By Paul Guzzo and Ryan Hughes, University Communications and Marketing
The ±«Óătv will award nearly 4,000 degrees during fall commencement exercises on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14. The ceremonies include recipients of 2,917 bachelorâs, 880 masterâs and 125 doctoral degrees.
The group includes 47 undergraduate students earning a perfect 4.0 grade point average, 107 military veterans and graduates from 93 countries, 42 states and 11 U.S. territories.
The class includes a 16 year old earning a bachelorâs degree in biology, who will become the second-youngest graduate ever at ±«Óătv. The oldest graduate this fall, who is 70 years old, is receiving a masterâs degree in liberal arts.
During the 1:30 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, ±«Óătv will recognize menâs head basketball Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away in October. Abdur-Rahimâs wife is expected to accept the Distinguished Citizen Award on his behalf and give remarks. The award, which was established in 1974, is among the highest honors at ±«Óătv. Presented at the discretion of the university president, the award recognizes an individual who has rendered distinguished public service to the people of Florida, particularly to the people of the ±«Óătv community.
±«Óătv President Rhea Law will preside over all five ceremonies, which will be held in the Yuengling Center on the Tampa campus.
Michael Fredette
Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences
Strength was one of Michael Fredetteâs defining characteristics while at Naples High School.
At 6 feet tall and more than 300 pounds at the time, he was not easily pushed around as a left guard on the football field.
He was equally strong in the classroom.
âI thought college was going to be more of the same,â said Fredette, who has lost 100 pounds since playing high school football. âI thought it would be easy. It was not.â
So, Fredette frequented tutoring sessions at ±«Óătv's Academic Success Center.
Impressed with the results, he became a tutor at the center and then founded a more niche organization dedicated to supporting STEM majors.
Named Pre-Health Study Pathways, the club now has more than 300 members.
Fredette graduates this fall with a bachelorâs degree in biomedical sciences and will next attend the Alabama College of Medicine.
Though Fredette will no longer be at ±«Óătv, he leaves behind a legacy through Pre-Health Study Pathways.
âIâm proud that it wonât be going anywhere,â he said. âIt will continue on through new leaders.â
Established 2 Âœ years ago, the clubâs mission is to provide resources and guidance to STEM majors on a pre-health career path with effective study techniques and time management skills.
Pre-Health Study Pathways' Halloween party
Fredette also helped coordinate guest speakers who walked members through processes, such as how to write a resume, apply for medical or graduate school, find internships or simply choose the best classes at ±«Óătv.
âWhat he has done is unbelievable,â said Zoraya Betancourt, the clubâs academic advisor. âThe club has provided members with so many resources that have made them stronger students.â
As a freshman overwhelmed by a chemistry class for which he felt unprepared, Fredette wondered if he was strong enough to even finish that first semester at ±«Óătv.
âI called my mom and told her that I wasnât sure what I was going to do,â he said. âI was worried. Desperate, I looked up if ±«Óătv had any tutoring and that led me to the Academic Success Center where I had a great tutor who helped me with any problem and gave me the confidence that I could do this.â
The next year, he sought to pay it forward by volunteering as a tutor.
âStudents gravitated toward him,â said Betancourt, who is also the director of the center. âWhen students found out he wanted to go to medical school too, they asked him for guidance.â
Realizing he didnât have all the answers, Fredette formed Pre-Health Study Pathways to bring together students who could seek those together.
âOur members come from all walks of life,â he said. âWeâve had members who were once homeless and members who are children of neurosurgeons. But we all have the same goal. We just want to help one another become the most well-rounded versions of ourselves.â
Nirmita Roy
Doctoral degree in electrical engineering
Nirmita Roy was just seeking a good nightâs sleep.
In doing so, she found inspiration that could revolutionize the medical, space exploration and military industries.
âI did a sleep study where there were a lot of pipes running up my nose and I was covered with wires,â Roy said. âI thought, âThere must be a more comfortable way.ââ
She found that way by returning to the ±«Óătv to earn a doctoral degree in electrical engineering, specializing in electrochemistry and wearable electronics. Her research focused on developing a method to integrate flexible, lightweight microchip technology into fabrics through electrochemical copper printing, enabling the creation of circuits that are both functional and comfortable.
Royâs work involves depositing copper directly onto fabrics using electrodeposition, which allows for the seamless printing of microchips. These microchips can gather and send critical data, enabling devices that are less bulky and more user-friendly than traditional monitoring technologies.
Following commencement, she will join ±«Óătvâs Department of Electrical Engineering as an adjunct professor while seeking to automate her wearable electronics process that can be used for reasons beyond sleep studies.
âLetâs say a hospital needs 60,000 heart rate monitors,â Roy said. âRather than having a bulky one stuck to a patient using adhesives, we can provide 60,000 shirts with embedded sensors through this technology.â
Members of the military could use this too, she said as can astronauts, to replace devices such as GPS.
Itâs a commonsense solution, Roy said, inspired by personal experiences. âI can pretty much relate to everything that I do. That is my common thread.â
Her journey to architect of wearable electronics began in Bangalore (now known as Bengaluru) in south India where her father was a test engineer for government aircrafts.
âOnce a year, I would get a chance to go to his office and have a look around and see things like propulsion systems,â Roy said. âMy dad would always say, âElectronics are never going to die. Theyâre never going off the face of the earth.â That got me interested.â
While earning a bachelor of technology degree from Indiaâs M.S. Engineering College, she worked on a project that fitted quadcopters with water collecting and testing technology.
âPeople who are sent to test heavily polluted ponds and lakes can get respiratory diseases and other issues,â Roy said. âWhy send them into danger when a quadcopter can go instead?â
When looking to continue her education, Roy picked ±«Óătv due to its Nanotechnology Research and Education Center. After earning a masterâs degree in electrical engineering in 2017, she worked as an applications engineer.
âThen COVID-19 hit,â Roy said. âI was not able to sleep because I was not going to the gym for the physical activity that I needed to tire out my brain after sitting in front of a computer for eight hours.â
That led to the at-home sleep study.
âEven my dog could see my discomfort,â Roy said with a laugh. âEven he wondered why I had to be covered with wires. Even he seemed to think there was a better way.â
The microchip technology already existed and is getting smaller day by day. Royâs contribution was to find a way to deposit copper onto fabric as interconnects, which would lead to integrating the electronics seamlessly.
And the idea had already been patented by her graduate program advisors, Sylvia Thomas and Arash Takshi.
âI took it forward to a finished product,â Roy said.
She offers fabric options too.
âSome people don't like cotton,â Roy said. âSome people don't like polyester. People in sports want spandex because it consumes sweat easily. If you are going to wear electronics, you should be comfortable.â
Royâs vision extends far beyond comfort.
âI envision a future where wearable electronics are no longer bulky or cumbersome,â she said, âbut seamlessly integrated into daily life, improving health monitoring, enhancing communication, and making life better for people across industries.â
Marilyn Polson
Master of Arts in liberal arts
Marilyn Polsonâs family was supportive when she enrolled at the University of South Florida as a 64-year-old student.
Well, not every family member.
Marilyn Polson and her family
Her 8-year-old granddaughter was innocently confused.
âShe said, âHuh? I didnât think they took them that old,ââ Polson said with a laugh.
Polson will be the oldest graduate at this fallâs commencement ceremony, where sheâll receive her Master of Arts in Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in Florida Studies.
Now retired at the age of 70, Polson said she has no desire to return to the workforce. This degree was about one thing: Expanding her knowledge of a topic that has long interested her.
âItâs not a waste of a degree to go back just to learn,â she said.
The Tampa Bay area resident earned a bachelor's degree in education from Florida State University in 1976 and taught for nine years, primarily kindergarten in Pinellas County public schools.
Polson then earned a juris doctorate from Stetson University College of Law in 1987 and spent most of the next three decades practicing estate planning and tax law for Fisher & Sauls P.A. in St. Petersburg.
But ever since ±«Óătvâs Florida Studies program was founded in 2002, Polson wanted to enroll in the masterâs courses that challenge students to think carefully and rigorously about this stateâs history, geography, environment, literature, culture, politics and government.
âI know a number of people who had gone through the program,â Polson said. âItâs just so great to learn more about where youâre living.â
She retired in 2018 and later enrolled at ±«Óătv.
âI never felt like anybody looked at me and said âOh my gosh, what are you doing here? Youâre really old,ââ Polson said. âEven when I took a class in archaeology and went to a site on Weedon Island and dug all day, I felt like I pulled my weight.â
Her experience was a plus.
As an attorney, Polson represented a family, who own a historic cattle, timber and mining ranch in Citrus County. As a Florida Studies student, Polson focused on that familyâs history, which includes Dixie Hollins, who was Pinellas County Schoolâs first superintendent.
âI concentrated on the longtime challenges of Florida ranching,â Polson said. âThe family was good about providing me access to their files.â
That research will keep her on campus for a bit longer.
The ranching family donated those files to ±«Óătv Special Collections. Polson will help catalogue the papers.
She hopes her continued presence inspires other senior citizens to enroll at ±«Óătv.
âYouâre never too old to learn,â Polson said. âIf you stop learning, you stop living. I would encourage anyone to go back, no matter their age.â
Ademilola Aderibigbe
Bachelor of Science in information technology
Ademilola Aderibigbe once dreamt of pursuing the same career as her favorite television characters.
âMy love for true crime, sparked by Lifetime movies and shows like âCriminal Minds,â led me to dive into countless documentaries and YouTube videos,â Aderibigbe said. âI want to combine my passion for true crime with my technical skills to pursue a career in a field Iâve always dreamed -- the cybercrime field.â
The 20 year old, whom friends call âLola,â is on the cusp of achieving that goal â graduating with a bachelorâs degree in information technology â and will immediately begin working for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Aderibigbeâs father is a retired nurse who also holds a masterâs degree in environmental science, while her mother, also a nurse, holds a bachelorâs degree in public administration. Both emphasized the importance of education.
Ademilola Aderibigbe while studying in London as part of her Genshaft/Greenbaum International Honors Study Scholarship
Aderibigbe took that lesson to heart. She began dual enrollment at Valencia College in middle school and continued through high school, earning her associate degree alongside her high school diploma in 2022. During this time, she also earned certifications in Microsoft and Adobe and attended Orange Technical College, where she gained valuable knowledge in computer hardware and operating system fundamentals.
It was then on to ±«Óătv where she was accepted into the Judy Genshaft Honors College
and received the ±«Óătv Director's Award and the ±«Óătv Tradition of Excellence. She was
also involved in several clubs and organizations, eventually taking on various leadership
roles.
Her interest in criminology then deepened when she was awarded the Genshaft/Greenbaum
International Honors Study Scholarship to attend ±«Óătv in London in summer 2023. There,
she enrolled in a criminology course called Criminal Minds, which
included a deep dive into Jack the Ripper, the unidentified serial killer who terrorized
London in the late 1800s
"It was such a surreal experience being able to experience this walking tour,â she said. âIt was both chilling and thought-provoking, making me reflect on the lives lost and wonder who Jack the Ripper could have been.â
In the summer of 2023, she was awarded the NSF CyberCorps Scholarships for Service, which is a program to recruit and train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Through it, Aderibigbe secured an internship with the U.S. Department of Justice, which led to her receiving a full-time job offer.
Baylee Aguilar
Bachelor of Science in biology
Baylee Aguilar is a 16-year-old graduate.
Baylee Aguilar has an uplifting request for anyone who wants to congratulate her on earning a bachelor's degree in biology at the very young age of 16: Congratulate her single mother, Lupe Aguilar, too.
âMy mom has been there the entire time,â she said. âWithout her support, none of this would have been possible in the first place.â
Her mother, a Tampa area hairdresser, woke up at 4 a.m. each day, including weekends, to help Baylee study. Lupe then worked a full day before transitioning back to being a tutor. If Lupe didnât understand one of Bayleeâs lessons, she took the time to learn it.
âIt doesn't take a genius parent,â Lupe said. âIf you love your kids, you'll learn it for their sake. You have to really sacrifice.â
Baylee didnât intend to accelerate her education and graduate young. It just happened that way, she said.
After attending a traditional public school for first grade, she enrolled in Florida Virtual School.
âI love school,â Baylee said. âSo, I didnât take any breaks. There were no summer breaks, no winter breaks, no Thanksgiving breaks, nothing like that. It turned out that if you go to school every single day and you don't take a break, you finish early.â
She was often on a laptop while sitting in her motherâs at-home salon.
âMom was with me the entire time,â Baylee said. âShe never had a break either.â
Baylee graduated high school at 13 and then earned her associate degree through virtual classes offered at Hillsborough Community College. It was then on to ±«Óătv for in-person classes. She of course needed a ride from her mother, who then waited on a campus bench during classes.
âEvery day, while driving to ±«Óătv, I read a chapter of the Bible to my mother, and then we both prayed before we started our day at school,â Baylee said. âSo, the source of our strength to do this has been God.â
Lupe and Baylee Aguilar
Next up for Baylee is veterinary school. She has applied to eight and is awaiting acceptance. That career also was inspired by her mother.
Knowing her daughter loved animals, Lupe suggested that Baylee volunteer at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Because Baylee was just 13 at the time, Lupe had to volunteer with her.
They then fostered neonatal kittens and puppies.
When one of Lupeâs hair clients found a pigeon with two broken feet, the mother and daughter rehabilitated it.
When they found an injured baby squirrel in the backyard, they nursed it back to health too.
And when Baylee asked to volunteer at a wildlife veterinary clinic, Lupe of course found one and drove her daughter there a few times a week.
âAll those experiences drove my passion for wanting to become a wildlife vet,â Baylee said.
Lupe estimates that she has dedicated 8â14 hours a day to Bayleeâs schooling and volunteering since this adventure began.
âI was a bodybuilder and weightlifter and gave that up,â Lupe said. âThis has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life, but it was completely worth it because I love her so much.â
That love is reciprocal.
âI have never met somebody as sacrificial as my mom,â Baylee said. âMy mom has a lot of strength. I don't want anybody to think that this has to do with, âAre you smart enough?â It has to do with, âHow much support do you have?â Iâve had a ton.ââ
Roberto Montero
Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering
Roberto Montero is an Eagle Scout, black belt and U. S. Air Force veteran.
After the fall commencement ceremony, he can add ±«Óătv graduate to that list of accolades, earning a bachelorâs degree in electrical engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship.
But heâs not done.
Next up, the 30 year old will work towards a masterâs degree in electrical engineering at ±«Óătv and then a Master of Business Administration degree.
âMaybe Iâll go for a PhD in the future,â Montero said. âIâll keep that option open.â
The Caracas, Venezuela, native relocated to the Tampa Bay area with his parents as a baby.
âMy story unfolds with the disciplined practices of taekwondo and the Boy Scouts, where my achievements of a black belt and Eagle Scout rank laid the foundation for leadership, eventually guiding me towards military service,â he said.
In the Air Force, the Zephyrhills High School graduate gravitated toward radio frequency electronics. During his six years of service that culminated with the rank of staff sergeant, he was a calibration technician and part of the Honor Guard for more than 600 ceremonial funerals.
Montero was then on to Pasco-Hernando State College where he graduated cum laude with an associate degree in science. During that time, he also earned further real-life experience as a laboratory manager for Micro Precision Calibration in Tampa.
When it came to picking his next institute of higher learning, ±«Óătv was his top choice.
âI heard a few things through the grapevine,â Montero said. âI was told that ±«Óătv was very veteran-friendly and that they had one of the countryâs best radio frequency programs, which is the knowledge I was chasing.â
Wanting to one day use that knowledge to build something that can make a difference in peopleâs lives, he then added the entrepreneurship minor.
He has been more than a campus student, but also a leader.
Established in 1998, ±«Óătvâs honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers folded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Montero relaunched and grew its ranks to more than 70 students through events such as the EE Automation Fest, which brings top industry vendors to showcase their companies to the ±«Óătv campus.
âMy narrative is a testament to the power of determination, the importance of seeking knowledge and the impact of embracing an entrepreneurial mindset,â Montero said. âMy journey reflects a relentless pursuit of growth, leadership and the desire to contribute positively to the world around me.â
Serenity âReniâ Poston-Hymel
Bachelor of Science in marine biology
Whether researching sharks in the Gulf of Mexico or studying fish in the Everglades, Serenity "Reni" Poston-Hymel is focused on a future in marine conservation. She secured a highly sought-after internship conducting fieldwork with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was instrumental in shaping her career goals.
Poston-Hymel is now graduating summa cum laude with a degree in marine biology.
"I am really interested in conservation and fieldwork. I like being able to apply marine science to the conservation of either species or ecosystems," Poston-Hymel said. "When I was in the Everglades, I really enjoyed working in the field, handling animals and being in the water."
Poston-Hymel's love for marine biology started in coastal Panama City where she was born. Her father was in the U.S. Air Force, and although she moved around, she never lost sight of what she wanted to pursue as a career. After graduating from high school in Virginia, she applied to the ±«Óătv.
A trip to the ±«Óătv St. Petersburg campus solidified her decision. The waterfront campus offers a variety of marine-related research opportunities. As a student in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, Poston-Hymel worked with professors in the field and in laboratory settings on campus. As part of her honors thesis, she also worked with graduate faculty in ±«Óătv's College of Marine Science.
While at ±«Óătv St. Petersburg, Poston-Hymel served as president of the campus S.T.E.M. club and volunteered at the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center on the St. Petersburg Pier. She also worked as a campus tour guide, giving prospective students an up-close view of the campus and providing insights into academic programs and colleges.
"The St. Petersburg campus has such a good sense of community among its students and faculty, and that's just something I want to share with people,â she said.
In the summer of 2023, Poston-Hymel participated in the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, working in the Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture Lab at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal was to examine the effects of sea lettuce, a type of macroalgae, and their impacts on oysters. It was there that she honed her skills in science communication and public speaking.
"Being able to do a presentation on that subject and getting that experience in a more casual setting was great. Not everybody gets the experience of learning how to speak publicly about their science and the work they're doing. I think it's a very valuable skill within the scientific community," she said.
In the summer of 2024, Poston-Hymel secured an internship with the NOAA Fisheries Panama City Laboratory where she got to work alongside scientists in the Shark Population Assessment Group. As part of the internship, she traveled to the Everglades, where the team sampled sawfish, sharks and rays. It was through this hands-on experience that she discovered her passion for fieldwork.
After graduation, she will return home to Panama City where she plans to apply for graduate schools.
"I think Florida has such cool and unique ecosystems that I'd like to spend time in, but I know there's a lot of cool opportunities elsewhere. Ultimately, I would like to stay on the Gulf Coast, but I'm keeping my options open," she said.
Leilani Paxton
Doctoral degree in geography and environmental science and policy
Leilani and Charles Paxton in 2014 when he earned a doctoral degree
As a child, Leilani Paxton didnât always enjoy being included in her fatherâs weather hobbies.
âWhen severe weather came, he would drive us around looking for waterspouts,â she said with a laugh. âWe were safe. They were on water and fell apart on land, but it still scared me.â
Charles Paxtonâs love of weather later instilled courage in his daughter.
Around a decade after earning her bachelorâs degree in political science from the ±«Óătv, she wanted to return to pursue masterâs and doctoral degrees. But Leilani was scared that she would stand out.
âI thought I would look stupid because everyone else was in their 20s,â she said.
Then, Leilani watched her father, now 69, earn his doctoral degree in geography and environmental science and policy from ±«Óătv in 2014, which was 27 and 17 years after he received his bachelorâs and masterâs degrees in meteorology, respectively.
âI now know it was difficult, but he made it look so easy,â Leilani said. âSo, I figured, I can do it too.â
Leilani, 43, graduates with a doctoral degree in geography and environmental science and policy, which emphasizes finding government solutions to real-world problems.
âA big part of environmental science right now is responding to climate change,â Leilani said. âWe have to adapt how we live, build and interact with the natural world.â
The pursuit of that subject was inspired by her fatherâs pursuit of the same one.
âShe has considerable knowledge and many interests,â Charles said. âWith my passion for weather, I obviously influenced her within the weather realm.â
Charlesâ fascination with weather dates to his childhood on Merritt Island in Brevard County.
âI learned to surf at 11 years old and, as I progressed, I needed to know how to forecast surf,â he said. âIn high school, I took a surf trip, with a friend, to Cape Hatteras and went to the NOAA National Weather Service office there. One of the meteorologists took the time to explain the weather maps and techniques for forecasting to me and my friend. I had a direction.â
He went on to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationâs National Weather Service from 1984â2017, first as a meteorologist and then as a science officer, primarily stationed in Tampa Bay.
But, despite their waterspout chasing, âWeather didnât interest me when I was younger,â Leilani said. âIt wasnât something I ever thought about pursuing.â
After earning a bachelor's degree, she traveled in Europe for a few years, funding her way by working several jobs.
âWhen I returned home, my dad suggested I go to graduate school,â Leilani said. âBut it seemed impossible to get back into that student mindset.â
Then she watched her father doing it in his 50s.
His journey toward a doctoral degree began in 2009. While attending meetings for the west central chapter of the American Meteorology Society, he befriended Jennifer Collins, a professor in ±«Óătvâs School of Geosciences.
âUndergraduate students and I were often interacting with him over at the National Weather Service,â Collins said. âWe worked together on so many projects that he said, jokingly, but was seriously, âI might as well be getting some sort of credit for this.ââ
So, he returned to school and chose Collins as his graduate program advisor.
Leilani Paxton's father, Charles, and their academic advisor, Professor Jennifer Collins
âCharles brought Leilani one night to a game night I hosted for my students,â said Collins, who co-authored âFlorida Weather and Climate: More Than Just Sunshineâ with Robert Rohli and Charles. âWe played Articulate where you have to give clues so your partner can guess a word in a certain category. I could see then that Leilani had a lot of knowledge.â
In 2014, Charles graduated with his doctoral degree. That same year, Leilani returned to ±«Óătv to pursue a masterâs degree in geography and environmental science and policy with a focus on meteotsunamis, which are large waves created by fast-moving weather events, whereas tsunamis are typically triggered by earthquakes.
She too chose Collins as her advisor, and again in 2017 when she started to pursue her doctoral degree.
âI had never given much thought to the environmental science side of government and policy,â Leilani said. âWatching my dad go through school and hearing him talk about it helped me realize how important it is to care about climate change and what we can do about it.â
Her research focused on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Used by the National Weather Service, the scale grades a hurricaneâs category based on the sustained wind, but not rainfall or storm surge.
âDefinitely a hot topic when you see a storm like Debby in August 2024, which was only a Cat 1 on landfall, but had 18 inches of rain in some places and 6-10 feet of storm surge, killing residents in the Big Bend Region,â Collins said.
Meanwhile, Charles is no longer only an inspiration to his daughter, they are also business partners through the company Channelside Weather with services including on-site weather forecasting for events and expert weather testimony for court cases.
âWe get along really well,â Leilani said. âWe think the same way â obviously.â
Sarah Ward, University Communications and Marketing, contributed to this article.