Current Features

Beyond COVID-19: Homefront Heroes

By Penny Carnathan ’82| USF Alumni Association

Making college dreams come true

Hundreds of Black middle and high school boys in Broward County, Fla., have found a friend in Albert Gibbs II, ’06.

Some had bright futures in the bag and needed only introductions from the well-connected Citrix manager. Others lacked resources – and confidence in their abilities, despite good report cards. One lived in a Home Depot parking lot. They received mentoring and scholarships, school supplies, even transportation to their college campus – whatever they needed to identify and achieve their goals.

“There is so much programming in the Black community for at-risk youth, but very little for young men who are on the right track but need a mentor and resources,” says Albert, a Muma College of Business graduate. “I wanted to bridge that gap.”

What began with personal donations for scholarships at his high school alma mater evolved into the Albert Gibbs Leadership Academy in 2016. The nonprofit raises money and provides opportunities for boys who request them. Albert estimates he and his network, including his USF Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brothers, have served up to 600 teens.

“Our young people need us,” he says. “They need someone to tell them, ‘You are special and I know you can do amazing things in this world.’ Then hold them to that.”

From a hero, for heroes

As a member of the Naval ROTC at USF, Kelly Wise, ’16, had the makings of a strong leader. A top student and battalion commander, she received USF’s Capt. Jason Holbrook Memorial Scholarship in 2014.

That enabled her to attend the Naval Leadership Weekend hosted by Notre Dame, where she got powerful lessons in overcoming challenges from top military and civilian leaders. Fellow Bull and ROTC member and future husband Jesus Colon, ’14, also received the scholarship.

“Kelly served in the Marines and now plans to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology to help veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome,” says John Sarao, director of USF’s Joint Military Leadership Center. “Jesus is still in the Marines, was recently promoted to captain, and is an instructor pilot for unmanned aerial systems.”

The couple are foster parents to two boys.

They’re among 46 recipients to date of the Holbrook Scholarship, created in memory of U.S. Army Capt. Jason Holbrook, killed in Afghanistan in 2010. His parents-in-law – former Alumni Association executive director and board president John Harper, ’76, Life Member, and Cindy Harper, ’74 and MEd ’79, Life Member – designated the funds to send ROTC students to prestigious leadership conferences, preparation for the weighty responsibilities they’ll face as young military officers. Their daughter Heather Holbrook, ’03, Life Member, was Jason’s wife.

“These conferences give them personal examples of challenges and how these successful leaders got through – their determination and critical decision-making,” Sarao says. “It gives them confidence … They’re a practical application for leadership.”

Humanitarianism + Scientific Discovery = Impact

Junior Girl Scouts working toward the new STEM Career Exploration badge learn about becoming future neuroscientists from Joyonna Gamble-George, MHA ’05, a former Girl Scout and now the focus of an official Scout badge activity.

As one of 125 IF/THEN Ambassadors for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Joyonna inspires girls to become the next generation of science pioneers. Through Vanderbilt University, she’s also taught hands-on STEM labs to boys and girls in rural schools; volunteered with an aspirational student pen-pal program; and helped establish a biomedical summer workshop for high school students.

“You have to see something to believe it and eventually become it,” she says. “My hope is they’ll see what I’m doing and say, ‘I can do the same,’ or – better – ‘I can do more.’ ’’

A National Institutes of Health neuroscientist, Joyonna has also teamed with fellow Bull Gloryvee Cordero, ’00 and MEd ’05, to found SciX, LLC, a company that aims to prevent health crises such as heart attacks and strokes using wearable health-tracking devices and blockchain technology.

“I grew up on a farm in rural Alabama, where my grandmother always gave back to the community – helping the elderly, the homebound,” she says. “Seeing that allowed me to connect humanitarianism to scientific discovery and see the impact, how I could make a difference in society.”