The Judy Genshaft Honors College is gearing up to recognize over 325 graduates from
all three University of South Florida (USF) campuses at the annual Spring Honors Graduation
Celebration Ceremony on May 2. The event will take place in the Judy Genshaft Honors
College building on USF’s Tampa campus.
This semester’s graduating class showcases an impressive range of academic and co-curricular
achievements, including 43 King O’Neal Scholars who will be recognized by USF and the USF Alumni Association for achieving a perfect
4.0 GPA throughout their undergraduate coursework.
The ceremony offers a special moment for family, faculty, and peers to celebrate the
journey of each Honors graduate. Each graduate will be honored with a personalized
script highlighting their accomplishments and undergraduate research. Additionally,
graduates will receive an Honors medallion, symbolizing their completion of the Honors
curriculum.
Ahead of the ceremony, Honors News spoke with graduating seniors to discover the experiences
and advice they would share with their peers, underclassmen, or their younger selves.
Advice from honors grads
Audra Nikolajski: “You are going to be okay and you're going to end up where you want to be. A famous
Douglas Adams [author of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy] quote says: ‘I may not
have gone where I intended to go, but I ended up where I intended to be.’ The journey
to get there will be a little bit more fun than you expect.”
Nader Abdalla: “Don't underestimate how willing people are to help. Whatever you may need, people
are willing to provide help, provide programs that are already established, or they
might just establish a program to help you. So just ask. Even if you're embarrassed,
send an email.”
Nafisa Uddin: “Make the choices that you will least regret and just keep moving forward because
things will work out in the end in the way that they're supposed to. Don't get hung
up on the things that you might have done. Reflect, but don't get so hung up on the
things that may have gone wrong. The best that you can do is learn from it.”
Mridula Singh: “It okay to be lost a little and find yourself later than other people do, because
people are constantly changing their majors, constantly changing their paths. That's
the point of undergrad, you don't need to come in knowing, what you want to do and
how you are going to get there. It is going to be different for every person.”
Ari Herrera: “The university has wonderful scholarships and programs. Don’t hesitate to apply!
My time as a USF Holcombe Scholar has changed me. With support from the program, I’ve
had the space to pursue my dreams while becoming a part of so many incredible communities.”
Gabby Carroll: “It is okay to ask for help! In fact, it is really normal and quite necessary to
lean on other people for support during your time in college. It will improve your
life a lot, so don’t be embarrassed.”
Congratulations to the graduating class of 2024!
Click here to learn more about this year's Honors Graduation Celebration Ceremony.