Members of the 2013-14 Iron Arrow executive board pose with Gloria Estefan, A.B. ’78, following her tapping into Iron Arrow. From left, Medicine Man Aly Jaffer, Estefan, Chief Lauren Pettiette, and Son of Chief Adam Bofill.

Gloria Estefan, A.B. ’78, was tapped into Iron Arrow on April 22, 2014.

The tapping for the seven-time Grammy-winning superstar and member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees took place at the Estefan Enterprises office in Miami Beach. The Iron Arrow Honor Society is the highest honor attained at the University.

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How a legacy of football in one family became a legacy of hope for millions

Father and son struggle, triumph, and strive to find a cure for paralysis.

NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti recounts the call he received: “The doctor’s words were, very simply, ‘Your son dislocated his neck and he’s going to be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.’” Such a call might signal the end of most stories. In the case of the powerhouse Buoniconti family, it turned out to be the beginning of a miracle mission.

A new film, directed and produced by 19-time Grammy Award-winning producer Emilio Estefan, documents that mission—from the agonizing day in 1985 when Nick’s son Marc sustained a paralyzing injury on the football field, to their creation of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis with neurosurgeon Barth Green, to the most recent advances in stem cell transplantation.

An Unbreakable Bond, which debuted in March, is narrated by Estefan’s wife, Grammy Award-winning artist Gloria Estefan, A.B. ’78, a Buoniconti Fund board member and former Miami Project patient herself.

“Marc and Nick turned their tragedy into hope and inspiration for so many individuals and families who are impacted by paralysis each year,” says Emilio Estefan. “Their story hits close to home for me, as I experienced firsthand the struggles that Gloria endured after her paralyzing bus accident. Thankfully, Gloria was blessed with a miraculous outcome and was able to walk again. My hope is that all families may experience the same miracle mine did.”

Click here to watch the movie trailer.

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Mixed Media

The Standards

The latest from Grammy Award-winner Gloria Estefan, A.B. ’78, was orchestrated and co-produced by Frost School of Music Dean Shelly Berg. The Grammy-nominated The Standards (Sony Masterworks, 2013) is a collection of classic tunes—some in English, some in Spanish, but all totally Gloria. The tracks selected, Estefan says, “spoke to me personally and made me cry.” To watch a PBS video of the Standards concert, click here.

Miami Transformed

During the eight years Manny Diaz, J.D. ’80, served as mayor of the city of Miami—2001 to 2009—the national economy went from bust to boom to bust again. But in his nonfiction book, Miami Transformed: Rebuilding America One Neighborhood, One City at a Time (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), Diaz goes beyond economics, addressing everything from coming of age as a Cuban immigrant in Miami to leading his hometown from corruption and cultural divides to the ranks of “a world-class metropolis.”

Lifeology 101 … Back 2 School

Once part of a rising all-male vocal group in the ’90s, Winston Warrior, B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’96, has returned to R&B with a vengeance. Independent and self-funded, he wrote and performed the ten tracks on his sophomore release, Lifeology 101 … Back 2 School (2012), “about life, love, and the industry,” he says.

Vida Linda

International artist, fashion designer, and singer/songwriter Marisabel Bazan, B.S.C. ’97, sees the world as her canvas. Her work has graced airports, T-shirts, and most recently totes. As LeSportsac’s 2011 Artist in Residence, she created three cool, colorful lines that reflect her global outlook: Musica, Besos, and the butterfly-themed Vida Linda. Says Bazan: “UM helped me spread my wings and go for my dreams.”

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