The University of South Florida (USF) Honors community recently gathered in USF Sarasota-Manatee's
Selby Auditorium for the college’s annual Honors Symposium. At the event, faculty
and staff from all three campuses joined Sarasota-Manatee students and families to
celebrate new beginnings for the campus’s first-year and graduating students.
Dr. Cayla Lanier, assistant dean and campus director for the Judy Genshaft Honors
College on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, delivered an empowering address to those in
attendance. Lanier thanked the outstanding Honors professors who curated the enriched
courses and eagerly imparted useful knowledge to students. “The investment of these
caring educators in the academic and personal journeys of each Honors student they
teach is crucial to the well-being and continued excellence of the Honors community,”
said Lanier.
First-year Honors students were then able to present their freshmen theses before the start of a ceremony recognizing the campus’s Fall 2023 Honors graduates.
LAUNCHING ACADEMIC CAREERS
The freshman thesis is the culminating assignment of the ‘Acquisition of Knowledge’ seminar that is a part of the first-year Honors curriculum. This course introduces students to the discussion of interdisciplinary concepts such as practical wisdom, philosophy, and inquiry. The thesis prompts students to investigate their personal interests through interdisciplinary research which is presented as a formal research paper. A freshman class composed of students studying varied academic subjects led to an diverse range of thesis topics.
- Valentin Basarevskij: Effect of Celebrity Endorsement on New, Sustainable Car Technology
- Tatiana Clegg: Impacts of Wetlands on Florida Residents
- Jacob Smith: Implications of Using AI to Compose Music
- Alana Frazier: Comparing Book Bans in the United States During the 1900s and the 21st Century
- Spence Gerber: History and Science: How Two Seeming Disparate Disciplines Relate
- Hannah Hardin: The Impact of Art Therapies on the Brain: Connecting Cognitive Changes with Creative Activities
- Lindsay Page: Socioeconomic Factors that Contribute to Depression Among Teenagers
- Juliana Reslan: Analyzing the Relationship Between Male Approval and Young Women’s Choice of Attire in the Workplace
- Ezekiel Shuler: Wholesale Real Estate’s Impact on Foreclosure and Pre-foreclosure
- Britlee Yant: Children’s Psychological Development and the Change of Musical Technologies
FULL-CIRCLE MOMENTS
The Sarasota-Manatee Honors Symposium was capped with a ceremony for graduating seniors,
Anette Aponte and Kaylee Eckelman.
Aponte received her degree in social work with a minor in psychology. While in the
Honors College she completed a capstone course with the Tampa Museum of Art Connections
Program where she contributed to research on how to use art to engage neurodivergent
youth.
Eckelman received her degree in finance. She completed a capstone project at the Ringling Art Museum where she studied the connection between art, social engagement, and mental health.
At their graduation ceremony, Aponte and Eckelman traded the symbolic stones they received and signed at first-year Honors Convocation for Honors medallions. This exchange served as a reminder that they will always be a part of the Honors community as they transition from students to proud USF alumni.