Great Start is a weekend-long orientation program held in the summer to help first-year commuter students transition smoothly into the fall semester. Hosted by the Department of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement, the program is led by student leaders who experienced the program themselves before their first year, fostering a community rooted in connection and University pride. Albertie Regalado and Hanna Ebrahimi are two impressive fourth-year commuter students who started their University of Miami career in the Great Start program. Over the past four years, these two students exemplified what it means to be a Miami Hurricane by getting involved and giving back to the university. It is an honor to be recognizing them and all they have done—Great Start and beyond. Read more about how these fantastic students made their four years at UM worth every second.
Albertie Regalado is a fourth-year student double majoring in Biochemistry and Nutrition as well as Psychology with a minor in Biological Physics. He grew up local, attending John A. Ferguson Senior High School in the West Kendall neighborhood of Miami, Florida. Regalado spent his childhood coming to the University for sporting events, and when he decided he wanted to stay close to home for college, he was immediately drawn to the U. He spent the last four years involved in various activities including creating his own student organization from the ground up, taking on leadership roles within OCSI, and being a research assistant on the medical campus. This fall, Regalado was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor attainable at UM.
What are you most proud of during your time at the University of Miami?
I would definitely highlight Canes Science Bowl, which is an organization I co founded, along with one of my peers. Sabrina Cuba and I have been co-president for about a year and a quarter now. The organization focuses on doing STEM-based competitions for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students here at the University of Miami. The organization is affiliated with the National Science Bowl (NSB), which is an annual nationwide competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. In conjunction with being co-presidents of our organization, we also serve as the South Florida Regional Co-Coordinators for NSB, which is hosted here at the University of Miami. It was fulfilling to see our board create a competition that students felt proud to be a part of knowing how much it means to them. Many middle and high school students start preparing as soon as school begins, so it’s rewarding to know we put our hearts into something that they’re so dedicated to.
How did leading Great Start (or another UM organization/experience) prepare you for your future?
When I came up with the idea for [Canes Science Bowl], I wanted to create a competition that middle and high school students could feel genuinely proud to attend and be part of. Seeing it come to life made me realize that it’s possible to build something meaningful from nothing. It inspired me to keep creating opportunities that could make a real difference for others and provide students with experiences that will empower them for years to come. Many students are interested in science and math at a young age but don't always get that ‘it’ to inspire them to pursue these passions long-term and beyond school. My hope is that this competition will be the experience that students take home and make them think, ‘Wow, this is something I’d love to dedicate my life to.’
What is one of the biggest lessons or takeaways you have learned in your role as Great Start Program Coordinator at the University of Miami?
I think one of the biggest takeaways from being a coordinator is that when you lead a group of passionate individuals, it’s important to acknowledge all the efforts they put into the initiative or program. In Great Start, we have something called “Gretels,” which are basically tokens of appreciation for any staff member or anyone involved in the program. It’s simple really, we all go around and take turns giving our individual shoutouts for the good things people have done, and I feel like that’s truly what keeps everyone going. Everyone is very intentional with who they’re shouting out and what exactly it is they’ve done, and I feel like that sense of unity is one of the core parts of building a team.
Hanna Ebrahimi is a fourth-year student double majoring in Biochemistry and Nutrition, as well as Global Health Studies, with minors in Health Management and Policy and Psychology. A native of Miami and a graduate of Coral Gables Senior High School, Ebrahimi grew up in a community of Hurricanes, including her older sister, who graduated from UM in 2008. Her path to UM felt destined, especially when she and her twin sister, Sara, both received scholarships to attend. Throughout her time at UM, she has taken on impactful leadership roles across campus, serving with the American Medical Students Association (AMSA), the Homecoming Executive Committee, Student Government, and participating in research on the medical campus. This fall, Ebrahimi was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor attainable at UM.
What are you most proud of during your time at the University of Miami?
One of the things I’m most proud of during my time at the University of Miami is my involvement with AMSA and seeing how much it's grown since I’ve been a student here. When I first joined as a freshman, we had about 180 members. Last year, during my time as vice president, one of my key responsibilities was driving membership growth. I worked on expanding our reach and offering more engaging opportunities for members. Now, as president, I’m proud to say that we’ve grown to over 620 members. One of the main reasons for that growth, and a big goal of mine last year, was introducing hands-on clinical experiences that we hadn’t offered before, such as suture workshops, CPR training, and NARCAN certification. I was eager to include these workshops in our monthly programming, but it was a bit intimidating figuring out where to find the right resources and certifications. I’m really proud that we were able to push through those challenges and offer these valuable experiences to our members.
How did leading Great Start (or another UM organization/experience) prepare you for your future?
I think Great Start really prepared me for a future in medicine because a lot of the nature of the program is one-on-one interactions. Before coming in, as a freshman, I was shy and had trouble talking to just anyone, but Great Start helped me build the confidence to connect with people from all different backgrounds. I learned how to have meaningful interactions, make others feel comfortable, and truly engage with them, which is something I think is so important in medicine. In healthcare, you’re going to have to interact with patients from diverse backgrounds and be able to not only communicate with each other but also build a sense of mutual understanding and comfort. A lot of times in medicine, that goes unnoticed or there are professionals who are committed to giving you quality care but not interested to know you as a person and that's just not who I am as a person. I care about those connections. I want to get to know my patients. I want to be able to understand the context of their life to be able to help them the best I can and I think Great Start really, really, prepared me for that.
What is one of the biggest lessons or takeaways you have learned in your role as Great Start Program Coordinator at the University of Miami?
There is this Maya Angelou quote we talked about over the summer, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I think that perfectly sums up Great Start. At the end of the day, we are still so young, and people may not remember every detail of a weekend experience, but there’s a reason so many people want to come back,get involved, and stay passionate about this program. It’s the sense of motivation that Great Start gives you, and the sense of purpose. So, I think that the greatest lesson I learned is how important it is to make people feel valued and to have a genuine desire to get to know and help the people around you because it truly does make a difference.
When asked if there was anything else they wanted to add both Regalado and Ebrahimi said that they would not be where they are today without the community, support, and people that surrounded them the past four years, “It takes a village,” Regalado stated. “We are both really grateful for Iron Arrow and we are both grateful we got to lead Great Start. But by no means was it just our own success on our own,” Ebrahimi added. They would both also like to thank Stephanie Fleitas, associate director of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement, OCSI, for being their mentor and motivator for the past four years. They attribute their ambition and community connections to Fleitas and the role she has played in their collegiate career.
