believes in developing and maintaining effective relationships to work together to overcome barriers in students’ pursuit of their aspirations.