By Karen Alava | Staff Writer
For FIU graduates pursuing careers in the arts and media, the transition from student to professional often requires more than technical training. Catherine Magarino and Adrian Luis exemplify how alumni are navigating freelance work, entrepreneurship and collaborative creative projects in Miami, using the relationships and skills they developed at Florida International University to build careers in entertainment.
When Catherine Magarino graduated from Florida International University in 2020 with a degree in vocal performance, live performance was shutting down across the country.
Catherine Magarino’s graduation day | Catherine Magarino
“The world turned upside down,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do, how am I going to make money?”
As a pandemic graduate, Catherine watched the performing arts move entirely online. Auditions became video submissions. Stages went dark. For her, the immediate concern was practical.
Now, nearly six years later, she is performing in Don Juan: Pride and Paradise, an immersive dinner-theatre production staged inside Atchana’s Homegrown Thai in Coconut Grove. Working alongside her is Adrian Luis, a 2024 FIU graduate who oversees video and production elements for the show.
Don Juan: Pride and Paradise | Greater Miami & Miami Beach
Both alumni say their paths since graduation have been shaped by adaptability, networking and the connections they built at FIU.
Catherine majored in vocal performance within FIU’s School of Music. At the time, she said, there was no musical theater program, so much of her acting experience came through the opera workshop.
During the pandemic, she began considering how to create stability in an unpredictable industry. She enrolled in FIU’s online MBA program, received a scholarship and graduated in 2022.
“I wanted to start my own thing, have my own studio, work with my own clients,” she said. “But I don’t really know anything about how to run a business.”
Today, Catherine works as a vocal coach and music director, collaborates with school and theater programs and continues auditioning and performing. She described Miami’s arts community as relationship-driven.
“It’s all who you know,” she said, noting that one of her first professional opportunities came when an FIU professor recommended her for a paid opera role in 2019 while she was still an undergraduate.
Adrian’s path also began with student involvement.
He graduated in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in digital communication and media. While at FIU, he worked with student media organizations, including the university’s radio station, “The Roar,” and connected with peers who later introduced him to playwright Sefanja Richard Galon.
Through those connections, Adrian became involved in production work tied to Galon’s projects. He now applies his videography skills professionally, running his own freelance operation producing promotional and social media content for businesses.
“People don’t want to sign you unless they know they can trust you,” he said. “And part of that trust is if you already know them.”
Both alumni are currently working on Don Juan: Pride and Paradise. The production reimagines the Don Juan story through Caribbean culture and Miami life, unfolding inside a working restaurant where audience members become part of the experience. Each night, guests vote on whether the title character is punished or redeemed.
Catherine performs multiple roles in the show, including Cherry, a waitress who becomes entangled with Don Juan. Adrian contributes through video and production support.
Catherine as Cherry in Don Juan: Pride and Paradise | Catherine Magarino
For Catherine, returning to FIU recently to use the School of Music’s recording studio for a professional project felt symbolic.
“I’m there as a working professional,” she said. “It feels full circle.”
For both graduates, the journey since FIU has not followed a straight line. Instead, it has involved building relationships, taking on multiple roles and staying connected to the creative community in Miami.
“Maintain those connections,” Catherine said. “Be proud that FIU is in the community. We’re doing things.”
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