How Engineering Students Are Changing Lives for Disabled Veterans | Tara Newell
Podcast

How Engineering Students Are Changing Lives for Disabled Veterans | Tara Newell

Tara Newell, Executive Director at Project S.E.R.V.E., joins us to share how this organization is connecting veterans and emergency responders with university e...

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A Day in Miami
Mar 16, 2026 33m

About This Episode

Tara Newell, Executive Director at Project S.E.R.V.E., joins us to share how this organization is connecting veterans and emergency responders with university engineering students to design and build real solutions for real needs. She shares the origin of the program, her personal military background, and what makes this model unlike anything else in South Florida.

We talk about university partnerships, the national design competition, funding, success stories, and the exciting potential to turn student-built prototypes into sellable products. Tara also opens up about balancing all of this as a mom of four.

This episode is a powerful look at what service, innovation, and community can build together.

Manny Alfonso:
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Kiko Suarez:
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Eduardo Moya:
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Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/20WEys6jxiliBCLoo9iSID
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Produced by: Ben Schwede
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benthecreatorrr/

0:00 Intro
1:29 About Project Serve
4:56 Tara’s Involvement in Military
7:20 Partnerships with Universities
8:22 Demographics and Veterans’ Excitement
10:21 Potential for Creating Sellable Products
11:12 Looking to Help Emergency Responders
13:15 Getting More Exposure
13:56 Success Stories
16:09 Volunteering
17:42 Funding and Donations
18:35 National Design Competition
22:31 Being a Mom of 4 Kids
25:28 How to Get Involved
27:51 Shoutouts
29:24 Top 3 Restaurants
32:38 How to Reach Project Serve
33:30 Outro

About Our Guest

Tara Newell

Tara Newell

Tara Newell, Executive Director at Project S.

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