Born in Trelawny, Jamaica, Adrian migrated to the United States of America at age seven to live with his father and loving stepmother in South Florida. Poetry found him in the third grade as a way to communicate his feelings when frustrated. He penned his first poem titled “Teachers, teachers are the meanest creatures.” Noted for his creative writing skills, by fifth grade Adrian tested into the Gifted Magnet Program for Miami-Dade Public Schools. As Adrian matriculated to middle-school, he competed in the Dade County Youth Fair Poetry Expo, published a poem in an anthology book for poetry, and competed in the Miami Dade College Theodore Gibson Oratorical Project, in which he placed third in the finals for two consecutive years in the categories of original work and dramatic monologue.

Adrian’s writing has expanded over the years to include short stories and scholastically driven work such as academic essays, journalism articles, and research papers. Ultimately, Adrian is a renaissance individual. In addition to poetry, Adrian is a songwriter, sound engineer, spoken-word artist, music artist, higher education administrator, adjunct educator, and motivational speaker with a strong focus on conflict resolution and leadership development. He also shares a passion for working with the youth in his church and local communities.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Adrian is an effective higher education professional with demonstrated skills as a leader, visionary, budget manager, trainer, and problem solver. His passion for Student Affairs began in his undergraduate years at Florida International University where he was elected Student Body President for two consecutive terms at the Biscayne Bay Campus.  As student body president he allocated a $7 million budget, managed a $500,000 operational budget, served on multiple university committees, and implemented a successful platform to improve student services. Adrian furthered his leadership role as a full-time professional within Student Affairs, including the following positions: Student Life Programming Coordinator and Advisor to the programming board, Director of Student Life and Advisor to the student government, and Student Records Administrator/Associate Registrar and advisor to the leadership development group known as Competitive Edge. In addition to serving on multiple college committees and managing large operational budgets, Adrian has established himself as a first-class representative of building consensus, equitably supporting students and staff, and enhancing programs and services beneficial to the institution and the community.

Adrian holds a Bachelors of Science from Florida International University in Journalism and Mass Communication from and a Masters of Education from Florida Atlantic University in Higher Education Leadership.