ike Abrams, A.B. ’69, vividly remembers “that time”—marked by pivotal national events such as the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam war. Abrams, who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1986 to 1994, today is a governmental consultant with the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt & Eidson, P.A., in its Miami office. Inspired by then-president of Student Government Tom Spencer at freshman orientation, Abrams jumped into campus politics.

“We became much more oriented toward issues like black student enrollment, pass-fail, curfews, and student participation in University decision-making—which culminated in a student being seated on the Board of Trustees,” he recalls.

Today, Abrams himself serves on the board and proudly notes that its student representative was granted full-voting rights in 2002, during the administration of Student Government president Jose “Pepe” Diaz, A.B. ’02. The voting status, Abrams points out, is as important to trustees as it is to students. “For trustees, it reminds us what we’re there for, which is to enrich our students, both academically and socially,” he says. “All the fundraising we do, all the decisions we make should be to the end of making a better experience at the University of Miami for students.”

Abrams, who co-teaches an undergraduate political science course at the University, credits his experience in student government with helping him get elected to the state legislature. “The principles and the tools that you learn when you run for president of student government apply in other political campaigns,” he says. “You also develop your skills of creating consensus, which helps in everything you do later in life.”

Joe Garcia, A.B. ’87, J.D. ’91, also a former Student Government president, adds to those skills issue advocacy, organizing people, developing reasoned arguments, and getting cooperation from different sectors. Throughout his career—as executive director of the Cuban Exodus Relief Fund of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF), chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission, and now CANF executive director—he has called upon these abilities.

University governance is an ideal proving ground for these skills, he says. “It’s a small community where individuals can have such an impact. Your presence can be felt, and you can be a voice for different issues.”

One of many people who was influenced by Garcia’s leadership was fellow student Johnny Taylor, B.S.C. ’89. While president of Student Government, Garcia suggested Taylor represent the freshman class in the Student Senate. That position was the start of a rich campus experience for Taylor, who also joined the gospel choir, became a resident assistant in Hecht Residential College, was a founding member of the Honor Council, and served as president of United Black Students. Today, after earning both master’s and law degrees from Drake University, he is executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Compass Group USA, Inc., a major food services company in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I attribute so much of my current success to my leadership experiences at the undergraduate level,” Taylor says.

Ileana Espinosa, B.B.A. ’00, has honed her leadership experience at two universities—as Student Government president at the University of Miami and as president of the Law Students Association at Boston College, where she graduated in May 2003. At the University of Miami she was proud to represent one of the nation’s most diverse student bodies and to work on projects such as increasing the number of blue-light emergency phones, improving campus lighting, and reaching out to the campus community through regular patio discussions and town meetings. Her leadership experience at UM paved the way for success in law school and the legal profession. “I learned a lot about politics, people, and myself,” says Espinosa, who is now a corporate defense attorney with the Miami firm of Lydecker & Wadsworth, LLC.

Espinosa, too, became part of the tradition of inspiring future leaders at the University. Michael Johnston, B.S.I.E. ’04, Student Government president in 2003—the year of Florida Leader’s top ranking—aspired to the presidency after witnessing Espinosa’s leadership. His many successes include establishing a 25-foot nonsmoking buffer around the residential colleges, extending the University’s Ibis Ride shuttle service for students to and from Coconut Grove, and making the campus more of a second home to commuter students by extending dining hall and Wellness Center hours.

A year after leaving office, Johnston was hard at work on Get Out the Vote, a project aimed at registering University of Miami students to vote and building community involvement. The project’s launch last fall was made even more memorable when President Donna E. Shalala received word during the event that the University had been chosen as the site of the first U.S. presidential debate in September 2004 and announced the news to a cheering throng of students.

“I learned how to work with others and how to motivate others to make things happen,” Johnston says. “That’s a key part of leadership.”