Real Estate Major Graduates in December
by Brent Meske
Originally Published on December 15, 2023
Orlando, FL. – Carlen Auguste found his way to UCF from southern Florida, set on becoming a first-generation college graduate ready to go out and make an impact with a degree in Real Estate. The Deerfield Beach resident graduates today with his Bachelor’s Degree in Real Estate and becomes the first member of his family to graduate from college after his grandmother immigrated from Haiti in 1974.
“I was raised by my mom and my grandma,” Auguste said. “My mom was a single mother and worked hard to bring me up. They taught me to work hard and be the best I can be.”
Auguste is set to work for Campbell & Rosemurgy Real Estate, based in southern Florida, joining the group as a sales associate. He said his goal in college was to land a job with a smaller real estate group and found the perfect fit with Campbell & Rosemurgy.
“My goal in the beginning was to be a jack of all trades, a Swiss army knife, if you will, and just being part of everything and learning and then getting to a point where I find something I’m really passionate about and then focus on that,” Auguste said. “I wanted to be where I had a great opportunity, where I can really develop and learn. I’m excited they want me to be a part of their culture.”
During his time at UCF, Auguste became the first recipient of the Savannah Lee Memorial Equity Partners Endowed Scholarship for Minorities, named in memory of Savannah Lee ’19, a graduate of UCF’s Real Estate program who passed away in 2022.
Auguste recently met Savannah’s father, Courtney, and said meeting him was an inspiration to not take life for granted.
“He’s a great man, he loves his family and he’s really candid about what happened and how his life has been since the accident,” Auguste said. “It was an honor meeting him and to get this scholarship. I definitely want to make sure I commemorate what I do and tell people that it’s a product of the opportunity he gave me through this scholarship.”
The scholarship is funded by Equity Partners, a firm specializing in office development, landlord and tenant representation and investment sales in Central Florida. Savannah was an employee of Equity Partners at the time of her passing, and the company decided to support an annual endowment, which they hope to increase each year.
“Equity Partners funded the endowment to serve the minority community hoping to enter the commercial real estate industry,” said Mike Fess, CEO & President of Equity Partners. “We’re presenting this annual scholarship to minorities in Savannah’s honor, as her commitment and passion to her career in commercial real estate was inspiring to everyone she met. We’re excited to have Carlen as the first recipient of the scholarship and look forward too continuously supporting scholarship recipients.”
Faith Pamplin, Senior Vice President, and Gabriela Ferreira, Vice President, are both graduates of UCF with bachelor’s degrees in finance and real estate.
Auguste said through the scholarship, he has gotten to know Fess, who has become a mentor to Auguste.
“He’s a great man, and you can be personable with him and someone you can have real conversations with. He’s not a typical CEO and president,” Auguste said. “He’s a professional, but from the time I met him, he just honestly gave me a crash course on commercial real estate and told me about how he got to where he is today.”
Before coming to UCF, Auguste attended Broward College and earned his Associate’s Degree in Business Administration, graduating with high honors. It was there that Auguste fell into real estate.
His family was selling their home, and Auguste, who said he’s curious by nature and always asks questions when he’s intrigued, got to know their real estate agent and began developing an interest in real estate as a profession.
“She said she could see me in real estate and to look into it,” Auguste said. “I always knew with real estate, if you work hard, you can become successful, and I’ve always wanted to have a strong base in something and work in something credible.”
By the time he completed his degree at Broward College, Auguste had earned his real estate license and knew this would be what he continued to build on at UCF.
“I knew I wanted to go to UCF, and when I saw that they had the major I wanted to be in, I knew I had to run with it,” Auguste said. “At UCF, they teach real estate from a commercial aspect. I learned more about commercial real estate and I feel like it is more credible and I can really make an impact on my community.”
The spark to become a Knight came during high school, when he first visited UCF as part of a college readiness program and instantly fell in love with the campus.
“It’s beautiful and I love the black and gold aesthetic of UCF,” Auguste said. “I visited Florida State University and University of Florida, but felt like UCF was still close to home. There’s so much more to do in Orlando, and I couldn’t see myself going to a smaller town. I wanted a place where I had more to do than just school and a place where I could network and find a ton of opportunities. It’s where I was supposed to be for sure.”
At UCF, Auguste met UCF College of Business Hall of Fame member Socrate Exantus ’00, who is the CEO of All County Property Management. Auguste said similar backgrounds and career aspirations led to an instant connection that has given him a mentor who can be real with him when he needs it most.
“There was a time when I talked to Exantus after class and told him I felt like I was doing all the necessary things to succeed after I graduate, and he kind of grilled me,” Auguste said. “He said I need to try harder if I really want it and to go out and do what I need to do. He’s helped me out a lot by just being there for me. I can ask him for advice and he’ll break things down for me. He’s Haitian American like me and grew up in the same area too.”
Auguste also credits UCF Associate Director of Postdoctoral Affairs Jade Laderwarg, EdD, MBA, SHRM-CP, as being an impactful mentor during his time at UCF. Dr. Laderwarg was Auguste’s Capstone professor this past summer.
“She cares about her students and really wants them to succeed,” Auguste said. “Toward the end of the class, I just told her thank you for being there and that I wanted to continue to have her in my corner. She’s one of the most influential people that I’ve met at UCF and I can talk to her about my life and the future.”
In the end, Auguste said he hopes his story can inspire others to continue working hard and achieve the goals they have set for themselves, no matter their background.
“I look from where I started, from where I came from, to graduating from the University of Central Florida, and it’s a blessing,” Auguste said. “I just want people to see my story and know anything is possible. We’re all going to go through trials and tribulations, but the key is to never give up.”