Student Profile

Angelica Knight is a first year student in the Master of Public Administration program at Florida Atlantic University’s School of Public Administration. She also completed an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice at FAU. Currently, Angelica is employed with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office as a Trial Coordinator. She assists on felony cases of a highly sensitive and complex nature. Angelica is born and raised in Miami-Dade County and in her free time enjoys reading and the beautiful beaches of Miami.

Ryan Lofaro is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University. He received a B.A. in Political Science from FAU and spent one year in the MPA program at the university before entering the Ph.D. program. His current research interests include lived experience representative bureaucracy theory, social construction of target populations, health crisis events, and emergency management. He recently had peer-reviewed articles accepted for publication in Critical Policy Studies, Administrative Theory & Praxis, Public Voices, Contemporary Drug Problems, International Journal of Public Leadership, and Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management. Additionally, he is a 2022 ASPA Founders’ Fellow, member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honors Society, and recipient of the Graduate Student Thesis and Dissertation Scholarship award, Adriana Castellano Scholarship, John Canada Scholarship, the Florida Atlantic University Presidential Fellowship, and the Florida Atlantic University Dean’s Fellowship.

Patricio Coicou received his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management at Florida Atlantic University. In his time at FAU, Patricio has been involved in Student Government for 2 and a half years and was selected to be a part of the committee that secured FAU’s re-accreditation under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 2012-2013. He is a founding member of FAU’s undergraduate research journal and the Council of Scholarship and Inquiry. Patricio was a public policy intern in the City of Delray Beach and last spring had the opportunity to conduct a research study under Dr, Clifford McCue entitled “Municipality Security Network Infrastructure Protocols: Who is Knocking on the Door?”. He will start working on his MPA in the spring of 2020.

Thais Dias is a junior planning to graduate in 2020 with a Bachelors of Public Management and a minor in Leadership and Human Resource Development from Florida Atlantic University. She currently works at two part-time law firm jobs as a file clerk/receptionist/administrative assistant, as well as, an internship this fall semester. One of her biggest accomplishments thus far is attaining a 3.72 GPA, while juggling all her jobs and responsibilities. Thais was born in São Paulo, Brazil and moved here when she was 3 years old. She is tri-lingual in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Thais aspires to one day be able to be a Human Resource Director where she can focus on helping everyone to her fullest potential.

Moshe is a first year MPA student at Florida Atlantic University. He is interested in topics such as the process of re-accreditation of MPA programs and in the way the field of public administration is portrayed in the media. Moshe also has a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of North Florida.

Joseph Stilkind is a student pursuing his Master’s degree in the MPA program at Florida Atlantic University School. He is a former alumnus from the University of Central Florida where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Politics. Joseph is also a graduate from FAU’s Paralegal Certificate Program.  He has worked before as a legal assistant and more recently as a legal research analyst for the private sector. He is currently employed as a court reporter. Joseph enrolled into the Public Administration program because of his continued interest in public policy while working in the private sector and because he felt his skill set and knowledge was well suited for public welfare.

Andrea Ramos is a first-year PhD student in Public Administration. She received a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of Miami. Her master thesis: “Evaluating the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for the People Experiencing Homelessness in Broward County” allowed her to examine the various emergency preparedness determinants for this population sub-group. Prior to her pursuing a PhD, her field experience includes working in emergency services and being an active member of the South Florida Disaster Medical Team (DMAT-FL5). Her research interests include disaster preparedness and resilience, emergency management, opioid abuse, human rights and health promotion and wellness. Currently her research focuses on questions of opioid related overdoses in relation to the opioid crisis and epidemic in South Florida. Additionally, she works with Dr. Renne from the School of Urban & Regional Planning in evaluating the evacuation and sheltering plans for vulnerable populations including carless and transportation-dependent for all counties in the State of Florida.

Laura Myers is a first year MPA student currently working as a Finance Coordinator in the College of Business Dean’s Office at Florida Atlantic University. She is a trained paralegal, a real estate agent, a former mortgage, commercial and retail loan officer.  Prior to transitioning to higher education, she worked in public education for 15 years. Laura was the first in her family to attend college and she continues to enjoy learning. She has two daughters, one a lawyer and the other completing her Masters in Mass Communication at the University of Florida.