FIU Law alumnus Omar Monteagudo ’06 has been appointed as chair of the Dade County Bar Association’s (DCBA) Schools Program Committee. The committee coordinates and conducts award winning programs in public and private schools.
Monteagudo serves as the liaison between the DCBA, Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDPCS), the Florida Law-Related Education Committee of the Florida Bar, the United States District Court and various state entities who help to advance law education in Miami-Dade County.
“The committee works closely with the school district to increase student participation in law-related activities,” Monteagudo said. With more than 100 committee members strong, we have co-hosted the District High School Mock Trials, We the People competition and Law Day events. The attorney volunteers provide insight into the field of law for both teachers and students alike.”
After graduating from law school, Monteagudo practiced with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and the Pinkert Law Firm, where he handled healthcare oversight and insurance-coverage defense. He later became a sole practitioner in family law.
But it is his role as principal that he finds most rewarding. “The ability to make meaningful contributions on a daily basis to the students I serve and the colleagues I collaborate with is personally and professionally rewarding,” Monteagudo expressed. “Thomas Carlyle once wrote that ‘Blessed is he that has found his work! Let him ask no other blessedness.’ I’ve found that being an educator is not a vocation, it’s a calling.”
Monteagudo serves as principal for both the School for Advanced Studies (SAS) at Miami Dade College – a Nationally Recognized Collegiate High School ranked among the top 50 in the nation, – as well as the Academy for Advanced Academics at Florida International University. Although his days are spent in and around the classroom and not the courtroom, Monteagudo uses his FIU Law degree.
“My law degree has afforded me the opportunity to apply my legal knowledge and analytical skills with a high degree of success in the academic arena,” he shared. “As principal, I helped implement a Moot Court, Mock Trial, Model United Nations and We the People team who have placed first in District and State competitions. The SAS Mock/Moot Court team has delivered oral arguments before the Florida Supreme Court where they have won best brief, best advocate and best overall team in two of the past four years – there’s no doubt my law school experience helped!”
This past year, Monteagudo was named Miami Dade County Public Schools’ – South Region Principal of the Year and was appointed to serve as an Executive Lead Principal for MDCPS – South Region, he has been appointed three times to serve on the Education Committee of the Florida Bar and is currently a member of the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association.