Episode 570: 6-24-20
Silver Knight Award & Living Laudy
Jim Fried welcomes students that deserve special recognition on this feel good episode! The Silver Knight Awards is the most prestigious community service scholarship offered in South Florida. Competitors must initiate and execute a project benefitting the community, their GPA must be stellar, and after graduating, underclassmen typically continue the work that they have initiated.
During our first segment, we honor those students that deserve special recognition on this feel good episode! The Silver Knight Awards is the most prestigious community service scholarship offered in South Florida. Competitors must initiate and execute a project benefitting the community, their GPA must be stellar, and after graduating, underclassmen typically continue the work that they have initiated.
Jim hears stories of three Silver Knight students, Owen Reynolds, Nina Paneque, and Kevin Amézaga, dedicated to serving the community while maintaining academic excellence.
Owen Reynolds
Palmer Trinity School
Owen Reynolds is passionate about sustainable energy. In fact, he designed a full-sized solar-powered race car, The Chariot, as part of his Apollo Project, which promotes sustainable energy. In the past year alone, approximately 30,000 people have learned about sustainable energy at the project’s live events, festivals and school lectures. Owen also helped organize the first Miami March for Science, which has since evolved into a nonprofit for science literacy. After learning other cities had implemented laws requiring solar panels to be installed on new homes, he worked with South Miami officials to pass a similar law in his hometown in 2017, the first of its kind in Florida. Said South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard: “Owen stepped up to the podium and blew the lobbyists out of the room. He had poise, articulation, timing and data – lots of data.”
Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
Driven by her personal experience with discrimination in basketball, Nina Paneque’s “Because She Can” blog about gender inequalities in sports grew into a digital magazine with thousands of followers. As editor in chief, she has interviewed everyone from middle school athletes to WNBA All-Stars and Olympians. The magazine has 6,000 followers on social media and it has inspired Johnson & Johnson to create a “Because She Can” retail campaign for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. In addition to running the magazine and overseeing eight interns, Nina mentors younger athletes and tutors her peers in calculus, chemistry, physics, literature and history. She is a National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar and National Hispanic Scholar.
Miami Arts Studio 6-12 at Zelda Glazer
Kevin Amezaga became interested in transit in his freshman year, after experiencing the struggles of taking public transportation from the Pérez Art Museum Miami to Bayside. He created the nonprofit Miami Riders Alliance, which serves as an information hub for all transit-related projects and works with leaders to improve transit options. The group has been working with Miami-Dade Transit to address additional benches and bus shelters at bus stops. Says Kevin: “I believe you shouldn’t have to own a car to have a healthy, comfortable or quality lifestyle in Miami.” He also is a member of Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, and his newspaper work has been recognized by the Florida Scholastic Press Association.
FORT LAUDERDALE’S EXCITING EVOLUTION
Don & Jennifer Ginsburg – Founders FREEBIRD Real Estate
FREEBIRD Real Estate lands in the studio to give a bird’s eye view of the momentum the Fort Lauderdale market is seeing. Join us to hear from FREEBIRD founders Don & Jennifer Ginsburg on how their lifestyle approach to real estate has helped them close countless deals in the Fort Lauderdale area- in other words, “HOW you live should lead to WHERE you live!”
“I’ve focused my entire career in South Florida and have always had an affinity for city living and a love for the opportunities that exist in our urban locales. Prior to marriage and kids, I lived in metropolitan areas like Delray Beach, Coconut Grove, and, best of all, East Fort Lauderdale.
When my wife, Jennifer, and I became parents, we moved to the suburbs to raise our family. It was a healthy experience. We embraced the suburban lifestyle. We taught our kids practical skills, like how to throw a football, ride a bike, and swim. However, we often ventured to East Fort Lauderdale to eat, drink, and socialize. We knew that, in time, we would be living there again. We just didn’t know when.
We grew impatient waiting for that ‘perfect moment’ — when the kids would be grown up and out of the house. So, we made the move back east earlier than what is considered typical. We were obviously incredibly thrilled. It was the homecoming we had always imagined, only a decade sooner.
We planned the move by ourselves. Jennifer and I were comfortable analyzing the housing options in East Fort Lauderdale. We know the neighborhoods professionally and personally, so we knew what areas would best suit our way of living. Ultimately, we wanted our new home to be an extension of our lifestyle. This idea motivated our home buying journey and turned our house-hunt into a sociable, outgoing experience.
The most shocking part of our move was how many friends, colleagues, and strangers were envious of our decision and how we went about it. We didn’t realize how many people wanted to make a similar move but didn’t know where to start. In truth, all they needed was a trusted advisor — someone who had already done it to show them the way. This realization, combined with the desire to guide people through an equally fulfilling journey, was the impetus for FREEBIRD.”
Episode 570: 6-24-20
