The University of South Florida awarded more than 2,600 degrees during summer commencement on Saturday, Aug. 3. The ceremonies included recipients of approximately 1,739 bachelor’s, 700 master’s, 162 doctoral and 11 specialist degrees.
Joshua Redmond
Bachelor of science, finance
Joshua Redmond is a true USF legacy student. Many of his family members went to USF, including both of his parents, his aunts, uncles and some cousins. Most notably is his grandmother, Martha Cerra, who earned her degree in elementary education in 1964.
Inspiration: “My mother, father and sister all have demonstrated things that I aspire to. My dad worked really hard and climbed his way up the corporate ladder, my mom is selfless and compassionate and sacrificed her career to homeschool me and my sister and my sister is someone I would like to be like all around.”
Redmond, the tenth member of his extended family to graduate from USF, says that being a legacy student definitely set a high bar, especially given that he followed his sister, Sarah, who graduated in 2022 with a degree in marketing.
“It was certainly humbling to attend USF after my grandmother and my parents, so there was a level of expectation to succeed that I put on myself,” Redmond said. “But my sister was the main person, because she started two years before me and had a lot of success, and I wanted to be able to match that.”
Cerra remembers being part of the charter class welcomed by USF’s first president, John Allen, when the Tampa campus only had only three buildings, the mascot was the Golden Brahman and the unity felt among the small student body at the fledgling university was tremendous. She says it was important to her that her children and grandchildren also went to USF.
“I’m such a Bull that it would have broken my heart if they had gone anywhere else,” Cerra said. “The fact that my three daughters, their husbands, and my two grandchildren all went to USF, and that they’ve all become so successful in their lives, has meant a great deal to me.”
Redmond, who entered USF as a recipient of the USF Scholars Gold Award, a merit-based scholarship, and will graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA, says it’s in his nature to strive for success in all areas of his life.
“I run and I play the piano, and I definitely push myself in those places, but the areas where I most want to be at my best are in my spiritual walk and my studies.”
Joshua Redmond and his sister, Sarah Kinsora
A member of The National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma, Redmond said he and his sister have a long history of inspiring each other to embrace challenges and give their all to their endeavors.
“I always go back to the Proverbs 27;17, which says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ We've done that throughout our lives, and we push each other to be the absolute best,” he said.
Redmond expects to begin law school in the fall of 2025, and he hopes to land an internship before beginning his studies. Although he got a great initial score on his LSAT, he’s planning to take it again in November before applying to law schools. He believes that attending USF is all part of a bigger plan.
“I think God worked it out perfectly for me. I lived in Tampa, and many of my family members went to USF, so it was a match made in heaven. For me, USF was the perfect choice.”
Kadeem Thomas
Master of Science in supply chain management
Kadeem Thomas grew up in Tampa, but during his college years, he gained a love of travel that would shape his life.
“I had never really left Tampa before, and when I first went abroad, I met kids from all different cultures, including other Black kids from France or Saudi Arabia. I learned that I could be whoever I wanted to be, and my mind was opened.”
Thomas had to fight his way back from challenges such as homelessness and a catastrophic scooter accident before he began his studies at St. Petersburg College in 2012, where he went on his first study abroad trips to Ireland and Spain before earning his associate degree. After coming to USF in the fall of 2015, he studied abroad six more times, in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and France.
Inspiration: “I met Aly Toure, who was from Mali, Senegal, during my first study abroad trip. He was the smartest person I ever met who looked like me. He broke all the stereotypes I had grown up with, and he showed me that I didn’t have to fear being different.”
“After that first trip, I knew I wanted to continue traveling and helping people,” Thomas said.
It didn’t hurt that Thomas was quick to learn new languages – something he didn’t know about himself until college. He speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, and is working on adding to the list.
“In high school, I barely passed English, and I think I failed Spanish and sign language,” he recalled. “But once I got into college, language became something I had a passion for.”
At USF, Thomas took every opportunity to join clubs and organizations, such as French Club, Poetry Club and the international/multicultural fraternity Sigma Lambda Beta, where he immersed himself with people from different cultures, learning from them.
Thomas has financed his studies and travels with many different jobs over the years, such as driving for ride-sharing services, working in restaurants, dealing cards at a casino and more. He wants other students who are from low-income backgrounds to know how they, too, can see the world, so he works as an on-campus recruiter for the Peace Corps and also touts the benefits and wonders of studying abroad.
Thomas and some Sigma Lambda Beta brothers
“When I find other students who don't think that they can study abroad, I love inspiring them to look for grants. I really love when they come back and tell me about their study abroad experiences.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in international studies at USF in 2017, Thomas spent a couple of years working at a homeless shelter in Washington state with AmeriCorps before getting the nod from the Peace Corps in 2019, which took him to Botswana, Africa, to work with people who had HIV and AIDS. But 2020 brought the global pandemic, and Thomas decided it was a good time to come back home and earn a master’s degree – and then another.
Thomas (fourth from left) works with a team of volunteers interested in joining the Peace Corps at USF's Botanical Gardens.
Thomas (fourth from left) works with a team of volunteers interested in joining the Peace Corps at USF's Botanical Gardens.
Thomas will earn his master’s degree in supply chain management this summer, and then finish up his MBA in December. He is applying for jobs, including with the United Nations, and is already focusing on his next goal.
“I'm hoping to mainly be able to travel for a few years, get some experience, and pay down my loans,” he said. “My plan has always been to go into international law by the time I'm 40, so I still have another seven years to get to that point.”
Lauren Sheehan
Bachelor of Science in marketing
Lauren Sheehan played volleyball and flag football at Wharton High School in Hillsborough County, but she never imagined a career in sports. After earning an associate degree at Pasco-Hernando State College, Sheehan transferred to USF’s Muma College of Business to study marketing in 2022. After her junior year, it was time to look for an internship, and the one she landed couldn’t have been better timed. Sheehan began her event management internship with USF Athletics in the fall of 2023 during one of the best years for athletics in USF history, which set her on a clear career path.
“I think my biggest accomplishment was getting that internship with USF Athletics because it opened my eyes to a whole world that I had no idea even really existed, especially for women,” Sheehan said. “I had never really thought about the business side of sports, and how it could be a job, so this opportunity opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.”
Inspiration: “Hanna Vernetti, Director of Event Management for USF Athletics, showed me what effective leadership is, and her work ethic and time management skills were so admirable. But mainly, the enthusiasm and passion that she brought to work every day showed me it is possible to be a successful woman in a field dominated by men.”
Learning to run large sporting events from behind the scenes was eye-opening for Sheehan, who practiced preparing for game broadcast, from dealing with media to setting up for the event – all the way to securing snacks for players and guests.
“I didn't realize how much background and behind-the-scenes work these sporting events had,” Sheehan said. “I loved every second of it.”
Sheehan’s senior year couldn’t have been more different than the rest of her college career, in which she only took classes online. She wanted to make it count, so in addition to her studies and job as a restaurant server, she got involved wherever she could, volunteering with Junior Achievement at JA BizTown and Cards for Warriors, and also volunteering to work at USF sporting events, setting up merchandise tables and helping things run smoothly.
“I just wanted to open my brain and work as many athletic events as I could, so I signed up for almost every event,” Sheehan said. “I learned so much about myself and what I wanted to do with my career, which is definitely very rewarding.”
The internship inspired Sheehan’s marketing focus, and in fall 2024, she will enter the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program, where she will work toward a master’s degree in sport & entertainment management, as well as an MBA.
“My internship helped me truly find my passion, and I’m excited to continue my education at USF to learn even more about the sports world,” she said. “I knew that everyone loves professional leagues, but seeing that passion for the university was extraordinary and something that will stick with me forever.”
Sheehan teaches a class at Junior Achievement BizTown, a program that introduces fifth graders to economic concepts, workplace skills, and personal and business finances.
Sheehan and other USF Athletics volunteers unload supplies for the Bulls golf team at the AAC Tourney.