Richard K. Suter
Master of Information Technology
Class of 1999

Richard K. Suter, a 1999 graduate of AIU South Florida, is the Assistant Vice President of BB&T, the nation's 14th largest financial holding company.

Carlos A. Peña
Bachelor of Information Technology
Class of 2001

Carlos Peña received his Bachelor of Information Technology from AIU Florida in 2001. He is working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as a senior developer for the Systems Development Bureau.

Nelson Viera
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication
Class of 2004

Nelson Viera started his own company in October of 2006 called Impact Fine Art Imagery, LLC. He works with interior designers, decorating high-end offices as well as selling to exclusive furniture stores in South Beach and Biscayne Boulevard.

Viera also creates graphics and company identities to keep his designing abilities up to date while working in the advertising area of Macy's. "I love what I do here and it's good money, but soon I may have to focus all my time to my business," says Viera. "It's beginning to get difficult juggling both careers."

Viera credits his success with his experience at AIU. "My learning experience at AIU surpassed my expectations. Thanks to the incredible knowledge my professors passed on to me. Today I am a reputable artist and successful business owner."

Mary Depner
Masters of Information Technology
Class of 2001

"I can definitely say that my experience at AIU allowed me to go in a completely new direction, meet new friends and gain new skills that made me marketable in today's workforce," says Mary Depner, an AIU South Florida graduate.

Depner was a teacher in Broward's Middle Schools for ten years and enrolled at AIU because she wanted to leave the teaching field for a corporate job. Today she works for the number one manufacturer of hematology instruments in the US and owns her own company, Jelliroll, Inc.

"AIU was a new beginning for me. The best advice I could give anyone would be to enjoy the time they have in school and to learn to love the concept of continuously learning and improving, even after they find the career of their dreams," Depner adds. "It's a very dynamic world and the journey is definitely what it is all about."

Joel Suarez
Bachelor of Information Technology
Class of 2002

After graduating AIU South Florida, Joel Suarez was contacted by several IT companies in South Florida. In December of 2002 he accepted a position with Ocwen Federal Bank as a Telephony Architect.

In May of 2004, Suarez received several offers from consulting firms, such as IBM, eLoyalty and Accenture Consulting. He accepted the position of Manager at Accenture in their Customer Contact Transformation division. After a one year commute from Weston, Florida to Minnesota, where he consulted at Best Buy Corporate Headquarters, Suarez missed being away from home so he returned to work at Memorial Healthcare System in Miramar on January 2005. He started as a Sr. Network Analyst, and in October of 2006 was promoted to Manager of Voice/Network Services. He now leads a team of eleven people.

"When I think back on what was the springboard that launched my career all I think of is AIU and the education I received," says Suarez. "I think of how much fun it was to meet every Tuesday/Thursday and learn from the adjunct professors who were working in the field and were teaching advanced technology. I also remember the support [AIU] provided during my education. I want to thank [AIU] for this."

Mykelle Johnson
Bachelor of Business Administration
Class of 2005

When Mykelle Johnson started at AIU in June of 2003, she was still unsure of what direction she wanted to go. At age 25 with two children, a 6 years old and a 3 month old, and making about $30,000 a year, Johnson knew she had to decide among IT, Marketing or Management.

After attending AIU for about a year, she still was confused even though she had completed the majority of her general education courses. Then tragedy hit, and she lost her mother.

"I decided that maybe school was not for me and I came close to dropping out," says Johnson. "After reviewing my résumé, my advisor suggested that I take one of the Human Resources classes since I was currently an HR Assistant; maybe I could do my concentration in HR. I agreed to give it a chance."

Johnson entered Human Resources with Professor Sharon Reid. "I walked into her classroom with the world on my shoulders and a very poor attitude," Johnson says. "When class began she immediately started her lecture, but in a way that was different. She commanded the attention of every student in there and she got it. No one moved, and it seemed as though everyone wanted to participate. I realized at that particular moment I was in for a treat.

"The magic that transpired over the next year was something I will be proud of for the rest of my life. The world that was on my shoulders started to dissipate piece by piece after each lecture, assignment, presentation and event that was completed. I learned such a wealth of knowledge that you cannot put a price on."

Johnson graduated in December of 2005 with her bachelors in Business Administration. To this day, Johnson has kept in touch with many of her AIU classmates. She is currently a Human Resources Manager for URS Corporation in Boca Raton. URS is the world's largest engineering and design firm and currently employs about 30,000 employees worldwide.

"I am now earning a respectable salary to take care of my family and can also afford some of the good things in life," Johnson says. "I can say with confidence that I owe my success to AIU and the dedication of Professor Sharon Reid. As I reflect back on the last year, I can see now more than ever that the education I received at AIU was paramount in my newfound success."