With more than 200 participating funds and so many opportunities for inspiration, activation and growth 鈥� we鈥檙e counting down to liftoff by highlighting unique areas to consider supporting with your gift this 麻豆原创 Day of Giving.

As Knights, we challenge status quo. We charge boldly ahead toward industry evolutions and technological advancements. We dare to build a future the world has only begun to imagine. And it鈥檚 all driven through moments like this and individuals like you.

Together,聽we鈥檙e聽launching Knights to new heights.

When the unexpected arises,聽help聽sometimes聽comes in the form of .聽Created to support聽Knights聽facing聽hardship that may聽hinder聽their education,聽this fund聽provides聽financial support聽for textbooks,聽fees聽and other education-related聽expenses聽for qualifying students.

Your gift ensures that聽when聽life鈥檚聽trials聽test our聽Knights,聽they聽pass聽with flying colors,聽securing聽the education聽and future聽they聽deserve.

The 鈥痯rovides services, programming and resources for thousands of military-connected students currently enrolled at 麻豆原创.

helps ensure聽that聽those who have served and their connected students are fully supported as they pursue their educational and career goals.

麻豆原创 has been recognized聽with a聽Gold Award聽on the聽Military Friendly聽Schools list, as a Florida Collegiate Purple Star Campus, a Best Military-Friendly Online College and on the Military Times鈥� 聽2025聽Best for Vets Colleges List.聽Help us聽continue that legacy聽of聽serving those聽who鈥檝e聽served.

offers an intensive, comprehensive therapy program聽to those聽navigating Aphasia, a聽language聽disorder that can arise from聽health challenges such as聽stroke,聽brain聽cancer聽and brain injury,听补苍诲听affects聽an individual鈥檚 ability to聽read, write,聽speak听补苍诲听comprehend聽language.

Through the program,聽individuals are聽empowered to聽make progress on their long-held goals, like talking with their grandchildren or ordering their favorite restaurant meal.

聽on 麻豆原创 Day of Giving聽supports the continuation of this聽important聽service for our community, as well as the hands-on experience 麻豆原创 student clinicians聽receive.

Support 麻豆原创 College of Medicine researchers as they聽break聽into new realms of聽understanding聽around聽the聽country鈥檚聽second leading cause of death聽鈥� cancer.聽Through聽innovative science,聽they鈥檙e聽exploring key聽avenues of discovery聽including聽the role that聽genes play聽in聽determining聽a person鈥檚 cancer risk, what causes cancer to spread聽and how to harness the body鈥檚 immune system to kill cancer cells.

The goal: to prevent cancer and find new therapies that improve quality of life聽for patients.聽 brings聽us one聽step closer聽to聽lives saved,聽families unburdened聽and a cure聽realized.

Did you know聽that 麻豆原创 has one of the top Moot Court聽teams in the nation, ranking聽among the top 15聽overall聽by the American Moot Court Association?聽Supervised by the , these student advocates聽are challenged聽with arguing聽mock supreme court cases聽on constitutional amendments.

and聽national聽leadership聽by聽making a gift on 麻豆原创 Day of Giving.聽Help聽cover聽competition travel expenses, as well as聽the聽cost of聽the聽annual tournament聽hosted聽at 麻豆原创 Downtown聽each fall.

It鈥檚聽time for launch, Knight Nation! Join us聽as聽we rally around聽our favorite causes, and聽maybe even聽uncover some聽new聽ones, during 麻豆原创 Day of Giving.聽Find聽more areas of support聽by聽别虫辫濒辞谤颈苍驳听迟丑别听,鈥痑nd聽save the date to聽聽on Thursday, April 9.聽聽

The National Leader in Emergency and Crisis Management

麻豆原创 earned the No. 1 Homeland/National Security and Emergency Management Graduate Program ranking in the nation for the聽 third consecutive year.

At the forefront of this year’s ranking is the College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE)’s online emergency and crisis management program, signaling 麻豆原创鈥檚 long-standing leadership in programs that keep people safe from disasters of all kinds.

鈥淭o maintain the U.S. News No. 1 ranking of graduate programs in homeland security and emergency management is truly a team endeavor,鈥� Associate Professor of Public Administration Yue ‘Gurt’ Ge says. 鈥淚t reflects our nationally and internationally renowned faculty in education and research, our stellar students and alumni 鈥� who have become the backbone of the emergency management profession in Florida and beyond 鈥� and our signature staff members and advisory board representing government, nonprofit, and business sectors across Central Florida.鈥�

That strong connection to practice is central to the program鈥檚 success. Faculty research influences policy nationwide, while students gain real-world insight through close partnerships with emergency managers at the local, state and federal levels. Graduates leave prepared to respond to complex crises, from natural disasters to public health emergencies, at a time when the need for highly trained professionals continues to grow.

A Top-10 School Preparing Student Counselors

麻豆原创’s College of Community Innovation and Education also earned the No. 9 ranking for Student Counseling and Personnel Services Graduate Programs in the nation.

Recognition for CCIE’s student counseling聽 graduate program reflects 麻豆原创鈥檚 high-touch faculty mentorship model and its emphasis on integrating research, service, and professional preparation.

For Benoit Aubin, a first-year doctoral student in counselor education, that support has been transformative. A former firefighter and medic, Aubin now works as a mental health clinician for his former fire station while serving as a graduate research assistant with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Marriage and Family Research Institute (MFRI).

With guidance from Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology Chair and MFRI Executive Director Sejal Barden, Aubin has conducted clinical research focused on trauma and relationship stress among first-responder couples. His work has already contributed to a funded grant, conference presentations, a published book and the development of a training program 鈥� achievements he credits to a highly supportive learning environment.

鈥溌槎乖� knows how to prepare us to compete professionally,鈥� Aubin says.

A 34-Spot Rise in Advanced Nursing Education

麻豆原创’s College of Nursing jumped 聽34 spots to No. 37 for Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduate Programs in the nation 鈥� the highest ranking in the college鈥檚 history.

麻豆原创’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program (DNP) improved ranking reflects a continued investment in academic rigor, faculty expertise and hands-on clinical training designed to address the nation鈥檚 growing need for nurse practitioners.

Graduates from the DNP program consistently outperform national first-time pass rates on nurse practitioner certification exams. They also often receive job offers before they even complete their degrees, according to Christopher Blackwell 鈥�00 鈥�01MSN 鈥�05PhD, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program. All full-time faculty hold at least one doctoral degree, more than half remain actively practicing clinicians and many are nationally recognized fellows. Through partnerships with healthcare organizations across Central Florida students gain applied experience alongside expert preceptors in varied clinical settings.

鈥淭he incredible amount of support I鈥檝e received from 麻豆原创鈥檚 nursing professors and the opportunities to make an impact through my research and clinical practice solidified that I made the best choice in my graduate degree,鈥� says Mimi Alliance 鈥�21, a family nurse practitioner doctoral student who provides care and conducts research on the 麻豆原创 Mobile Health Clinic.

Some of that training is anchored in the college鈥檚 Helene Fuld Health Trust STIM Center, an internationally recognized simulation facility that strengthens clinical skills and decision-making before students enter patient-care environments. The STIM Center, as well as 麻豆原创鈥檚 nursing programs, are housed in the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, which opened in Lake Nona in Fall 2025 thanks to generous state and industry support 鈥� a proof point of 麻豆原创’s ability to solve real-world issues.

Building on a Legacy of Aerospace Engineering Excellence

As Florida鈥檚 Technological University, 麻豆原创 continues to build on our strength in technology-driven fields by ranking No. 38 for Aerospace Engineering Graduate Programs in the nation.

The 麻豆原创 College of Engineering and Computer Sciences‘ aerospace engineering graduate program ranking reinforces the university鈥檚 legacy in a field deeply tied to Florida鈥檚 Space Coast and NASA’s recent Artemis II launch.

鈥淚t is gratifying to see the hard work and exciting research of our faculty and students recognized by our peers,鈥� says Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Jeffrey Kauffman, noting that since launching the aerospace engineering doctoral program in 2019, 麻豆原创 has steadily climbed in rankings while program enrollment has grown to more than 100 doctoral students.

Fueling that growth are advances in hypersonic flight, space exploration and defense research, with 麻豆原创鈥檚 HyperSpace Center serving as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration. Faculty success in securing competitive federal research funding has strengthened infrastructure and expanded opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The result is a vibrant research environment where students engage directly in cutting-edge projects and build industry connections well before entering the workforce.

Across disciplines, 麻豆原创鈥檚 growth in the U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings reflects a shared commitment to student success 鈥� driven by faculty who mentor closely, curricula that align with real-world needs and an institutional culture focused on impact. As 麻豆原创鈥檚 graduate programs continue to climb, they reinforce the university鈥檚 role as a national leader preparing professionals to tackle society鈥檚 most urgent challenges.

Recipients will include this year鈥檚 awardees of some of the highest honors the university bestows, including: Pegasus Professor; the鈥疢edal of Societal Impact; the Reach for the Stars Award; the Big 12 Faculty Member of the Year Award; and the Champion of Student Success and Well-Being.

Also being honored are university excellence award winners; those who recently reached milestone years of service; Faculty Senate service awardees; faculty granted鈥�别尘别谤颈迟耻蝉鈥�辞谤鈥�别尘别谤颈迟补鈥�status; and retired or retiring faculty members.

This year鈥檚 celebration includes recognition of Chuck Dziuban, one of the longest-serving and most trailblazing faculty members in school history. His remarkable 55-year-career includes being 麻豆原创鈥檚 inaugural Pegasus Professor and founding director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.

Starting this year at Founders鈥� Day, the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching will be given to underscore the talented faculty behind 麻豆原创鈥檚 nationally renowned reputation as a leader in in online teaching and learning.

Here are this year鈥檚 faculty honorees.

Pegasus Professor Award

Hassan聽Foroosh,聽College of Engineering and Computer Science

Carmen聽Giurgescu, College of Nursing

Annette R. Khaled, College of Medicine

Matthew Marino, College of聽Community Innovation and Education

Reach for the Stars Award

John Bush, College of Business

Ana Carolina聽de Souza Feliciano, Office of Research

Shyam Kattel, College of Sciences

Kevin Moran, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Soyoung Park, College of Community Innovation and Education

Hao Zheng, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences

Medal of Societal Impact Award

Zhihua Qu, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Champion of Student Success and Well-Being Award

Suha Saleh,聽College of Health Professions and Sciences

Big 12 Faculty Member of the Year

Deborah Beidel, College of Sciences

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

College Awardees

Tanvir Ahmed, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Norine Blanch, College of Community Innovation and Education

Matthew Bryan, College of Arts and Humanities

Peter Delfyett, College of Optics and Photonics

Nyla Dil, College of Medicine

Katia Ferdowsi, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Murat Hancer, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Deborah Horzen, College of Arts and Humanities

Richard Jerousek, College of Sciences

Betsy Kalin, College of Sciences

Evelin Pegoraro, College of Arts and Humanities

Richard Plate, College of Community Innovation and Education

Alfons Schulte, College of Sciences

Nicholas Shrubsole, College of Arts and Humanities

Daniel Stephens, College of Community Innovation and Education

Wei Sun, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Danielle Webster, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Sara Willox, College of Business

Xiaohu Xia, College of Sciences

Widaad Zaman, College of Sciences

University Winner

Norine Blanch, College of Community Innovation and Education

Excellence in Graduate Teaching

College Awardees

Shaurya Agarwal, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Kim Anderson, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Christopher Blackwell, College of Nursing

Shannon Carter, College of Sciences

Sasan Fathpour, College of Optics and Photonics

Murat Hancer, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Dana Joseph, College of Business

Magdalena Pasarica, College of Medicine

Mel Stanfill, College of Arts and Humanities

Vassiliki Zygouris-Coe, College of Community Innovation and Education

University Winner

Christopher Blackwell, College of Nursing

Excellence in Research

College Awardees

Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education

Zixi (Jack) Cheng, College of Medicine

Enrique Del Barco, College of Sciences

Romain Gaume, College of Optics and Photonics

Nan Hua, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Kevin Mullally, College of Business

Matthew Stock, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Ladda Thiamwong, College of Nursing

Subith Vasu, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Cyrus Zargar, College of Arts and Humanities

University Winner

Enrique Del Barco, College of Sciences

Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching

Nicole Lapeyrouse, College of Sciences

Excellence in Faculty Academic Advising

Emily Proulx, College of Arts and Humanities

Excellence in Professional Service

Linda Walters, College of Sciences

Excellence in Librarianship

Katy Miller, 麻豆原创 Libraries

Excellence in Instructional Design

Amy Sugar, Division of Digital Learning

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students

Engineering, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences

Subith Vasu, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Social Science, Humanities, Education, Business, Art and Health

David Boote, College of Community Innovation and Education

University Award for Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars

Kausik Mukhopadhyay, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Thomas Wahl, College of Engineering and Computer Science

20 Years of Service

Haiyan Bai, College of Community Innovation and Education

Brian Barone, College of Arts and Humanities

Aman Behal, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Corinne Bishop, 麻豆原创 Libraries

Joseph Brennan, College of Sciences

Mark Calabrese, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Li-Mei Chen, College of Medicine

Baiyun Chen, Division of Digital Learning

Joshua Colwell, College of Sciences

William Crampton, College of Sciences

Richard Curcio, College of Business

Donovan Dixon, College of Sciences

Martin Dupuis, Burnett Honors College

Michelle Dusseau, College of Sciences

Dorin Dutkay, College of Sciences

Kirk Gay, College of Arts and Humanities

Deborah German, College of Medicine

William Hagedorn, College of Community Innovation and Education

Joseph Harrington, College of Sciences

Fayeza Hasanat, College of Arts and Humanities

Bobby Hoffman, College of Community Innovation and Education

Elizabeth Hoffman, College of Community Innovation and Education

Alisha Janowsky, College of Sciences

Abdelkader Kara, College of Sciences

David Kwun, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Stephen Lambert, College of Medicine

Peter Larson, College of Arts and Humanities

Joseph LaViola Jr., College of Engineering and Computer Science

Edgard Maboudou, College of Sciences

Kevin Mackie, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Iryna Malendevych, College of Community Innovation and Education

Jonathan Matusitz, College of Sciences

Holly McDonald, College of Arts and Humanities

Florin Mihai, College of Arts and Humanities

Olga Molina, College of Health Professions and Sciences

George Musambira, College of Sciences

Nina Orlovskaya, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Talat Rahman, College of Sciences

25 Years of Service

Laura Albers-Biddle, College of Community Innovation and Education

Steven Berman, College of Sciences

Tarek Buhagiar, College of Business

Melissa Dagley, College of Sciences

Sabatino DiBernardo, College of Arts and Humanities

Mark Dickie, College of Business

Ivan Garibay, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Anthony Grajeda, College of Arts and Humanities

Bari Hoffman, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Steven Hornik, College of Business

Anna Jones, College of Arts and Humanities

Mikhail Klimov, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Stefanie Mayfield Garcia, College of Business

Rudy McDaniel, College of Arts and Humanities

Rachel Mulvihill, 麻豆原创 Libraries

Christopher Niess, College of Arts and Humanities

Eugene Paoline, College of Community Innovation and Education

Sumanta Pattanaik, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Tison Pugh, College of Arts and Humanities

Walter Sotero, College of Sciences

Suren Tatulian, College of Sciences

Nizam Uddin, College of Sciences

Lei Wei, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Graham Worthy, College of Sciences

Shin-Tson Wu, College of Optics and Photonics

30 Years of Service

Charlie Abraham, College of Arts and Humanities

Helen Becker, College of Business

James Campbell, College of Arts and Humanities

Karl X. Chai, College of Medicine

Ratna Chakrabarti, College of Medicine

Jill Fjelstul, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Barbara Fritzsche, College of Sciences

Nora Lee Garc铆a, College of Arts and Humanities

Linwood Jones, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Alexander Katsevich, College of Sciences

Kuotsai Tom Liou, College of Community Innovation and Education

Lisa Logan, College of Arts and Humanities

Humberto L贸pez Cruz, College of Arts and Humanities

Eric Martin, Office of Research

Kevin Meehan, College of Arts and Humanities

Charles H. Reilly, Office of the Provost

Timothy Rotarius, College of Community Innovation and Education

Peter Spyers-Duran, 麻豆原创 Libraries

Alexander Tovbis, College of Sciences

Laurence von Kalm, College of Sciences

Linda Walters, College of Sciences

Bruce Wilson, College of Sciences

Hong Zhang, College of Arts and Humanities

Ying Zhang, 麻豆原创 Libraries

35 Years of Service

Issa Batarseh, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Alain Kassab, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Mansooreh Mollaghasemi, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Robert Peale, College of Sciences

Chung-Ching Wang, College of Sciences

40 Years of Service

Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Michael Georgiopoulos, College of Engineering and Computer Science

David Hagan, College of Optics and Photonics

Anna Lillios, College of Arts and Humanities

Mubarak Shah, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Kalpathy Sundaram, College of Engineering and Computer Science

45 Years of Service

Robert Rivers, College of Arts and Humanities

55 Years of Service

Chuck Dziuban, Division of Digital Learning

Faculty Emeritus and Emerita

Lynn Casmier-Paz, College of Arts and Humanities

James Clark, College of Arts and Humanities

Teresa Dorman, College of Sciences

Chuck Dziuban, Division of Digital Learning

Amy Giroux, College of Arts and Humanities

Glenda Gunter, College of Community Innovation and Education

Michael Hampton, College of Sciences

Richard Hofler, College of Business

Robin Kohn, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Piotr Mikusinski, College of Sciences

Ram Mohapatra, College of Sciences

Donna Neff, College of Nursing

Alice Noblin, College of Community Innovation and Education

Robert Peale, College of Sciences

Trey Philpotts, College of Arts and Humanities

Robin Roberts, College of Business

Sherron Killingsworth Roberts, College of Community Innovation and Education

Lisa Roney, College of Arts and Humanities

Sybil St. Claire, College of Arts and Humanities

Terry Ann Thaxton, College of Arts and Humanities

Deborah Weaver, College of Arts and Humanities

Retired Faculty

Ahlam Al-Rawi, College of Sciences

Donna Breit, College of Nursing

Martha Brenckle, College of Arts and Humanities

Chinyen Chuo, Student Success and Well-Being

Therese Coleman, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Robertico Croes, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Juli Dixon, College of Community Innovation and Education

Teresa Dorman, College of Sciences

Chuck Dziuban, Division of Digital Learning

Philip Fairey, Office of Research

John Fauth, College of Sciences

Amy Giroux, College of Arts and Humanities

Glenda Gunter, College of Community Innovation and Education

Michael Hampton, College of Sciences

Roger Handberg, College of Sciences

C. Keith Harrison, College of Business

Randall Hewitt, College of Community Innovation and Education

Rebecca Hines, College of Community Innovation and Education

Richard Hofler, College of Business

Charlie Hughes, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Alvaro Islas, College of Sciences

Mourad Ismail, College of Sciences

David Jenkins, College of Sciences

Michael Johnson, Office of the Provost

Dayle Jones, College of Community Innovation and Education

Denise Kay, College of Medicine

Gary Leavens, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Mary Little, College of Community Innovation and Education

Humberto L贸pez Cruz, College of Arts and Humanities

Michael Macedonia, Office of Research

Wasfy Mikhael, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Piotr Mikusinski, College of Sciences

Roslyn Miller, Division of Digital Learning

Ram Mohapatra, College of Sciences

Vicki Montoya, College of Nursing

Brian Moore, College of Sciences

Donna Felber Neff, College of Nursing

Alice Noblin, College of Community Innovation and Education

Peggy Nuhn, 麻豆原创 Libraries

Joyce Nutta, College of Community Innovation and Education

Jeffrey O鈥橞rien, College of Business

Bendegul Okumus, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Fevzi Okumus, Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Robert Peale, College of Sciences

Trey Philpotts, College of Arts and Humanities

Brian Plamondon, Office of Research

Michael Proctor, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Enrique Puig, College of Community Innovation and Education

Pedro Quintana-Ascencio, College of Sciences

Mark Rapport, College of Sciences

Sherron Roberts, College of Community Innovation and Education

Kelly Schaffer, College of Community Innovation and Education

Elzbieta Sikorska, College of Sciences

Jo Smith, Division of Digital Learning

Sybil St. Claire, College of Arts and Humanities

Mark Steiner, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Raymond Surette, College of Community Innovation and Education

Terry Ann Thaxton, College of Arts and Humanities

Patti Thielemann, College of Nursing

Cheryl Van De Mark, College of Community Innovation and Education

Martine Vanryckeghem, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Jane Vaughan, College of Arts and Humanities

Scott Warfield, College of Arts and Humanities

Debbie Weaver, College of Arts and Humanities

Philip Wessel, College of Community Innovation and Education

James Whitworth, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Boguslawa Anna Wolford, College of Community Innovation and Education

Laine Wyatt, College of Arts and Humanities

Cherie Yestrebsky, College of Sciences

Martin Klapheke, College of Medicine

Stephen Lambert, College of Medicine

Olga Molina, College of Health Professions and Sciences

Euripides Montagne, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Darlin’ Neal, College of Arts and Humanities

Michael Pape, College of Business

Tison Pugh, College of Arts and Humanities

David Young, College of Sciences

The university recognized employees who reached milestone years of service, along with those recently retired or about to be. 麻豆原创 also presented a Champion of Student Success and Well-Being Award and excellence awards in recognition of employees who made exceptional contributions to benefit the campus community.

鈥淲e celebrate your service, your dedication, and the impact you make across this university. But behind that recognition is something even more powerful: the daily commitment, the steady work, and the consistency that build momentum over time,鈥� says 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淭he future we talk about at 麻豆原创 is not something that begins someday. It is already taking shape in the work you do, in the systems you support, and in the experiences you create for our students.聽Thank you.鈥�

麻豆原创 this year brought a new category of Employee Leadership Excellence Awards, recognizing non-faculty administrative leadership at the director level and above. They joined the expanded Employee Excellence Awards, which highlighted the remarkable contributions of full-time employees up to an associate director level.

The employee event kicked off a Founders鈥� Day celebration that also included faculty and student celebrations. Combined, more than 900 honorees were recognized during the three ceremonies this year.

Here are the honorees from this year鈥檚 Employee Honors Celebration.

Excellence Awards

Employee Excellence Awards for Operational Excellence

Arijeta Kavaja, Public Safety

Cecily McCoy-Fisher, Office of Research

Anna Nye, Office of Risk and Safety

Cindy Prophitt, Facilities and Business Operations

Employee Excellence Awards for Student Success

Cynthia Almanzar, Student Success and Well-Being

Laura Czerkies, Burnett Honors College

Michael McKee, College of Optics and Photonics

Donna Mercado, College of Nursing

Employee Excellence Awards for Community Well-Being

Jodi Reinhart, College of Sciences

Lorna Rodriguez, College of Engineering and Computer Science

David Stoneburner, Office of Institutional Resources

Mykhael Walker, Analytics and Integrated Planning

Employee Excellence Awards for Service and Partnership

Drew Barnes, College of Graduate Studies

Faith DeLorenzo, Digital Learning

Lovelyn Findley, Advancement and Partnerships

Antoine Hart, University Strategic Communications

Employee Excellence Awards Nominees

Sadia Afrin

Cynthia Almanzar

Michelle Anchel

Otto Argibay

Anthony (Joey) Asti

Drew Barnes

Alexandra Barraza-Oliphant

Davalda 鈥淒ee鈥� Bellot

Jim Bennett

Miryana Blesso

Monique Carter

Laura Czerkies

Faith DeLorenzo

Lovelyn Findley

Amanda Greaves

Antoine Hart

Christina Hussey

Alexis Hutchins

Erica Hutton

Kat Jones

Arijeta Kavaja

Marsha Kernica

Melina Kinsey

Keanna Machado

Jay Malcolm

Chuck Mannella

Samantha Mason

Cecily McCoy-Fisher

Michael McKee

Donna Mercado

Traci Mibuta

Anna Nye

Steven Pardo

Diana Perez

Anthony Piazza

Cindy Prophitt

Frances 鈥淔ran鈥� Ragsdale

Matthew Rall

Jodi Reinhart

Lorna Rodriguez

Ashley Samson

William Self

Maricel Soto

Jennifer Stalzer

Emily Stettner

David Stoneburner

Jeremiah Taylor

Rebecca Underhill

Mykhael Walker

Denise Whiteside

Maria Williams

Employee Leadership Excellence Awards

Employee Leadership Excellence Award for Strategic Execution

Andre Watts, Analytics and Integrated Planning

Employee Leadership Excellence Award for People Leadership and Talent Stewardship

Andrea Withington, College of Community Innovation and Education

Employee Leadership Excellence Award for Advancing Collaboration and Partnership

Germayne Graham, Student Programs and Outreach

Employee Leadership Excellence Award for Innovation, Improvement, and Bold Action

Kim Smith, Office of Research

Employee Leadership Excellence Awards Nominees

Drew Andrews

Morgan Bauer

Austin Bott

Brian Boyd

David Canova

Megan Carrigan

Shafaq Chaudhry

Sherri Dixon

Madi Dogariu

Michael Duong

Amy Ellis

Gerard Flood

Steven Freund

Andrea Gandy

Delia Garcia

Germayne Graham

Stephanie Heron

Dana Juntunen

Kerlene King

Ashley Longoria

Ayanna Lopez

Carla McCabe

Rudy McDaniel

Amy Perry

Charlie Piper

Candida Richards

Elizabeth Richner

Cesar RiveraCruzado

Rex Roberts

Anastasia Salter

Wendy Sarubbi

Basma Selim

Kim Smith

Meghan Truhett

Suzzette Turner

Michael Wainstein

Tyler Walsh

Andre Watts

Danta White

Andrea Withington

Champion of Student Success and Well-Being Award

Rosemarie Mendoza, Facilities and Business Operations

Emerita Status Awardee

Amy Giroux, College of Arts and Humanities

Employee Service Awards

45 Years of Service

Donna Hickson

35 Years of Service

Tina Maier

Michael Reed

Patricia Trovillion

30 Years of Service

Sharon Bady

Travis Cain

Adrianne Demetry

Francisco Dionisi

Joel Lavoie

Elizabeth Rivera

25 Years of Service

Herlinda Bedoya

Michael Bell

Abdulbaset Benwali

Terri Bigham

Bruce Boutwell

Olivia Bridges

Amy Buford

Cristina Caamano

Carlos Chardon

Keith Coelho

Janny Colon

Elizabeth Costello

Al Davis

Steven Dick

Rafael Durand

Sira Giron

Rebecca Hammond

Jonathan Hanie

Keith Honaker

Davina Hovanec

Latchmin Jaggernauth

Susan Jefferson

Georgia Kent

Michelle Matthews

Andrew O’Mara

Jennifer Opper

Naya Ramirez

Gail Raymond

Brenda Rodrigues

Timothy Ryan

Maria Santiago

Heather Simeon

Carl Truesdell

Meena Turner

Maria Williams

Dela Williams

Andrea Withington

20 Years of Service

Michael Aldarondo-Jeffries

Lindsay Archambault

Gloria Bastidas

Renee Bence

Eric Brewington

Daren Caine

Michael Callahan

Marc Cassidy

Robin Chan

Karen Cox

Kelley Dietrich

Matthew Dunn

Scott Eberle

Cecilia Elias

Samuel Ensenat

Marelis Figueredo Garcia

Matthew Fitzgerald

Scott Freeman

Glenn Gaborko

Tyniesia Gandy

Kelly Gill

Lindana Gomez

Brian Graham

Timothy Haduch

Jenny Hartman

Elizabeth Herrera

Sarah Hunt

Tamara Jomarron

Carreen Krapf

Ellaine Leodones

Marlene Lugo

Carlos Martinez

Deysi Mercedes

Heather Murphy

Uday Nair

Perla Ongy

Robert (Bob) Opdahl

Haresh Patel

Rachel Perry

Omesh Persaud

Sandy Pouliot

Christine Pugh

Luz Quintero

Maria Quintero

Christopher Rains

Tim Reid

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Terrance Rooth

Diana Santiago

Saul Santiago

Kathy Sapp

Basma Selim

Romeo Sibayan

Jeff Smith

George Taylor

Lynda Toussaint

Shreya Trivedi

Reina Vazquez

Tonya Walker

15 Years of Service

Marlene Agostini

Jose Arce

Lucy Bautista

Randy Beck

Aiza Beguez

Miryana Blesso

Carolyn Castro

Silvia Cerro

Lorinda Clark

Patricia Colyer

Theresa Davis

Dani Draper

Jennifer Elliott

Tamara Gabrus

Ernie Gemeinhart

Jessica Glaspie

James Grant

Lisa Haas

Allison Henderson

Maribel Herrera

Jason Kennedy

Ann Kershner

Usha Lal

Dora Laureano

Hank Lewis

Ujjwala Magdum

Jennifer Mark

Jessica Matos

Meghan McCollum

Amanda Miller

Tracey Morrison

Kimberly Nassoiy

Beth Nettles

Hoang Nguyen

Jorge Olmedo

Minh Phan

Rhett Proctor

Elida Prophete

Michael Pugh

Ligia Ramirez

Rebeca Richards

Maria Rodriguez

Daniel Sagendorf

Kimberly Sargent

Wendy Sarubbi

Nick Schenk

Dave Schreier

Lori Shuff

Jacob Skinner

Terri Smith

Suzanne Stalvey

Brian Strickland

Christy Tant

Freddie Tirado Jr.

Joanne Toole

Roger Tripp

Matthew Vaccaro

Tamara Vassallo Soto

Martha Wiggins

Wanda Wint

10 Years of Service

Danielle Adams

Terrell Alexander

Julissa Alicea

Lindsey Anderson

Nadine Arentz

Jose Ayala Torres

Morgan Bauer

Shaun Black

John Boehm

Kate Brinister

Danilo Canlas

Megan Carrigan

Melissa Choinski

Madhavi Chokshi

Lorine Cisch-Taylor

Lisa Clendenning

Shannon Colon

Robert Connors

John Cooke

Todd Coon

Richard Cortez-Satterlee

Joanna Couch

Brandon Couts

Meghan Crowther

Summer Davis

Katherine Del Cid

Vanessa Delgado

Gerald Dillon

Kerri Drylie

Mirvate El Jerdi

Shajira El Masri

Amy Ellis

Jerad Engel

Damian Fagan

Marites Falkenhausen

Sarah Farrell

Jessica Fasano

Ben Fauser

Melissa Fawcett

Janet Feliciano

Valentina Fernandez

Jason Francis

Neftali Garcia

Eileen Garner

Christopher Gase

Kristina Gomez

Agustin Gonzalez

Adriel Gonzalez Gutierrez

Ryan Goodwin

Liz Gordian Olmo

Walter Gordon

Rhonda Granger Gomez

Josh Haupt

George Hayner Jr.

Rita Higgins

Katherine Hoefer

Elizabeth Hughes

Erica Hutton

Renee Johnston

Nathanael Jones

Megan Kellogg

Brian Kelly

Mike Kilbride

Maureen Landgraf

Daniel Lee

Missy Lesnewski

Ian Levy

Sarojben Limbachia

George Lopez

Ricardo Lopez

Juan Lugo

Karemah Manselle

Kristy McAllister

Justin McGill

Pamela McGlinchey

Oliver McSurley

Rebecca Meadows

Nelson Mendez

Pamela Mills

Mike Minutelli

Eli Mizell

Angela Moreira

Rebecca Mowrer

Lauren Murray-Lemon

David Neese

Lucas Noboa

Loida Olivas

Jeffrey Panter

Steven Pardo

Juana Pasco

Laura Patterson

Deborah Pease

Miguel Pellot

Ryan Pendry

Karen Peterson

Wanda Pruett-Butler

Abner Ramos Pi帽ero

Erica Recktenwald

Samantha Redlund

Elizabeth Richner

Carlos Rivera

Victor Rivera

Lisa Roberts

Jacob Scholtz

Skender Shehu

Mari Sievinen

Kiela Sims

Aaron Smart

Liza Smith

Casey Smith

Esperanza Soto

Calvin Soto

Tenley Sterkel

Timothy Sullivan

Jackson Thevenin

Danielle Traylor

Wanda Tummons

Anna Velocci

Brian Villar

Stephen Villiotis

Paul Werden

Jonathan White

Barbara Wilson

Dylan Yonts

5 Years of Service

Lidya Abdelmalak

Elna Andreeva

Dana Archer

Linnette Aviles

Jessica Banos

Arismir Barreiras Peralta

Kristy Beitler

Summer Bernini

Abby Bertrand

Mayra Bonilla Torres

Melissa Braillard

Drew Bryant

Barbara Busch

Jess Camacho

Alexander N. Cartwright

Maria Ceku

Gianna Cifredo

Wilfredo Cornelio

Mario De Vera

Franco Del Pino

Mark Durbin

David Edgar

Lori Fiandra

Steven Fournier

Amoy Fraser

Raquela Garcia-Valenzuela

Melissa Gilliland

Luis Gonzalez

Marisela Guillen

Kathleen Hawkins

Robert Herr

Donna Jackson

Chase Jicha

Justin Kardach

Jamie Kaynan

Scott Langdon

Sarah Lardizabal

Kristeena LaRoue

Angela Lehman

Lucy Leon

Lawrence Lipe

Alex Lucchi

Marc Maheu

Alli Maiorano

Martha Martin

Reyner Martinez

Kate Mascheri

Angelica Mateo

Stephanie Mederos

Christopher Miller

Sarah Moore

Mindy Mozena

Lisa Myles

Iris Neil

Veronica Pak

Evgenia Pamer

Neelam Patel

Tran Pham

Cat Puckett

Monica Quimbayo

Michael Rivera

Marvecia Robinson

Leslie Rogers

Mary Rush

Luis Sanchez Artavia

Kyle Sindelar

Monica Smith

Yulisney Sotolongo

Garrett Spurlin

Jennifer Stalzer

Kimberly Stangle

Kenneth Steele

Lorenzo Stefko

Shari-Ann Stewart

Jane Stump

Elizabeth Tammaro

Jason Taningco

Raquel Toro-Espinal

Pia Valenciano

Thaina Velez

Danta White

Roksana Zak

Recognition of Retirees

Rafael Abreu

Yousef Ayoub

Pam Barkman

Suzette Batka

Emily Bennett

Richard Berwanger

Jeanne Blank

Patrick Blount

Parri Bolinger

Marcus Bowan

Deborah Bradford

Roanne Brice

Gary Burkhart

Rose Carpenter

Rick Catasus

Edgar Chavez

Willis Chico

Eunice Choi

Diane Claudio

Theresa Collins

Debra Copertino

Laura Crouch

Carol Davella

Karen Dlhosh

Debbie Doyle

Carol Ann Dykes Logue

Larry Eflin

Joseph Finnigan

Perry Fraser

Catherine Gholson

Amy Giroux

Robert Goater

Mariela Gonzalez

Tracy Griffith

Mark Gumble

Tania Gutierrez-Catasus

Martha Hamann

MJ Herbert Fuerst

Bethsy Hernandez

Ana Hernandez

Cherie Herrin

Michael Herring

Cathy Hill

Jane Ingalls

Wayne Jackson

Larry Jaffe

Daniel Kidder

Lee Kirkpatrick

Phyllis Kornegay

Melinda Kramer

Donna Leavitt

Ruben Lopez

Dennis Maddox

Kelli Marini

Janice Matley

Marcia Maukonen

Oscar Mauricio

James 鈥淛im鈥� McCully

Carrie McDowell

Linda Milner

Bruce Mink

Michele Monteith

Abderrahim Mouhassin

Christine Mouton

Jesus Munoz

Chuck Nicholas

Stephen OConnell

Leonardo Pascua

Esther Pennepacker

Rosario Pizarro

Brenda Posey

Michele Pozdoll

Odus Radford

Frances Ragsdale

Cindy Rahrle

Robert Reed

Wayne Regilio

Stella Restrepo

Kayonne Riley

Iris Rios

Charles Roberts

Norma Robles

Aimara Rodriguez

James Roop

Rosalba Ruiz

Eileen Ryan

Judith Samuels

Nicolas Santos

James Schaus

Jeanette Schreiber

Susan Schroen

Alison Schultz

Elena Sequera

Kelly Shilton

Michael Shumack

Shela Siegrist

Liza Smith

Karen Smith

Kathleen Snoeblen

Terry Stein

Peter Stephens

Patty Stroupe

Timothy Sullivan

Randolph Sulter

Jeffrey Ulmer

Lisa Vaughn

Luis Velozo

Rebecca Vilsack

Vicki Vitale

Deborah Walker

Kerry Welch

Maria Jocelyn Wick

Scott Wiles

Elena Wilson

Robert Wong

Big ideas don鈥檛 wait 鈥� and neither do the researchers behind them.

The 2026 Reach for the Stars honorees 鈥� six 麻豆原创 assistant professors 鈥� are already making a substantial impact on their respective fields through meaningful research and creative work that extends far beyond campus, with national and international influence.

Across disciplines, their work and research reflect a shared mission to advance ideas into impact 鈥� uncovering what shapes ethical decision-making in the workplace; exploring the origins of our solar system; developing computational solutions to meet future energy demands; designing more intuitive and reliable software experiences; strengthening education for students with disabilities; and engineering faster, more energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Together, this brilliant group represents the kind of bold, forward-thinking innovation 麻豆原创 continues to champion.

Each year, the Reach for the Stars awards recognize early-career faculty opening new doors for what鈥檚 possible across their fields. The prestigious award is second only to Pegasus Professor as 麻豆原创鈥檚 highest faculty honor.

In recognition of their achievements, each honoree will receive a $10,000 annual research grant for three years in addition to the distinction of being an award recipient.

The 麻豆原创 community is cordially invited to come and congratulate the recipients from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, in the Pegasus Ballroom at the Student Union as part of the 2026 Founders鈥� Day Faculty Honors Celebration.

This year鈥檚 Reach for the Stars honorees are:

John Bush

Assistant professor of management in the College of Business

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

Working at 麻豆原创 is a homecoming for me. Growing up in Florida, I had the opportunity to experience all the great things this state and its universities have to offer. And while my younger self might not have predicted I’d end up in Black & Gold, 麻豆原创 and Orlando have been incredible homes.

What does your research focus on?

I study when, why, and how employees cross ethical lines, and what role leaders, management policies, and organizational systems play in those decisions. A big part of what makes my work unique is that I focus on an important puzzle: how things we typically think of as “good” can promote unethical behavior. We tend to assume that well-intentioned management practices will always lead to good outcomes. However, my research shows that’s not always the case, and the unintended consequences can be significant.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

Before I entered academia, I worked in corporate finance and accounting. That experience meaningfully shaped how I think about ethics in organizations.

There’s a common assumption that unethical behavior is a 鈥渂ad apple鈥� problem, or rather, that it comes down to an individual’s character or integrity. But as my work has shown, it’s often a 鈥渂ad barrel鈥� problem. The environments organizations create, the systems they put in place and the ways managers approach leadership profoundly influence how people behave.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

I’m a firm believer that the people make the place 鈥� and the faculty, staff and students of 麻豆原创 are truly what make it such a great place to be. The College of Business has a management department full of colleagues who are both excellent scholars and genuinely collaborative people.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

I’m excited about several new directions, each of which builds upon my existing work. I’m particularly interested in examining more nuanced, less studied drivers of ethical decision-making. For example, what happens when someone becomes an accidental witness to unethical behavior? How does that experience shape what they do next and the moral burden that鈥檚 placed on them?

Ana Carolina de Souza-Feliciano

Assistant professor at the

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

While many people know I鈥檓 not afraid to face challenges, few know that I鈥檓 afraid of roller coasters.

What does your research focus on?

I study the small bodies of our solar system (objects such as asteroids, Trojans and trans-Neptunian objects) from an observational perspective to try to understand how our planetary system formed and evolved. The small bodies that remain from the early solar system still preserve clues about the materials and conditions that existed when planets formed. By observing their surfaces, compositions and physical properties, we can piece together the history of how the solar system came to be.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

The solar system still holds many unanswered questions, and every observation has the potential to reveal something completely new about its history. I鈥檓 especially motivated by the idea that these small and distant objects preserve a record of the earliest stages of planetary formation, and since we still don鈥檛 know much about them, we need to better characterize these groups to have a chance of getting closer to important scientific answers.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

麻豆原创 provides a dynamic research environment with strong collaborations and access to facilities that help me achieve my scientific goals.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

I aim to expand my research group and continue developing new projects exploring the composition and physical properties of small bodies in the outer solar system.

Shyam Kattel

Assistant professor of physics in the College of Sciences

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

I enjoy long, quiet walks or runs. It鈥檚 when I do my best thinking and come up with new ideas for teaching and research.

What does your research focus on?

My research group is interested in understanding chemical processes through computer simulations. These chemical processes are central to many energy and fuel generation and energy conversion processes. We are exploring the design of catalytic materials that selectively convert abundant small molecules, such as CO2, N2, NO3, O2 and H2O, to a wide variety of synthetic chemicals and fuels in a carbon-neutral way to fulfill the growing energy demand of the future.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

I鈥檓 a huge advocate of sustainability. I鈥檓 fascinated by the rapid development and advancement of modern computers, machine learning (ML) and AI, which have enabled us to understand complex science on a time scale that鈥檚 impossible with traditional trial and error methods. This unique opportunity to utilize supercomputers with ML and AI to tackle energy and sustainability challenges keeps me awake at night.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

By training, I鈥檓 a physicist, but my research focuses on looking into chemical reactions. 麻豆原创鈥檚 physics department is among a handful of institutions in the U.S. with a very strong catalysis program. This allows me to collaborate within the department and teach a physics course, which I enjoy. Additionally, the university鈥檚 large size and research facilities present opportunities to recruit the best students and to collaborate both within and beyond the department.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

My lab is developing capabilities to integrate ML and AI into our methods for understanding structure-materials property relationships across a large set of materials, driving the development of the next generation of clean and sustainable energy and fuel generation technologies. Our goal is to develop an integrated materials design framework that anyone can use for their research and for teaching research-based undergraduate and graduate courses.

Kevin Moran

Assistant professor of computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, director of the Software Automation, Generation and Engineering Research Lab and affiliate of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster initiative

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

I was a Division 1 rower as an undergraduate at the College of the Holy Cross. Our team competed in the national championship regatta my senior year and was ranked among the top 20 teams in the country.

What does your research focus on?

If you鈥檝e ever been frustrated by glitches in apps or websites, my students, collaborators and I aim to give engineers the tools they need to build more reliable software. My group has pioneered work in user interface engineering, focusing on user-facing systems and making software easier to use.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

Since I was young, I鈥檝e enjoyed building things, taking them apart and understanding how they work. I view software as the ultimate engineering medium, where abstract ideas can quickly become reality. What excites me most is tackling the complexity of modern software systems by developing tools that engineers can easily adopt. Seeing those tools save engineers hours or days of time is truly fun.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

麻豆原创 has been an excellent place to grow as an early-career researcher. I鈥檝e received invaluable mentorship from department and college leadership, as well as senior faculty. The university鈥檚 connection to the local tech industry is also exciting, and I look forward to forming connections with local companies to put our tools into practice.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

Software engineering is rapidly shifting toward agentic workflows, where AI-powered agents perform engineering tasks autonomously. While this increases speed, it also introduces complex errors that are harder to spot. My lab aims to understand these software engineering agents, improve their reliability and create tools that help developers use them effectively.

Soyoung Park

Assistant professor of teacher education in the College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE)

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

When I travel for conferences, I love to explore local bookstores and cafes.

What does your research focus on?

My research focuses on transforming educator preparation to better support students with disabilities. Supported by more than $3.75 million in U.S. Department of Education funding, my work prepares special education teachers, speech-language pathologists and school psychologists to serve students with autism spectrum disorders and high-intensity needs. I also develop evidence-based mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

Mathematics remains an area where both research and practice need stronger alignment. Teachers need accessible, evidence-based guidance on how to teach effectively, but it isn鈥檛 always easy to find or interpret. Students need consistent access to high-quality instruction that meets their individual needs. I鈥檓 interested in helping bridge that gap so that research can better support educators and the students they serve.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

麻豆原创鈥檚 strong infrastructure for research and collaboration further amplifies my work. Support from the Office of Research has been instrumental in advancing my research development, grant capacity and interdisciplinary collaboration. As a CCIE research fellow and affiliated faculty member at the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute, I have valuable opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration across colleges.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

Our next project focuses on synthesizing large data sets to help educators identify mathematics interventions that align with their students鈥� needs. We鈥檙e also exploring how AI can support this process through pedagogical AI chatbots and interactive web-based platforms that guide educators in interpreting and applying research evidence in practice. Ultimately, this work aims to strengthen both instruction and student outcomes at scale.

Hao Zheng

Assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science

What鈥檚 something few people know about you?

I enjoy traveling, especially visiting national parks and exploring new cities. Each trip helps me recharge, and I often come back with fresh perspectives and new ideas.

What does your research focus on?

My research focuses on making today鈥檚 AI systems faster, more energy-efficient and more reliable by bridging the gap between algorithms and hardware. AI has reshaped daily life, but behind the scenes, modern AI models require enormous amounts of computation and energy. My work explores new ways to co-design hardware and software so AI can run efficiently, especially for irregular or sparse data structures, such as graphs.

What drives you to take on this challenge?

I鈥檓 driven by both the importance and the difficulty of the problem. We鈥檙e at the turning point of rethinking future computing systems. Defining a new computing paradigm, despite its challenges, can have a far-reaching impact across society. Our research can fundamentally reshape how future computers are designed and how AI is deployed at scale.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place for you to do this kind of work?

麻豆原创 is an ideal place to pursue bold research ideas, supported by strong momentum in engineering, computing and interdisciplinary collaboration. The university also offers an exceptional and supportive community of mentors and collaborators, including students, who set a high bar for excellence. I鈥檝e been fortunate to work with many outstanding colleagues, and those experiences have shaped how I think about building a high-impact research program and growing as a scholar.

What鈥檚 next for you or your research?

Next, we鈥檙e expanding our work toward real-world deployments, including applications in healthcare and robotics. We鈥檙e also continuing to strengthen our research in building processors for AI and scientific computing so that our ideas can translate into improvements in performance and energy efficiency.

麻豆原创鈥檚 faculty are renowned thinkers, doers and creators delivering high-quality education and leading-industry research with purpose. They are the campus culture-setters 鈥� inspiring ingenuity while upholding our mission to change lives and livelihoods.

The most exceptional among them are recognized annually with the distinction of the university鈥檚 highest honor, the Pegasus Professor award. This year, Hassan Foroosh (College of Computer Science and Engineering); Carmen Giurgescu (College of Nursing); Annette Khaled (College of Medicine); and Matthew Marino (College of Community Innovation and Education) become the newest inductees of this esteemed group.

Their work and research have been motivated by a pursuit to positively impact society 鈥� redefining our capabilities with artificial intelligence (AI) systems; improving pre-term birth outcomes for mothers and their babies; curing cancer; and enhancing quality of life for people with disabilities.

Each will be recognized during Founders鈥� Day, which is April 1 this year and receive $5,000.

Meet the 麻豆原创 Pegasus Professors for 2026:

Hassan Foroosh

CAE-Link Professor of computer science
Director of the Computational Imaging Laboratory

One day your research will solve:

My聽goal has always been not to solve one specific聽problem but聽build聽a machine that is聽the聽problem solver.聽I work with explainable AI and efficient or high-performance AI. My goal is to build general-purpose machines, whether in robotics or autonomous driving or data analytics, etc. I have always thought that there is a way to find a general solution to almost any problem. We just then have to specialize the machines and models to solve specific problems.

What motivates you to pursue this line of research?

I was fascinated by sci-fi movies as a kid. Not many people know this, but I鈥檓 a Trekkie. What always fascinated me were the technologies in that world 鈥� tele-transportation, warp speed, and others. I had not even seen a computer as a kid. Because back then, computers fit in rooms five times the size of my office. I was always interested in electronics and building things. In 1992, I moved back to France to do my Ph.D. and my advisor pushed me in the direction of AI and it鈥檚 been that ever since.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place to do what you do?

When I first came to 麻豆原创 24 years ago, I saw opportunity for growth, and I saw all the industries around here. I saw Kennedy Space Center next door. I like to build partnerships. I like to see my research used in practice. 麻豆原创 has given me the ability to do that throughout my career.

What has been your favorite moment as a professor?

There are many I can think of. But, once I was vacationing with my family in North Carolina about 10 years ago or so. We were in a mall, and this young man ran toward me. I said, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on?鈥� He shook my hand and said, 鈥淒r. Foroosh! I wanted to thank you. You affected my life.鈥� Back then I was teaching classes of 200 students every semester, so it wasn鈥檛 easy to build relationships with every student or remember everyone鈥檚 name. It felt humbling to know that he felt that way and that I impacted his life like that. It was a very good moment.

Carmen Giurgescu

Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing聽Associate聽Dean of聽Research聽
Professor of nursing聽

One day your research will:
Reduce the rate of pre-term births. For the past 20 years, my research has been examining how social determinants of health influence maternal health and birth outcomes, including preterm birth. Pre-term infants, born at less than 37-weeks gestation, are more likely to have developmental delays, hearing problems and blindness than infants born at term. Their mothers are more likely to have stress, depression, and anxiety. I am focused on improving the health of mothers and their babies.

What motivates you to take this on?
I鈥檝e always been passionate about obstetrics, even since childhood. One of my aunts was pregnant with my cousin when I was a young child, and she was a physician, so she felt comfortable telling me about fetal development. I came to the United States in 1990, and I started working in a mother-baby unit. I had the opportunity to talk with mothers and provide care for their babies. And that put me on the trajectory and my passion for pregnancy and birth outcomes.

In what ways do your students inspire you?
They聽come聽up聽with聽new, innovative ideas that I never thought of.聽It鈥檚聽not a matter of聽just them聽learning from me, but聽me聽also聽learning from them. When I see their passion for what they are doing and when I see them being successful, it drives me to be more innovative, to keep pursuing opportunities, and be more resilient.

What contributions聽at 麻豆原创 are you most proud of?
I came here in fall of 2019, and back then the College of Nursing had $1.7 million in research funding. In the 2024-25 academic year, we had $3.8 million.聽That鈥檚聽a 124% increase in funding in five years. I am聽really proud聽of聽the聽commitment of our faculty听补苍诲听the interprofessional collaboration聽that聽has聽increased聽research and聽advanced聽scholarship聽in our college.

Annette Khaled

Professor of Medicine Cancer Division Head
Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs聽

One day your research will solve:
Cancer. Today, even if you聽treat聽it, the patient聽isn鈥檛聽sure if it will come back. Cancer diagnosis is聽almost like聽a lifetime death threat. I want to get to a place where, much like when we have a cold and take an antibiotic, I want people to be able to say, 鈥淚 have cancer, take my medicine,聽I鈥檓聽done.聽It鈥檚聽not going to come back.聽It鈥檚聽not going to kill me.鈥�

What motivates you to take this on?
I grew up in California, and my grandparents visited us when I was a teenager. I remember my grandfather asked, 鈥淲hat do you want to do?鈥� And I told him, 鈥淚 want to cure cancer.鈥� I think for some reason my whole life聽I鈥檝e聽been aware of this deadly disease. I want to help people. I want to make a difference.

What聽are you most proud of聽during your tenure at 麻豆原创?
I think the resiliency. We are a young college and have struggled with the ups and downs that the world throws at you. Sometimes you won鈥檛 have funding, sometimes you will have tons of funding. Sometimes things go your way with your studies, but this might be after 20 years of doing experiments that 诲颈诲苍鈥檛听work.聽So聽I think what聽I鈥檓聽most proud of is that I聽haven鈥檛聽given up,聽and I still see that聽there鈥檚聽an optimistic future.

奥丑补迟鈥檚听苍别虫迟?
Cancer is a聽really difficult聽disease because everybody鈥檚 cancer is different.聽But personalized drug therapies 鈥� although good in theory 鈥� is聽very hard聽to implement because you would have to have 100聽different聽drugs for each person.聽That鈥檚聽how complicated it is. Our research and method take聽a different聽track.

We鈥檝e聽found that all cancer cells share something in common, a protein-folding complex. With this insight we developed a drug that聽we鈥檙e聽partnering with the Orlando VA聽Healthcare System, thanks to the generous support of Orlando Sports Foundation and聽Alan Gooch聽鈥�84聽鈥�89MA,聽聽to test with patient聽specimens. We have a lot more to聽do聽鈥� this is very preliminary. But I am so pleased with the data. I want to eventually get this into clinical trials and get this into the hands of people.

Matthew Marino

Professor of聽Exceptional聽Student聽Education
Director of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute聽(TJEEI)

One day your research will:
Empower independence for people living with disabilities. People with disabilities struggle to find and maintain employment. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Labor noted a workforce participation rate of just 42% for people with disabilities, compared to 78% for those without. This lack of employment leads to downstream effects such as the inability to live independently. Our dynamic team is utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to leverage emerging technologies in a way that enhances the lives of people with disabilities across our community.

What motivates you to take this problem on?
When I was in college, I suffered a severe spinal cord injury while playing rugby. I had no idea what a disability was prior to that event, but when you are confined to a聽wheelchair,聽you quickly learn how challenging life can be. It took me years of rehabilitation to recover from the injury. I have been working to improve the lives of people with disabilities who are less fortunate than me ever since.聽My goal is to help them find聽the tools聽to open the doors of employment.

What makes 麻豆原创 the right place to do what you do?
The work we do at TJEEI is based on interdisciplinary partnerships and efficient, effective teamwork.聽I have traveled to universities throughout the country and have not found an institution where there is more ambition to change the world for the better, technology resources to make the change,聽and collaborative vigor to make it happen than there is at 麻豆原创. We are truly blessed to work in this environment.

奥丑补迟鈥檚听苍别虫迟?
When we published聽our聽first article on聽 no one was talking about the impact it would have on education. AI has tremendous potential for people with disabilities, which is something we are actively exploring at the National Center on Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning, where I am a co-principle investigator. I鈥檓 not sure where it will take us, but I am extremely optimistic that it can enhance the lives of people with disabilities while improving employment and independent living outcomes.

This year, 麻豆原创 honored 84 faculty members during the fifth biennial Faculty Authors鈥� Celebration, held Feb. 17 in the Solarium Room at the John C. Hitt Library on the university鈥檚 main campus. The event celebrates faculty whose published books 鈥� from novels and poetry to textbooks and manuals 鈥� contribute to scholarly excellence and creativity in their respective fields.

The event, which is sponsored by the聽Office of Research听补苍诲听, drew many guests, including Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter and Vice President for Research and Innovation Winston Schoenfeld.

Professor of English and Director of Graduate Programs Anastasia Salter delivered the keynote address. Salter is the author or co-author of 10 books on digital culture and electronic literature, including most recently Undertale: Can a Game Give Hope, which invites readers to rethink their relationship with gaming and game characters.

2026 Faculty Author Honorees

• Yara Asi 鈥�07MA 鈥�15PhD, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Jonathan Annand,
• Greg Autry, College of Business Administration
• William Ayers, College of Arts and Humanities
• James Bacchus, College of Sciences
• Morris Beato, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• James Beckman, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Martha Brenckle, College of Arts and Humanities
• Andrea Borowczak 鈥�92, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Wayne Bowen, College of Arts and Humanities
• Sarah Bush, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Jessica Campbell 鈥�12MA 鈥�20PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
• Shannon Carter, College of Sciences
• Robert Cassanello, College of Arts and Humanities
• Necati Catbas, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Thomas Cavanagh 鈥�06PhD, Center for Distributed Learning
• Karl Chai, College of Medicine
• Baiyun Chen 鈥�07PhD, Center for Distributed Learning
• Amy Cicchino, College of Arts and Humanities
• Brian Collins,
• Ilenia Col贸n Mendoza, College of Arts and Humanities
• Joshua Colwell, College of Sciences
• Aimee Denoyelles 鈥�00, Center for Distributed Learning
• Taseen Desin, College of Medicine
• Ahmad Elshennawy, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Katia Ferdowsi, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Julie Feuerstein, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Scot French, College of Arts and Humanities
• Martha Garcia 鈥�97 鈥�00MA, College of Arts and Humanities
• Amrita Ghosh, College of Arts and Humanities
• Carolyn Glasshoff 鈥�11MA 鈥�21PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
• Donita Grissom 鈥�14PhD, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Gulsah Hancerliogullari Koksalmis, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Kenneth Hanson, College of Arts and Humanities
• Duncan Hardy, College of Arts and Humanities
• David Head, College of Arts and Humanities
• Bari Hoffman 鈥�96 鈥�98MA, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Emily Johnson 鈥�15PhD, College of Arts and Humanities
• Naim Kapucu, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Lauren Kehoe,
• Haidar Khezri, College of Arts and Humanities
• Nolan Kline, College of Medicine
• Alla Kourova, College of Arts and Humanities
• Lanlan Kuang, College of Arts and Humanities
• David Lerner Schwartz, College of Arts and Humanities
• Hsiu-fen Lin, College of Health Professions and Sciences
• Robert Littlefield, College of Sciences
• Ty Matejowsky, College of Sciences
• Stephen Masyada, College of Sciences
• Jonathan Matusitz, College of Sciences
• Kevin Meehan, College of Arts and Humanities
• Lisa Nalbone, College of Arts and Humanities
• Hakan 脰zo臒lu, College of Arts and Humanities
• Jason Phillips, 麻豆原创 Libraries
• Laurie Pinkert, College of Arts and Humanities
• Ghaith Rabadi 鈥�96MSIE 鈥�99PhD, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Luis Rabelo, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Sherry Rankins-Robertson, College of Arts and Humanities
• Jorge Ridderstaat, Rosen College of Hospitality Management
• Lee Ross, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Mary Rubin 鈥�12 鈥�19MA, 麻豆原创 Libraries
• Houman Sadri, College of Sciences
• Anastasia Salter, College of Arts and Humanities
• Scott Carter, College of Sciences
• Melina Sherman, College of Sciences
• Marwan Simaan, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Christopher Spinale 鈥�04MEd 鈥�24PhD, College of Sciences
• Mel Stanfill, College of Arts and Humanities
• Sandra Sousa, College of Arts and Humanities
• Bulent Soykan, Institute for Simulation and Training
• Sidney Turner, College of Arts and Humanities
• Jennie Wagner, College of Nursing
• Linda Walters, College of Sciences
• Chung Ching (Morgan) Wang, College of Sciences
• Keri Watson, College of Arts and Humanities
• Taylar Wenzel 鈥�11EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Amanda Wilkerson 鈥�16EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Florence Williams, Center for Distributed Learning
• Andrew Williams Jr., College of Community Innovation and Education
• Ross Wolf 鈥�88 鈥�91MPA 鈥�98EdD, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Sharon Woodill, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Kuppalapalle Vajravelu, College of Sciences
• Jill Viglione, College of Community Innovation and Education
• Staci Zavattaro, College of Community Innovation and Education

For more than three decades, Ross Wolf 鈥�88 鈥�91MPA 鈥�98EdD has lived a double life. By day, he shapes the minds of criminal justice students and serves as a faculty administrator at 麻豆原创. By night and on weekends, he has patrolled Orange County as a sworn deputy sheriff entirely as a volunteer, dedicating about 500 hours per year to the agency.

In March, the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office (OCSO) will present him with both the Reserve Deputy of the Year award for 2025 and a Distinguished Service Medal as he retires from the agency after 34 years of service. As reserve chief deputy, Wolf modernized the unit by rewriting OCSO’s reserve policy and establishing international exchange programs with agencies in London and Singapore.

As Wolf approaches this milestone he remains focused on sharing his wealth of knowledge and expertise and his industry connections as interim dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Community Innovation and Education, professor of criminal justice and associate provost of 麻豆原创 Downtown.

Taking the Risk

Wolf’s unconventional path began in 1991 when he started as an auxiliary deputy with OCSO. In 1995, he made a bold decision: he took a 50% pay cut to leave his 鈥渄ay job鈥� and become a full-time deputy sheriff. For five years, he served as a patrol officer, field training officer and detective.

In 1999, he made another pivot 鈥� joining 麻豆原创 as a full-time faculty member while remaining a reserve deputy. For the next 25 years, Wolf would maintain both roles simultaneously, eventually rising to reserve chief deputy, the highest-ranking volunteer position in the agency, overseeing more than 70 sworn personnel, while also becoming a tenured professor, department chair, associate dean and associate provost for 麻豆原创 Downtown.

“Staying current with law enforcement practices made me an effective deputy and allowed me to share accurate, real-world information with students.” 鈥� Ross Wolf

“These commitments required significant time, but staying current with law enforcement practices made me an effective deputy and allowed me to share accurate, real-world information with students,” Wolf says.

It also allowed him to identify and address the gap in research on volunteer policing, which has existed longer than professional police departments. For decades, Wolf built a network of international scholars to develop comparative research. He鈥檚 also helped develop a framework that is part of an International Association of Chiefs of Police model policy now used by many agencies nationwide.

Training the Next Generation

While leading the reserve unit and conducting groundbreaking research into volunteer policing programs across the United States and internationally, Wolf applied his dual expertise to classroom lectures and created programs that continue to provide students with real-world law enforcement experience.

In 1996, he launched the Law Enforcement Officer Training Corps (LEOTC). Through this initiative, 10 to 15 students each year completed two-semester internships at the OCSO, rotating through specialized units before spending a full semester in their area of greatest interest.

He organized study abroad programs in the United Kingdom that brought 54 麻豆原创 students over three years to examine international policing models in a reciprocal exchange. In 2016, 18 British students came to Orlando to ride along with Orange County reserve deputies. Their shifts were underway when the Pulse nightclub shooting occurred. For Zoe Williamson 鈥�21MPA, witnessing officers’ courage and dedication during the tragedy inspired her to complete her master鈥檚 degree at 麻豆原创 and pursue a career in law enforcement.

Wolf鈥檚 programs created a pipeline of well-trained officers for agencies across Central Florida, with multiple LEOTC graduates joining the OCSO.

鈥淲hile everyone knew him as 鈥楧r. Wolf,鈥� I always called him 鈥楥hief,鈥欌�� says Stephen Fickey 鈥�11, a criminal justice grad who is now a training deputy with the OCSO. 鈥淗aving the leader of my reserve unit also be my professor was a unique experience I felt privileged to have.鈥�

Fickey recalled Wolf joking with him about uniform inspections during final exam week.

鈥淢oments like that showed me the most valuable quality in a leader is remembering where you came from,鈥� Fickey says.

Earning Recognition in Service and Scholarship

Wolf’s dual contributions have been recognized with national honors, including the American Police Hall of Fame’s J. Edgar Hoover Memorial Gold Medal, the National Sheriffs鈥� Association Medal of Merit, and a Presidential Daily Point of Light Award, along with multiple 麻豆原创 teaching and service awards.

鈥淎s reserve chief deputy, [Ross Wolf has] built our unit into one of the best in the nation and agencies from around the world now look to us as a model,鈥� says Orange County Sheriff John Mina. 鈥淩oss has provided thousands of volunteer hours, but his impact goes even further,鈥� Mina continues. 鈥淭hrough his work at 麻豆原创, he鈥檚 trained hundreds of students who’ve gone on to serve in law enforcement, including here at OCSO. He鈥檚 represented our agency with professionalism and integrity at every turn, and we’re grateful for his service to the residents and visitors of Orange County.”

As Wolf focuses on academic leadership at 麻豆原创, he leaves a lasting legacy out in the field 鈥� one that has shaped national standards, hundreds of mentored officers serving across the profession, and proof that bridging practice and scholarship creates lasting impact.

麻豆原创 alum Kelly Shea ’23 understands first-hand the academic challenges some children struggle with in the classroom. After all, she was once one of them.

鈥淪chool just didn鈥檛 make sense to me,鈥� says the elementary education grad, who couldn鈥檛 read until midway through elementary school.

Those early challenges have been integral to Shea鈥檚 career path as an educational entrepreneur. They also fuel the 鈥渨hy鈥� behind her mission to empower young students through her start-up business that offers invention education kits for kids.

Making Sense of School

Growing up, Shea recalls struggling in every subject, especially reading, during her elementary school years.

鈥淚 had trouble comprehending things,鈥� says the 23-year-old, who has since written and published four children鈥檚 books. 鈥淢y first-grade teacher, Ms. Shepard, was the one who recognized I was having problems. I met with her almost weekly throughout second grade for extra support. Things finally started clicking for me in middle school, but I struggled a lot early on.鈥�

She got involved with a Tampa-area nonprofit called Girls With Confidence, which empowers young girls in developing positive self-esteem. As she got older, she began volunteering and taking on more leadership roles with the organization.

鈥淚 would come up with activities and games for their programming and realized that I love teaching and creating impact, like how people did for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 just loved working with kids. I wanted to help them find solutions to their struggles because I was there once, too.鈥�

Shea carried that determination and creative, problem-solving spirit throughout her time in and leveraged it to create two businesses before she graduated. She credits 麻豆原创鈥檚 and as crucial resources that complemented the knowledge she gained in her coursework, ultimately fueling her career path today with Innovation Station LLC.

Connecting Education and Entrepreneurship

While taking the Careers in K-12 Education course with Cristina S谩enz 鈥�22PhD 鈥� now an invention education manager for Massachusetts Institute of Technology鈥檚 Lemelson-MIT Program 鈥� Shea had her light bulb moment: She could bridge her passion for education with her entrepreneurship endeavors.

Invention education is a learning approach that challenges students through hands-on problem-solving. Shea often saw this play out during her internship with , where young patients face educational challenges due to injuries and illnesses.

鈥淎t Nemours, I saw how kids with cerebral palsy adapt things for their needs, and it inspired me because that鈥檚 what invention is about,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 I create a series of kits for K-5 students that teaches them to go back to the basics of hands-on learning?鈥欌��

With that, Innovation Station LLC was born during her last semester at 麻豆原创.

Empowering Tomorrow鈥檚 Innovators

Through Innovation Station, Shea offers a series of four invention education kits that teach children to identify and explore problems, brainstorm and develop innovative ideas, build and prototype concepts, and practice their presentational skills.

Each kit includes a relatable storybook 鈥� written by Shea herself 鈥� as well as guided activities, worksheets, crafting supplies, and lesson resources for teachers. Even the packaging is designed to be used as part of the inventive process. With the final kit in the series, students cut off the sides of the box to make into a poster board they鈥檒l use to pitch their product.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e reminded that their product is a prototype; it’s not going to be perfect, and failure is OK because we can always fix things based on what we learn from it,” she says. 鈥淭hey learn how to communicate their brand with problem and solution statements. The books also cover easing those presentation nerves and learning to support your friends even if you鈥檙e competing.”

Prior to launching Innovation Station kits in July 2025, she conducted a six-week focus group with the Girls Scouts of Citrus Council, where she was able to test the kits with girls ranging from 4 to 12 years old. One 4-year-old invented a soft pencil because she was just learning to write, and regular pencils hurt her hand.

“It’s meant to teach them to be problem-solvers,” she says.

Since then, Shea has been promoting Innovation Station kits while also working in manufacturing, helping others bring their own inventions to life. She is piloting the kits this semester in partnership with fellow teacher education alum Chuck Burgess 鈥�92. The kits will debut in nine Tampa-area elementary schools through local nonprofit High 5, Inc., which offers a variety of after-school and recreational programs.

鈥淚 took a chance on myself, and I decided that this is what I want to do.鈥� 鈥� Kelly Shea ’23

She aspires to collaborate with school districts to introduce them into today鈥檚 classrooms.

鈥淚 took a chance on myself, and I decided that this is what I want to do,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to inspire and have an impact on the next generation and help create core memories by facilitating those light-bulb moments of, 鈥榃ow, I can be an entrepreneur.鈥欌��

With its 12th class in 11 years, the 30 Under 30 program recognizes alumni under the age of 30 whose professional achievements, leadership and service reflect the bold spirit, values and impact of the 麻豆原创. The program also underscores 麻豆原创鈥檚 role in developing highly skilled graduates who fuel innovation, service and economic impact in Florida and beyond.

鈥淭hese alumni embody the spirit of 麻豆原创 in every sense,鈥� says聽Heather Junod 鈥�98, associate vice president of alumni engagement and annual giving. 鈥淓ach year, my pride grows as we recognize a new class of 30 Under 30 honorees who are leading with integrity,聽creativity聽and courage. Their achievements are extraordinary, but what inspires me most is their commitment to service 鈥� to their communities, their聽professions聽and their alma mater. They remind聽us聽all of聽the power of a 麻豆原创 education and the impact Knights can make when they dare to lead.鈥�

Hundreds of nominations were submitted online between Oct. 3鈥擭ov. 12, 2025. Applications were reviewed and scored by previous award recipients, 麻豆原创 Young Alumni ambassadors and 麻豆原创 staff. Finalists were then confirmed by the 麻豆原创 Alumni Board of Directors based on the following criteria:

• Must be a graduate of 麻豆原创 (undergraduate or graduate degree)

• Must be 29 or younger as of June 1, 2026

• Must聽demonstrate聽a commitment to聽maintaining聽a lifelong relationship with 麻豆原创 and upholding 麻豆原创 Young Alumni values

鈥淥n behalf of the 麻豆原创 Young Alumni Community, congratulations to the remarkable members of the 2026聽Class of 30 Under 30,鈥� says聽Austin Wilson聽鈥�22, chair of the 麻豆原创 Alumni Community. 鈥淭hese honorees聽represent聽the future of Knight Nation. Their ambition,聽leadership聽and dedication to making a difference reflect the values that connect us as alumni. We are proud to celebrate not only what they have already聽accomplished, but the incredible impact they will continue to make as leaders,聽mentors聽and advocates for 麻豆原创.鈥�

麻豆原创 Alumni will celebrate the 2026 award recipients at a special event on Saturday, May 16, at the Addition Financial Arena. A complete slate of the honorees, listed alphabetically by last name, appears below. Past recipients can be found on the .

Cassandra Allen ’18
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚听颈苍听health sciences

Samantha Archer Stoltz ’24
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 biology
Burnett Honors College

Chloe Artrip ’19 ’23DPT
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 health sciences
Doctorate in physical therapy

Coral Barron Patraca ’19
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 aerospace engineering
Burnett Honors College

Ana Beltran ’19 ’24MFA
Bachelor’s in digital media-game design
Bachelor鈥檚 in emerging media-animation
Master’s in emerging media-animation and visual effects聽

Mishka Brice ’19
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 political science
Burnett Honors College

Taya Britten ’20
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 interdisciplinary studies聽

Brenden Brown ’20 ’23MHA
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 health sciences
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 health administration

Dominic Davis ’21
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 human communication

Jalynn Edmon ’25
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 nursing

Olivia聽Feild聽’20 ’22MS
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 forensic science
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 forensic science
Burnett Honors College

Marshall Fornataro-Minnig ’22MS
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 interactive entertainment聽

Katherine Grand ’23 ’25MHA
Bachelor’s in health services administration
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 health administration

Michele Guillard ’20
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 health sciences
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 interdisciplinary studies
Burnett Honors College

Margaret Hall ’22
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 legal studies
Burnett Honors College

Neda Hamood ’22 ’24MS
Bachelor’s in biomedical sciences
Master’s in biomedical sciences
Burnett Honors College

Jaquesha Jefferson ’22
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 health sciences

Derreasha聽Jones ’21 ’24MA
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 psychology
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 counselor education聽

Mailuce聽Louidor ’20
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 nursing

Faith McFarland ’19 ’22MA
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 psychology
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 clinical psychology

Hannah Miner ’20
Bachelor’s in forensic science

Lawrence Oks ’21 ’22MS
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 computer science
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 computer science
Burnett Honors College

Jillian Pirozzi ’22 ’25MHA
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 health sciences
惭补蝉迟别谤’蝉听颈苍 health administration

Emily Puia ’22
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 human communication

Matthew Rall ’19
Bachelor’s in emergency management

Michael Raymond ’19
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚听颈苍 business economics

Shaina Ruth ’18
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 criminal justice聽

Maximillian Seidel ’18
Bachelor’s in management

Autumn Shackelford ’25PhD
Doctorate in physics

Nicholas Vaughn ’19
叠补肠丑别濒辞谤’蝉听颈苍 biology