Urbana Begins New Chapter After Winning Its First Magazine Pacemaker
When a trailblazing band of students at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus contemplated starting a literary arts magazine in 2007, they asked professor Emily Sendin to be their advisor.
Fifteen years later, Urbana, which originally spawned as an online product with only six members, has morphed into a literary heavyweight that features about 20 members and has won more than 100 national and state awards.
The magazine has a weekly podcast—Urbanites, a robust social media presence, a YouTube channel and a yearly print edition.
Last month, the publication won its first magazine Pacemaker at the Fall National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C. on Oct 28.
Sendin, who was inducted into the Florida College System Activities Association Hall of Fame last year, has been the publication’s driving force.
But this school year, the 48-year-old, who has taught English, literature and creative writing at Miami Dade College for the past 23 years, was forced to relinquish the reins of the magazine she birthed.
On Aug. 22, Sendin was replaced by composition and literature professors Alicia Garcia and Omar Figueras.
The action is a result of a stipulation enacted at Padrón Campus in 2018 that doesn’t allow a professor to oversee the publication for more than three years—unless no one new applies.
Garcia and Figueras were selected by a faculty member from the Communication, Arts & Philosophy Department who was asked to oversee the process by the department chair.
Urbana is the only Miami Dade College magazine to use this policy.
“It wasn’t a decision of my own making,” Sendin said. “I’m not stepping down. I wanted to leave on my own terms, but I’m not.”
New Leadership
Garcia, who has been an English professor at Padrón Campus since 2018, said her decision to advise the magazine stems from a desire to connect with students.
“I’ve been on campus a while,” said Garcia, who has a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and a master’s degree in linguistics from Florida International University. “It’s time for me to start carving out relationships with students outside the classroom.”
Previously, the 41-year-old taught English to elementary school students in South Korea before becoming an English, literature and journalism teacher at LaSalle High School from 2006 to 2017.
Outside of the classroom, Garcia’s passion for theater led her to co-found the Society Circus Players improv troupe in 2014. For the past six years, she has also taught improv at local after-school programs.
On Sept 21, Garcia used her acting experience to lead an improv workshop that helped Padrón Campus students sharpen their improvisation and storytelling skills.
“I’m super happy that this is something I get to do,” García said. “My priority is that the students feel supported in what they want to do.”
Figueras, who has a bachelor’s degree in humanities from FIU and a master’s degree in creative writing from Spalding University in Kentucky, has taught English at Padrón Campus for the past eight years. Previously, he served as an adjunct English professor at Broward College from 2013 to 2016.
According to a 2016 YouTube interview, he said his love for English stems from his childhood when his father bought him composition notebooks.
He has served as an advisory board member for Reading Queer—a writing academy—and as fiction co-editor for the online literary magazine Blood Lotus.
His work has been featured in the Composite Arts Magazine, Penumbra Literary Magazine and The Louisville Review.
Figueras previously co-advised Urbana with Sendin from 2016 to 2019. He did not respond to three email requests for an interview for this story.
Humble Beginnings
In 2007, as Sendin prepared to start Urbana, she reached out to Marta Magellan, who at the time was advisor to Miambiance, Kendall Campus’ literary magazine.
With Magellan’s help, Sendin learned layout design, the importance of photos and graphics and how to mentor students.
“She was an amazing resource,” Sendin said. “She sat with me and taught me the ropes.”
In the first few years, Sendin scrambled to find space to host Urbana meetings.
“A lot of the meetings took place in my office where we just sat on the floor to fit,” Sendin said. “It was a small group.”
The magazine launched its debut volume in 2008 with a limited print run of 100 copies. Eventually, students learned how to navigate intellectual property rights and sharpen their design skills.
Fifteen years later, they are among the nation’s elite.
Urbana’s awards include back-to-back Gold Crown Awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, two first-place Pinnacle awards from the College Media Association and a first-place general excellence recognition from the Florida College Systems Publications Association last March.
Urbanites have also won first-place individual awards from the ACP, CSPA and FCSPA in categories like short stories, poetry, creative writing, editing, artwork design and photography.
Last year, their efforts earned them a coveted Innovation Pacemaker Award in October of 2021.
Building A Community
Students who have participated in Urbana say the magazine has shaped their lives.
Nicole Viloria started her first year of college pursuing an associate’s degree in veterinary sciences. She joined the magazine to explore her love for creative writing and storytelling.
After working on the publication’s podcast and writing segments for the magazine, Viloria was tantalized by how Urbana connected to the Little Havana community that surrounds the campus. Inspired by her experiences, she changed her major to English and is now one of Urbana’s co-editor-in-chiefs.
The 19-year-old credits Sendin with being instrumental in her journey, often receiving constructive criticism and reassurance from the long-time professor.
“Professor Sendin is someone who really cares,” said Viloria, a sophomore in the Honors College. “She’s understanding, passionate and really cares about making a difference.”
This year, Viloria and her team, which includes co-editor-in-chief Maria Alejandra Albarracin, aim to revamp Urbana’s TikTok presence and host more collaborative events with other clubs and organizations at Padrón Campus.
For students like Erika Hernandez, Urbana offers a sense of community.
Despite the heavy workload and strict deadlines, the tight-knit group thrives on strong communication and encouragement.
“It’s a supportive environment,” said Hernandez, a second-year psychology student. “We accept all kinds of ideas since we really want people to express themselves freely.”
Stefani Davila echoes Hernandez’s feelings.
During her tenure as Urbana’s co-editor-in-chief last year, she improved her management skills, efficiently planning meetings and late-night editing sessions.
“I learned that things work best when there is desire and heart,” said Davila, a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar studying business administration and management at Emerson College in Boston.
The Final Chapter
Like many of her students, Sendin has dedicated her heart to education and community service.
After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English language and literature from FIU, she has served as a professor at Padrón Campus for more than two decades.
A staunch advocate for student engagement, she founded a bevy of clubs including a Hermione’s Army Chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance (now called Fandom Forward), the Imagination Federation Service Club and the Sigma Kappa Delta Gamma Eta Chapter.
Her leadership efforts have earned her two endowed teaching chair awards and a Fulbright scholarship to the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.
Outside of MDC, Sendin jump-started initiatives such as Tengo un Sueño and Hermandad MayKnoll High School—two projects that raised more than $50,000 combined to educate children in rural Nicaragua.
But Sendin’s most treasured memories are connected to Urbana’s alumni.
She has attended weddings, baby showers and received regular updates about her former students’ professional and personal endeavors.
“[Professor Sendin’s] passion for her profession goes beyond the classroom,” said Daniela Hernandez, who led the web design team for Vol. 13 of Urbana. “Her unconditional support led me to always try and seize opportunities.”
In the future, Sendin hopes to participate in the IREX Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge and potentially start another publication.
But she said Urbana will remain in her heart—forever.
“I hope that I will see it with happiness and not with sadness”, said Sendin as she tearfully recalled her time at Urbana. “I’m not the advisor anymore.”
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