Alumni Spotlights

Alumni Spotlights

• Ablan, Raymond

  

  As the 2023 Roar and Soar Jaguars Tailgate quickly approaches, we’re continuing our #UNFL series with another Osprey in the Jacksonville Jaguars jungle.

  Raymond Ablan (’21) graduated from the UNF Coggin College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in finance. After starting out at UCF, he decided to change his major from engineering and knew that UNF had a better business program. He said, “the connections and relationships I made with my professors and colleagues helped prepare me professionally.” He believes all the necessary resources to succeed were readily available to him due to the UNF professors (Shoutout Prof. Pieter de Jong).

  Ablan happened to be in the right place at the right time to join the sports industry. He was doing freelance work around Jacksonville working toward his degree when he was offered an internship opportunity in the sports realm. “The culture and environment are what really captured my interest,” he said. “From there, I decided to continue pursuing a profession in sports.”

  Ablan started his NFL career working with the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, where he enjoyed being able to help create a positive impact on the Jacksonville community. After graduation, he was able to turn this role into a full-time job with the Atlanta Falcons, working under another Osprey alumnus, Chris Millman (’04), the Vice President of Community Relations. He appreciated the leadership style from the community relations department and the communication within the organization, in addition to the ability to gain more NFL experience in the Atlanta metroplex. However, he missed being in the Sunshine State. Luckily, an opportunity to rejoin the Jags opened and Ablan took it.

  He currently serves as the Office Logistics Clerk for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he assists with shipping and receiving logistics, maintains relationships with vendors and departmental customers, and oversees redistribution of surplus property. He enjoys interacting and collaborating with almost every Jaguars department on a day-to-day basis.

  His favorite part of the industry is the gameday atmosphere. The energy in the stadium is incredible, but he enjoys watching all the behind-the-scenes action from the various departments to prepare for the fans to arrive. He said, “there’s a sense of camaraderie and teamwork with everyone in the organization.” His goal for the future would just be to continue building to the success of the Jaguars and to help leave a long-lasting impact in his city. When he’s not working, he likes to remain active, whether that’s in the gym, playing rec league flag football or helping coach his little brother’s football team.

  His advice for any Ospreys is that “everyone has a different journey in life. Do your best and create relationships, as you never know whose hand you’ll shake.”

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/22/23)

• Antworth, Emily

  

  From an Osprey to Peacock, then NBC to the NBA, today’s All-Star #AlumniSpotlight is on a fast break to the top!

  Emily Antworth (’15) graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s in communication, focused on production and broadcasting. During her time in the UNF School of Communication, she worked with ESPN3 for North Florida Ospreys basketball and volleyball games. That experience allowed her to land a position with NBC Sports where her role consisted of setting up and supervising live streaming content for the network. This content included Premier League, NASCAR, Formula One, Sunday Night Football on NBC and several Super Bowls, Le Tour De France , a Presidential Inauguration and the NBC Olympics Paralympics. As she became more comfortable in the role, she learned the technical aspects of the job.

  Antworth then shifted focus into project management and the technical development of streams. She quickly learned she didn’t want to just manage the ongoing work, but she wanted to have input into “what NBC build and how they build it.” She moved to Warner Media in Atlanta and began working on the NBA App as a Product Manager. In that role, she assisted in redesigning the app’s homepage and working on tentpole events within the app. After three years with Warner, she returned to NBC, but this time working with their new Peacock app on setting up how the sports section should function within the app. After a second stint with NBC, she moved back over to the NBA where a role opened to manage the app she had previously worked on.

  Emily’s current title is Senior Product Manager of Mobile Platforms. Her role revolves around the planning and execution of the NBA app while also prioritizing customer needs. She said she enjoys the position for the fun it brings to her day-to-day tasks and fulfills her mission on the greater team. She loves that she gets to be creative while also diving into the technical side. To her, the job is like a puzzle, meaning she solves fan-first problems.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/19/24)

• Baker, Josh

  

  Continuing our #InvestInTheNest series, we’ve sat down with an all-star of our own who’s turned genuine passion for North Florida Ospreys athletics into a force of change that betters the University of North Florida experience for all student-athletes, coaches and associated staffers.

  If there’s one thing that’s for certain, UNF College of Education and Human Services alumnus Joshua Baker ('10) bleeds blue and gray for the UNF Athletics department. His love and enthusiasm for the Ospreys is unmatched, advocating for student-athletes needs to major donors, and his development initiatives have brought substantial success to its growth efforts since he joined the fundraising team in 2020. However, his contributions to UNF Athletics go back to his time as an undergrad in the mid- to late-2000s, consistently embracing networking and instilling school spirit in his relationships and work every day.

  As Assistant AD of Development, Baker raises money for the University to support scholarships, facility renovations and quality enhancements for both student-athletes and UNF Athletics fans alike. He does this by first building relationships with donors to find mutually beneficial ways to actualize gifts that benefit students and provide ample exposure to brands from all across Northeast Florida. His work aims to create transformational experiences for all student-athletes participating in the many sports teams the University offers.

  Nowadays, UNF Athletics has become a fundraising powerhouse thanks to a coordinated effort by Athletic Director Nick Morrow, Senior Associate AD Matthew Lisiewski, and Baker himself. Baker handles anything from small contributions to scholarships to major gifts that can range from $25,000 gifts to multi-million-dollar pledges from major donors. He notes the relationship building is paramount to his position. Without those relationships, the University would not be able to keep with other universities in terms of facilities, which impacts the revenue the sports generate.

  As someone who grew up in Orlando, he witnessed the rise of the University of Central Florida and how its own athletics department grew into a program that is now a member of a major college athletics conference. Baker envisions a similar fate for UNF. He said, "I believe truly that this place can be bigger than what it is right now,"

  Since returning to UNF, Baker has been attached to several major accomplishments over the years. In 2022, Baker played an integral role in cultivating a relationship with CSI Companies to establish a multi-year partnership totaling $2.1 million toward renovating the UNF Arena court. With new designs, branding, and color palettes applied to the floor, basketball games garnered a deeper sense of character and school spirit. He also helped fundraise toward the new arena video board and the Bank of England Suite. Baker is proud of the growth of the University and the role he was able to play in these successes.

  “Our athletic department had never raised a million dollars in a year from a development perspective before [the NCAA tournament run],” Baker said. “Now we've raised a lot more than that every year since. At the end of the day, I'm just proud of being a piece of the puzzle.”

  (Written by Tyler White & Joshua Rodgers, Published 2/29/24)

• Baker, Bryan

  

  From the North Florida Ospreys to the Baltimore Orioles, there’s something about the ”O” birds that brings out the best in baseball alum Bryan Baker.

  Originally from the Florida Panhandle, Baker met recruiters from a handful of schools but fell in love with the University of North Florida. The program was great, the campus has the right fit and he was just a drive down I-10 away from home. Before joining UNF though, he was drafted of high school, but he made the commitment to join the Ospreys. He said UNF is where he really learned how to pitch. “I was raw coming out of high school as a two-sport athlete,” he said. Since he played basketball in the winter and didn’t shift to baseball until the season ended, he was always catching up to the season. Playing year-round in college against much better competition, he got stronger and faster, in addition to becoming more mature as a pitcher. Following back-to-back all-conference selections and a regular season title, he was prepared for the big leagues.

  After finishing his collegiate career in 2016, his draft position skyrocketed up to the 11th round as he was selected by the Colorado Rockies. The Floridian was in for quite the minor league journey as he played for the Grand Junction Rockies, Asheville Tourists, Lancaster Jethawks, Dunedin Blue Jays, New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Buffalo Bisons, before making his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. He said it’s a gratifying journey, but he ate more McDonalds at 3 a.m. than he’d ever want to again. Plus, he said the role the pandemic played right as he was ascending to the top levels “made it that much sweeter for my debut.”

  In 2022, the Blue Jays traded him to the Baltimore Orioles, who had lost 100 games in the last 3 seasons. They improved their record by 31 more wins to finish above .500, but still fell short of the postseason. In 2023, the Orioles were once again projected to finish last in the division. However, Baker said the foundation from 2022 set them up for success. “Our young core matured with more experience, and we just went out there and had fun,” Baker said. He said he knew the team was talented, so they took pride in their underdog mentality to outperform expectations. They finished with 100 wins to clinch the AL East title for the first time since 2014!

  “It was a wild seven months from beginning to end,” Baker said. He secured key outs for the team, and it was exhilarating to get out of jams against some of the best batters in the league. He had ups and downs throughout the season but earned a spot on the postseason roster.

  While their season ended with a loss to the eventual World Series champions, Baker heads into Spring Training excited for the year ahead. He is throwing 4-5 times a week to build up his arm strength, and his goal is to do his part, show up and win the day. He believes their team is set up for another successful run to the postseason, so doubt at your own risk!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/14/24)

• Bastian, Jason

  

  From one big cat to another, this #UNFL alum has made major moves in the sport industry that have launched him all the way to the #SwooperBowl. We’ve highlighted Jason Bastian (’09) before, but with extraordinary success comes a new reason to spotlight one of our Ospreys.

  Originally from Orlando, Bastian loved visiting the north Florida beaches while growing up. After seeing how quickly UNF was growing, he decided to join the Osprey family. He graduated in 2009 from the UNF Coggin College of Business with a degree in business management. During his senior year, he accepted an internship with the Jaguars in their Special Events department, assisting with community events and in-game entertainment. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position as the game production and events coordinator, where he managed Jacksonville Jaguars events in the northeast Florida and southeast Georgia markets. He would oversee training and minicamp operations, in addition to executing gameday events, sponsor activations and game presentation elements on the field.

  After four years with the Jaguars, he accepted a position as entertainment and events coordinator with the Carolina Panthers. He managed all in-game entertainment elements such as flyovers, pyrotechnics, halftime shows, national anthems, etc. He also scheduled and managed staff and vendors. Plus, he helped create fan-focused events in both North and South Carolina. During his tenure with the Panthers, jumped at the opportunity from the NFL to work Super Bowls L, LI and LIII as their on-field stage manager. This position included working with in-field hosts throughout the game, which included setting up the Lombardi Trophy presentation to the winning team. He also managed the run of show for Super Bowl Opening Media Night.

  After five seasons with the Panthers, he wanted to challenge himself further in the sports and entertainment space by accepting a position with NASCAR at CSM Sport and Entertainment as their manager of live shows. He managed 10 tracks across the country and put together their pre-race performances, ceremonies and events.

  The COVID-19 pandemic struck the sports industry hard, and Bastian was temporarily laid off. But he saw it as an opportunity to pivot and used his connections with The Famous Group to land an event producer position for their new client, the WWE and WWE Thunderdome project in Orlando. He returned to his home base and created events for fans that entertained them while they were stuck in lockdown. He set up events at the Amway Center and Tropicana Field, utilizing about 1,000 LED screens surrounding the ring to bring in 650,000 virtual fans to experience these events.

  Once things returned to normalcy, Bastian accepted his current role of game day and event operations manager for Tepper Sports and Entertainment, the holding company that owns the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC and the Bank of America Stadium. He is responsible for planning and executing the MLS matches while assisting with Panthers games and large-scale concerts. He said, “my job is to keep the stadium’s heart beating before, during and after an event.” He ensures the stadium is ready in all facets, including security, police, medics, stadium vendors, parking, ticketing, housekeeping and guest services, while also meeting the needs of the teams, officials and league. For him, it’s worth it to see the stadium full of fans enjoying their product, and he loved continuing to grow in the industry in a place he’s called home.

  In addition to his new role, there’s been an additional update since we last checked in with Jason. He and his wife Alison welcomed their first daughter, Evy. “Fatherhood changes everything in an amazing way!” he said. After frequently traveling and wrestling with bringing work home with him, he’s now able to focus on his family outside of work and appreciates working for a boss and company that respect these values. While he’s been a part of some amazing events, he said nothing comes close to the excited look on his daughter’s face as she runs around the field.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/12/23)

• Batzlaff, Sydnee

  

  Continuing our #HappyNewsYear coverage, we’re going live to NewsChannel 10 with Sydnee Batzlaff (’21).

  Starting early, Batzlaff got involved with her elementary school news and realized her passion for it. She continued throughout high school and knew she wanted to pursue a degree. As an elective, she discovered another passion as she studied American Sign Language and was able to incorporate it into some of her news stories.

  When exploring college options, the Jacksonville native wanted to stay close to home. Between the size of campus, the close-knit relationships with the professors, and the ASL program at UNF, it seemed like an easy choice. Throughout her collegiate career, she served as the head of service for her sorority, Delta Gamma, and worked with the Florida School for Deaf and Blind. While she had planned to use her internship to get involved with the media market of Jacksonville, the pandemic struck and most of those positions closed. However, she landed a spot with Inside Swoop 90 and loved how much learning the fundamentals prepared her for her career. She would frame interviews, work cameras and write stories. “We used to do three big stories a semester,” she said. “Now I do one every day.” She completed a B.S. in communication, concentrated in multimedia journalism, and a B.S. in American Sign Language with UNF Deaf Education.

  After graduation, Batzlaff got hired as a news reporter in Amarillo, Texas. She has since worked her way up to Weekend Anchor/Multimedia Journalist for KFDA – NewsChannel10. She anchors four shows on weekends, where she self-produces her broadcasts, manages photographers and runs digital content. During the week, she reports for her station’s primetime shows. It’s the best of both worlds as she gets to anchor and report.

  You may remember an Amarillo story that made national news this summer, where an 11-year-old boy went viral on TikTok ringing his neighbors’ doorbells looking for friends. Well, that was Batzlaff on the local coverage helping the rest of the outlets report the story. After telling her sixth grade classmates she’d one day be on the news, she’s now become a celebrity in the local community.

  She loves the relationships she gets to build in local news, not only within the community but also with her co-workers. Since they share the same chaotic schedule of the newsroom, they’re able to spend time outside of work. Batzlaff misses being close to the beach, but she’s embraced the West Texas lifestyle, frequently attending country concerts and Amarillo Sod Poodles baseball games. She even adopted a dog named Wallen, who she spends most of her time with. As for her future, she’s met a boy in Oklahoma City who she’s developed a long-distance relationship with, so she wouldn’t mind moving closer to him.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/25/24)

• Beech, Beau

  

  Osprey alumni should already be familiar with Beau Beech (’16). The Ponte Vedra Beach native graduated with a business administration degree from the UNF Coggin College of Business while finishing his North Florida Ospreys basketball career as a two-time First Team All-ASUN honoree, ASUN All-Decade selection and ASUN Champion! But we’re here to shine the spotlight on the side you may not know…

  Beech’s father had been coaching high school basketball since 1984, so he’s been around basketball his entire life. At the age of five he’d join his dad after school at practice, shooting around with the athletes at the Nease High School gym, which is where he developed his love of the game. As he grew up, he enjoyed playing baseball and volleyball, but with his dad serving as his basketball coach throughout high school, he was encouraged to explore playing collegiately. He’d been familiar with UNF’s campus, but after his dad took him to a #RiverCityRumble game, he knew he wanted to play in an environment with a similar energy. The recruiting process led him to programs across the nation, but in November of 2011, he made the decision to become an Osprey. Upon hearing the news, rumor has it you could hear Coach Driscoll shout “LET’S GOOOOOOO!!!!!!” from the other side of the campus. “Choosing UNF was the best decision of my life,” said Beech.

  His favorite memory at UNF was winning the championship ... or at least the story of winning the championship. “I don’t remember much about that day,” said Beech. “I kind of blacked out on adrenaline, so my recollection is watching the game on YouTube.” During the recruitment process, one of his goals was to lead the Ospreys to the NCAA tournament, so being able to follow the program’s foundation and complete his promise to Driscoll meant everything to him.

  Off the court, he was always one of the Ospreys’ biggest supporters. You’d often catch Beech supporting the other athletes and volunteering at their events. These relationships withstood the test of time as his career took him to Germany and he was able to later meet up with some of the international Ospreys in Hamburg.

  Fast forward to graduation, Beech walked across to stage to get his diploma, packed his duffle bags, and immediately moved to Dallas to meet with his agent at Equity Sports. The next four months were spent doing NBA pre-draft workouts and traveling to various arenas to meet with their scouts. Beech joined the Brooklyn Nets for Summer League. He signed an NBA contract with the team after impressing the coaches. While he didn’t make the regular season roster, he joined the Long Island Nets in the NBA G-League. After suffering an injury, he spent a year rehabbing before joining the Erie Bayhawks. In Erie, he met his team manager and new best friend Jacob Porter, along with Jacob’s sister — and Beau’s soon-to-be wife — Emma Beech.

  Mike Taylor is an American that’s been coaching professional basketball in Germany for the last decade, and happens to have a house in Nocatee — eight minutes away from Beech’s home. Additionally, Taylor attended many UNF practices as he and Coach Driscoll are both Pittsburgh natives. In August of 2018, Taylor called Beech and asked if he wanted to play in Hamburg. Receiving a stamp of approval from Driscoll and Equity Sports, Beech decided fate was telling him to move overseas. He knew he wouldn’t be making NBA money, but there was a lucrative incentive for winning the championship, which Beech believed he could do. In his first season with the Hamburg Towers, Beech and his team won the championship with his parents and former teammate Aaron Bodager (‘17) showing support from the crowd in Nuremburg.

  Beech recently wrapped up his 5th season in Europe (7th overall) after joining Paok Thessaloniki in Greece, Czarni Słupsk in Poland and FMP Meridian in Serbia. He just signed with BC Enisey in Russia for this upcoming season. Somewhere down the road, Beech would like to play in Spain, but his No. 1 destination is Japan because the culture, experience and fandom would be unmatched.

  For Beech, the biggest difference between playing collegiately and professionally is the workload. “In college, they make you work out,” he said. “Then you turn into a pro … and it’s much more intrinsic. It’s all about pushing yourself to be a little bit better.” Starting at 7 a.m., Beech has three separate gym sessions four days a week, where he pushes himself to his limits.

  Outside of basketball, Beech enjoys golfing with friends. He and his wife, Emma Beech, have also started a wedding planning business. After their wedding in 2022, they figured they could use their expertise to help others. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also recently gotten into app development. His new project is Hooper IQ, where he teach basketball through video clips involving daily challenges.

  “If you’re searching for a community, the University of North Florida is the best place to find it,” said Beech. He reiterates that coming to UNF is the best decision he’s ever made and it’s because of the people. He loved watching alumni return to watch practice when he was an athlete. Now that he’s on the other side, he said he wants to continue helping the North Florida Ospreys any way he can, whether it’s giving advice to the guys on the team or showing support during the upcoming 904 weekend.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 8/30/23)

• Blair, Trent

  

  Luke Nicholas earned his degree in marketing and communication. Ana Huggins earned hers in communication with a public relations focus. Trent Blair earned his in sport management. What do these three have in common? They all enjoy exercising, building relationships and working in the front office of North Florida's ECHL hockey team, the Jacksonville Icemen.

  Blair is the director of business development, focusing on client retention and B2B relationships with the club, and has been with the team for six years. Huggins is the merchandise and operations manager, serving as the point of contact between the organization and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. She also handles all merchandising within the team store, giveaways or co-branded partnership items, and is in her second season with the team. Nicholas is the vice president of ticket sales and service, facilitating the sales campaigns and the growth of the organization, and joined the team three months before the inaugural season. While they all have drastically different roles in the organization, they all relish the opportunity of being a part of the growth of this new hockey franchise within the Jacksonville community.

  Blair, Huggins and Nicholas all got started with the Icemen organization as part of their required UNF internship. Growing up as a shy kid, Blair says the best thing he learned from the University was how to build and cultivate these relationships. During one of his classes he was chosen by his group to present their ideas. His presentation was so exemplary he earned a proverbial mic drop from the rest of the class. He was also the first generation of his family to attend college, so having his parents and grandparents in attendance for graduation meant the world to him.

  Huggins was a digital marketer with a part-time job hoping to turn full time, before professor Bobbi Doggett convinced her to take a fun, hands-on internship. The Icemen hosted the ECHL All Star Classic in 2022 right at the start of Huggins' internship, where she wound up standing face-to-face with the Stanley Cup trophy. Only planning to stick around for a few months, she fell in love with the team and the sports industry and ended up accepting a full-time job before graduating. She loved her time at UNF and ended her college experience on a high note spending a lot of long, productive nights on the library floor with her group from Dr. Stephynie Perkins' PR Campaigns class.

  While Nicholas was attending UNF, he never intended to end up in sales. He knew he loved meeting and connecting with people, but his professors helped him focus on his strengths and how he could apply them entering the job market.

  Nicholas took a speech class during his junior year that changed how he viewed public speaking and presentations, in addition to providing him life skills which he found integral for his career development. However, when it comes to his favorite memory at UNF, Nicholas said nothing compares to storming the court when the Ospreys Men's Basketball team won the Atlantic Sun Championship in 2015.

  The trio all have plans to continue their career path. They all feel invested in the program and want to see how it continues to grow after watching the growth of the Jacksonville Icemen from their inception to the finished construction of the Community First Igloo. Plus, they all love the close-knit relationship among the front office staff and the level of excitement brought by the fans and community during the games (enhanced by the additional perk of Blair getting to drive the Zamboni). While Nicholas is the longest tenured of the Ospreys, he's also focused on his personal growth, trying to learn as much as he can and continue to assume additional responsibilities.

  The sports industry has a tendency to consume nights and weekends, but they all find time to unwind when they can. Nicholas is able to spend time with family in close proximity. Huggins loves outdoor activities, including going to the beach and spending time with her dog, Emma, and her horse, Adele. Blair works toward improving both his physical and mental health, and is very focused on his faith. He is also a big fan of Marvel and Burger King.

  For those of you reading this who have never been to an Icemen game before, I asked for some helpful tips to pass along. First off, the Icemen are owned by Zawyer Sports, who also own the Savannah Ghost Pirates, the opponent for UNF Night. While the organization supports them off the ice, leave no doubt that they want to destroy them on the ice. Second, it's a very fast-paced sport with a lot of action and limited stoppages in play. When there is a break in the action, there's always some fan engagement piece going on. Another unique aspect is that the fans create their own unique chants throughout the game, so keep an ear open to play along. All in all, it's really an event you have to experience live to understand.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/9/23)

• Brooks, Bo

  

  From Brooksville to the UNF Brooks College of Health , it doesn’t get mo’ Brooks than Bo Brooks! Just because UNF doesn’t have a football program doesn’t mean we can’t get excited for college football season, and while you’re more likely to see the occasional Gator or Seminole walk through our campus, today’s spotlight goes out to the Hurricane in our midst.

  Dr. Bo Brooks grew up a Seminole fan, but wanted to avoid all the distractions from FSU, and decided to take a chance on the University of North Florida. He loved the serene, wildlife campus that UNF offered, while only being a few minutes away from the beach. Coming from a family of teachers, he knew about UNF’s education program, but also knew he had no interest in teaching, but rather wanted to become a Chiropractor. However, with no pre-med track in place, he went about it the old-fashioned way, taking classes in nutrition, anatomy and rehabilitation before completing his B.S. in Health in 1996.

  Brooks thrived as an Osprey — literally — as he was in the Ozzie suit for basketball games. He also was a brother of Pi Kappa Phi and spent his nights as an RA in Osprey Hall and the “F” apartment building in Osprey Village. Following graduation, he continued his Chiropractic path by completing his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University in 2001.

  Today, Brooks is a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine with a practice in Broward County. He also serves as the Chiropractic physician for the University of Miami athletic department. When head football coach Mario Cristobal was hired, he asked their head of athletic trainers, Vinny Scavo, who their team Chiropractor was before learning the position had been vacant. Scavo worked with Brooks back at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep and knew he was practicing close by, so it seemed like a perfect fit. As a lifelong football fan, Brooks always had a goal of working for a Power Five program, so he accepted Scavo’s offer. Nowadays, Brooks drives down to Coral Gables a few days a week and adjusts the Hurricane athletes, coaches and staff in his Hecht Athletic Center office. Having a Chiropractor on staff is key to the Hurricanes’ success. It provides their athletes a more controlled therapy since Brooks is certified in his field and able to navigate part of the physiology that athletic trainers aren’t specialized in.

  Brooks is also a family man. He has four sons — two of whom followed in his Osprey footsteps. His eldest, Cameron (’22), earned his degree in criminal justice. Dominic decided to take his talents to Tallahassee, but Jackson just began his UNF journey this fall! While he doesn’t have quite as many youth sports to attend, Brooks still travels to support his youngest, Carter, on his junior golf tour. When he’s not with his sons, he and his wife like to travel, visiting the beaches and enjoying new restaurants.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/7/23)

• Burke, A'Jada

  

  A'Jada Burke (’22) earned her bachelor’s degree from the UNF Brooks College of Health, majoring in interdisciplinary health studies. She is currently at The Graduate School  pursuing her master’s degree in public health with a concentration in social and behavioral science.

  She chose to join the U.S. Navy because it was a great way to start her career while saving up for college. It also provided her a flexible option to take classes while working. She started her service working for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Naval Postgraduate Dental School where she was selected to serve on the Presidential Medical and Dental Team. She deployed with the USS Fort McHenry to support the 22nd Maritime Expeditionary Unit in Latvia, Romania, Germany, Dubai & Spain. While stationed in Mayport, she starting to explore colleges, and discovered that Brooks had a good variety of programs to set up her future career in public health. Plus, the UNF Military & Veterans Resource Center provided her all the answers for a seamless application process. Her favorite memory as an Osprey was being presented the award for Student Veteran of the Year in 2021 during halftime of an North Florida Ospreys men's basketball game, where her family joined to create a heartwarming experience.

  Burke currently works at the Florida Department of Health (DOH) as the Area 4 Minority AIDS coordinator and prevention and training consultant (M4C/PTC). In her role, she is responsible for facilitating efforts focused on HIV prevention and care initiatives and programs while reduce racial and ethnic disparities in Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties. She also provides training and health education resources that address issues and concerns impacting the underserved populations and assists with community level engagement with local planning groups for HIV/AIDS prevention and patient care. She said, “I enjoy working in the public health sector because it allows me to do outreach that helps improve the quality of life for those who don’t have access to quality health care or basic medical needs.” Her plan for the future is to continue doing work that serves the community. Outside of work, she spends time gardening, exercising, exploring new restaurants and taking her dog on walks.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/7/23)

• Carvajal, Devin

  

  Carvajal serves as the Social Media Graphic Designer for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carvajal earned his bachelor’s degree in arts with a focus in graphic design and digital media. In his current role, he creates all the images from scratch used on the various Jaguars social media platforms to promote gamedays, roster & score updates, and player features. His favorite part of his work is being able to design for a major brand in the NFL and watch all his work connect directly with fans.

  Carvajal credits the University of North Florida for helping prepare him for his career. As an undergrad, he participated in the CMND+N design club. His favorite memory at UNF was finding out he was accepted into the Limited Access Design program, which was the catalyst for his pursuit of a graphic design profession. Carvajal says, “UNF taught me more than just my Photoshop skills, it also prepared me for the real world.” He believes the life skills he learned throughout the college experience add another level onto what UNF provides the students.

  Carvajal says “UNF gave me all the opportunities I have today. It opened a lot of doors and led me to create lasting connections.” One of the most important things he learned from his time at UNF is that “success doesn’t just fall in your lap.” His advice for current students would be to go after what you’re trying to achieve, and that in competitive fields like the sports and design industries, the only way to break in is to want it more than everyone else.

  Carvajal manages to stay involved with the university by connecting with some of the creatives still on campus, in addition to attending the occasional North Florida Ospreys event during the Jaguars offseason. Carvajal believes showing school pride is very important. He says, “wearing that UNF on your chest represents more than just a school, but where you learned to be an adult.” He enjoys seeing that UNF pride represented around the city as alumni show off their school colors, and believes it influences current and future students to do the same.

  Carvajal would like to remain in the sports industry as well, ideally working his way up to creative director for a sports organization or brand. Wherever he ends up, he knows he’ll still be happy as long as he has the freedom to create. While social media is a timely investment, Carvajal enjoys staying active in his free time by playing pickleball, biking on the beach, and hitting the gym. He also enjoys a good drink with good company. You can see all the impressive work he continues to create on Twitter by following @Jaguars or his personal account @DevCarvajal.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/18/22)

• Casey, Christine

  

  We're taking an intermission from our veteran's week content to remind you that UNF Shakespeare’s Othello takes the Friday Musicale stage tomorrow night. Who better to convince you to attend than his wife Desdemona, portrayed by UNF alumna Christine Casey (’22).

  A theatre kid since the age of 7, Casey was attending high school in central Florida trying to grow the audience for her school plays. Whether it was designing playbills, utilizing social media or grassroots promotions, she tried everything to cultivate the crowd. This is when she discovered “marketing” was a real profession that students could pursue.

  When exploring universities, the handcrafted messages she received from the Hicks Honors College at UNF's Jeff Chamberlain spoke volumes about the University of North Florida and confirmed her decision to become an Osprey. As a UNF Coggin College of Business marketing undergraduate, she starred as Gretl von Trapp in Swoop Troupe’s The Sound of Music. Casey graduated summa cum laude with a BBA & numerous accolades from Phi Kappa Phi, UNF AMA and UNF Housing and Residence Life.

  Following graduation, she’s joined UNF Shakespeare's productions of Julius Caesar, The Mask of Night, Much Ado About Nothing & now Othello. Casey acts as an outlet to balance out the business side of marketing, but there is crossover. She said, “Theatre is about connecting with the cast & audience and finding new ways to tell the same story.” While Othello has 400+ years of adaptations, they managed to create an original production.

  Already performed at MOCA Jacksonville & Limelight Theatre, Casey adapts to the various theatres to enhance their production. “Shakespeare lends itself to talk directly to the audience which creates a more personal touch to theatre,” she said. Although the story is set in the 1500s, the underlying tones & feelings on injustice still translate emotionally with modern audiences.

  While pursuing her MBA with Coggin Graduate and Executive Programs, she serves as the digital marketing account manager for a local marketing agency, working with various companies to handle everything from social media to website optimization. She loves balancing SEO (search engine optimization) with SRO (standing room only) and hopes to continue her marketing career path alongside the theatre.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/9/23)

• Castro, Michael

  

  Early on, Michael Castro (’15, ’22) knew he wanted to serve our country. His dad served in the U.S. Navy but he wanted to forge his own path. He participated in ROTC and originally anticipated joining the U.S. Army, but after six months, he decided to pivot to the U.S. Naval Air Forces. He left Jacksonville to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UCF, where he met his future wife and fellow Osprey alumna, Jessica Vicente (’96, ‘15), right before graduation. Their first meeting occurred because his brother was dating her cousin, so neither knew if there would be a connection, but little did they know what the future had in store. They got along very well and he invited her to be his date for the military ball. Within six months, they were engaged and they will be celebrating 20 years together this coming January.

  After earning his bachelor’s in business administration in 2002, he went straight into active duty in the Air Force. He moved to Wyoming to serve as a nuclear launch officer, while Jessica joined him to serve as a medical technologist for the regional medical center. However, the couple wanted to return home, so in 2011 he joined the Florida Air National Guard, while Jessica became a lead medical technologist for the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. It was around this time that Michael knew he wanted to make a bigger impact helping others and explored the healthcare realm. He contemplated becoming a physical therapist or a radiologist, but ultimately decided on nursing. He joined the UNF Brooks College of Health in 2013, earning his B.S. in nursing, before returning to complete his doctorate in nursing practice last year.

  He currently serves as a family nurse practitioner in the Mayo Clinic’s nationally ranked Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The Mayo Clinic has been great to the Castros, as their teams provided support for the family when Michael deployed to Qatar for seven months. As of June 2023, Michael is officially retired from the Air National Guard. While you might imagine things would slow down a bit, Michael is already working on opening a new men’s health practice in the next few months, while also helping Jessica’s entrepreneurial ideas. As busy as he is though, Michael still prioritizes his physical health with daily workouts and spending family time with his sons, Jae, 17, and Caleb, 13.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/8/23)

• Cavallo, Catherine

  

  You can really sink your teeth in today’s #AlumniSpotlight as we get chummy with a Shark!

  Catherine Cavallo (’20) graduated summa cum laude with University Honors from the UNF School of Communication, earning her degree in multimedia journalism with double minors in sport management and leadership. The Jacksonville local liked how she could commute to class but still experience all that the University of North Florida had to offer.

  Her journey with the Jacksonville Sharks started in high school. During her junior year, she obtained a media pass to take photos at the games, which led to the offer of a multimedia internship in her senior year. In 2017, the Sharks won the NAL Championship along with “NAL’s Best Media Department” and she got to experience it all. Fast forward to 2023, Cavallo had been working a few jobs but was searching for something new when a position opened with the Sharks, and she’s able to go full circle as the Sharks win the 2023 NAL Championship, and Cavallo’s unit is recognized as the “NAL’s Best Media Department.”

  “I earned that with the help of my amazing interns,” Cavallo said. “We were creating content that Sharks fans had never seen before and they absolutely loved it.”

  As multimedia director, her role consists of managing a team of interns, creating press releases, running the website and social accounts, doing community outreach, and fulfilling sponsor contracts and gameday advertising. And we’ve barely scratched the surface. She genuinely enjoys everything she gets to do, but being able to travel with the team and report all the game day action stands out. Cavallo focused the entire season on content interaction to stand out, which included creating a humorous admin persona and integrating new video features.

  “The Best Media honor means everything to me,” she said. “It solidified that I am doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.”

  The Sharks won’t be winning any NAL awards this season as they’ve completed the transition to the Indoor Football League (IFL). Cavallo is not only challenged with learning all the differences in game rules and league requirements but also figuring out how to deliver an even better fan experience in this new league.

  Cavallo describes the IFL as “fast-paced, hard-hitting and action-packed … football like you’ve never experienced before.” Not only will players jump into the stands to catch passes, but fans are also invited to the field after each game to meet the players. If you haven’t been to a Sharks game yet, join us on April 6 for UNF Night at the Jacksonville Sharks.

  Outside of work, she loves to work out, go to the beach, spend time with her boyfriend and cheer on the Jags. Cavallo aspires to work in the NFL one day, whether it’s as a sideline reporter for a major network or a team reporter for her hometown Jacksonville Jaguars.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/20/24)

• Champagne, Zak

  

  Our latest #AlumniSpotlight highlights one of UNF’s College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) alumni who has dedicated more than 20 years to shaping the minds of elementary school students through the power of mathematics. 

  Zak Champagne (’99, ’06) currently teaches third and fourth grade at The Discovery School in Jacksonville Beach. His passion for education began back in the 1990s when he studied at the University of North Florida and started on a path that changed not only his life, but countless students in Duval County. 

  While pursuing his B.A. in elementary education, Champagne said his experience at UNF shaped him into the educator he is today because of a program at West Jacksonville Elementary School that gave him the chance to work with students in the classroom and acquire the experiential learning that will help put the work into practice after graduation. 

  “That was a really remarkable experience for me to really be that hands on and at that time that program was really forward thinking,” Champagne said. “There weren’t a lot of schools doing that at the time.” 

  He took his first job at West Jacksonville Elementary after graduation and worked there for the first 10 years of his career. He also coordinated internship work alongside UNF, giving back to his alma mater by facilitating new opportunities for education majors to get on-the-job experience. 

  He developed a love for mathematics during his second and third years of teaching after the math director of Duval County Public Schools asked him to facilitate some professional learning and curriculum opportunities for his peers. He recalled his own experiences on a subject many students have polarizing feelings about. 

  “A lot of people have a tough relationship with math and they hated it in school,” “I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.” 

  Champagne aims to make math easier to understand while challenging his students and fellow educators to think about math in a different way than it’s been previously taught.

  “There are lots of people who wax poetic about what we should do as teachers, but they aren’t actually doing the work at the time,” Champagne said. “I’m in the classroom doing the work. That’s really important for me to be able to connect with teachers in that way.” 

  He credits changes in teaching methods and a math education movement on X via the Math Twitter Blogosphere that helped change the conversation about math and provided other outlets for support for educators and ultimately students. 

  Champagne’s legacy with UNF is an impactful one, as he was 1 of 5 recipients of the inaugural Gladys Roddenberry Graduate Fellowships for Teaching Excellence while pursuing his master’s degree in elementary education. The award, created by philanthropist Gilchrist Berg, honors the memory of Berg’s sixth grade teacher, Gladys Roddenberry, and provides a scholarship for teachers enrolled in UNF’s graduate school. 

  His accolades as an educator don’t stop there. In 2006, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), the highest honor by the United States government for K-12 for STEM teaching. He received a certificate signed by then-President George W. Bush along with a hefty monetary award and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. to recognize the winners. He was also named Duval County Teacher of the Year in 2010 and a finalist for Florida Teacher of the Year. 

  After earning recognition, Pearson (now Savvas Learning Company) reached out to Champagne to be an author on a math textbook. He also garnered opportunities to speak at national conferences and join school districts to work with their teachers. 

  While teaching for DCPS, Florida State University reached out to Champagne and recruited him to be a researcher for the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM), where he worked for about six years. 

  After spending time as a researcher, he took on a role as the director of teacher leadership for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, where he worked for about two years to support Jacksonville teachers.

  After roughly eight years out of the classroom, it continued calling him back. He joined the Discovery School in Jacksonville Beach when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and went through the difficult challenge of teaching students virtually. 

  When Zak is not shaping young minds, he loves spending time with his wife and three children, two of whom are in college. He’s a big lover of music, going to concerts and collecting records which he’ll spin for his students. His family will be making a major life change over the summer as they move to Washington State! Born and raised in Jacksonville, Champagne never left throughout his years as a teacher, but he’s looking forward to this cross-country journey. 

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 5/16/24)

• Coconato, Andrew "Vince"

  

  Andrew Coconato graduated from UNF in 2015 with a communications degree. His self-titled position is Director of Culture, which consists of many different facets. He’s served as a director, producer, stylist, dancer and choreographer, all in the pursuit of cultivating an experience. He followed his dreams and worked his way up from a studio production assistant to launching his own brand and performing with The Chicks at Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL).

  Coconato dove headfirst into college life. He served as President of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and Director of Homecoming, was a leader on the UNF Swoop Squad, UNF Student Government and Dance Marathon, and was the assistant director of Osprey Life & Productions, creating the 1st Oz Music Festival and orchestrating the largest on-campus flash mob with John Chwalisz.

  His favorite memory at UNF occurred during his freshman year when the new initiates were finally able to put Kappa Sig on the Homecoming podium. Katelyn Tierney Grande from Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity was “The New York Yankees of the Lip Sync” having won it for her first three years, and he wanted to dethrone the champ.

  Coconato organized rehearsals three times each week for his fraternity brothers. After standing backstage watching Tierney lead another fantastic showcase from the Zetas, Coco inspired his group to put together a truly epic performance, winning the whole competition. His favorite memory was the look on his fraternity brothers’ faces, because they didn’t even think it was possible to win the Lip Sync competition. UNF gave him the chance to discover his passions and his strengths and ended up being the catalyst for his career post-graduation.

  Coconato grew up closeted and didn’t come out until after college. He said the origin of his extracurricular involvement was to find his identity. After graduation, he moved to LA for a fresh start. His first job was as a PA, having to clean the office and grab coffee. In his spare time he took a dance class (Island Groove) to get out of his comfort zone, and realized he loved having a gateway for his energy. His style brightened and he felt ready to embrace his “Coco.” He came out to his LA friends, his Florida friends & finally his parents.

  As Coco became comfortable with who he is, the exuberance followed him. This led to a few promotions with more freedom which allowed him to start Twisted Oak Creative creating characters. However, he wanted to pivot towards creating for himself.

  In Nov 2019, he hitchhiked from LA to Seattle playing a character, Polaroid Pete. He had 43 different drivers who shared their stories & restored his faith in humanity. However, needing an income, he went back to one of his Twisted Oak characters named Bob and created Bob's Dance Shop, selling tickets for a pop-up dance class.

  His class made good money until the pandemic hit and he had to transition online. To promote virtual BDS classes, he would film content during the week, like the Mean Girls skit. TikTok & Instagram were fighting for content, so Bob’s short videos got a boost and went viral, including one bought by Google for a commercial.

  Once COVID-19 restrictions loosened, Coco was able to organize a “Flash Bob” outside, which was well attended & gained millions of views. This virality got them invites around the world with appearances on Good Morning America and America's Got Talent. BDS even hosted a show at Lollapalooza & Austin City Limits Music Festival.

  Early on, Coco & friends attended a SOFI TUKKER concert and made friends with others in the crowd who they taught the “People’s Dance.” He improvised some moves & the audience followed along to create an impromptu Flash Bob. This caught the attention of Sophie who brought Coco up on stage to lead the crowd. When Sofi Tukker played at CRSSD festival, they teamed up again and afterward asked BDS to join their worldwide tour. BDS has also joined Purple Disco Machine, Marc Rebillet & The Chicks. Coco was finally able to see the value from the activities he started as a UNF student and turn his passion into a full-time opportunity.

  His goals include working on more live performances, creating a TV pilot, and designing merch/fashion. Coco also wants to bring a Flash Bob back to the UNF Arena, hopefully with Coach Driscoll's participation. When not working, he likes to meditate, journal, camp, work out, play softball/beach VB, and go on walks to smell the flowers. He still stays connected to UNF through his fraternity brothers and the other meaningful connections he made on campus. He also understands the increasing value of his and other alumni’s UNF degrees as campus engagement increases, so he continues using his creativity to brainstorm ideas on how to create more UNF traditions and pride.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 12/9/22)

• Connor, Terry

  

  Terrence Connor ('04), an alumnus of the University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services, has been selected as the new Superintendent of Schools for Sarasota County. Connor currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), where he has played a significant role in shaping the district’s academic, financial, operational and community engagement decisions.

  Connor received his bachelor’s degree in middle grades education at UNF and his master’s degree in administration and management from Nova Southeastern University. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge, having previously served as the chief academic officer/assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Clay County District Schools (CCDS) and the chief of secondary education for CCDS. Additionally, he has held notable positions with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), including principal of Samuel W. Wolfson High School and several leadership roles at Oceanway School.

  Holding learning at the core of all his endeavors, Connor has a proven record of driving academic improvement and ensuring the stability of educational institutions. During his tenure as Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer of HCPS, the district improved its state academic ranking from 35th to 19th. Similarly, as Chief Academic Officer of Clay County School District, the district improved its state academic ranking from 20th to 8th. As an effective fiscal leader, he also has experience securing substantial funding for education and supporting multi-million-dollar budgets.

  Currently, as Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Hillsborough County, Connor is working to improve student achievement and staff effectiveness in all district-managed schools by providing curriculum, instruction and assessment support services. Under Connor’s leadership, HCPS has achieved a #1 national ranking in 4th grade reading and math on the 2022 Trial Urban District Assessment administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In addition, he has championed efforts to narrow achievement gaps and launched a workforce development initiative that includes medical and construction academics.

  In a recent statement, Connor says “I am grateful to the board for choosing me to lead the schools in this wonderful community. I share the district’s vision for keeping learning at the center of everything we do and have seen the great things that can happen when educators and families are committed to doing that."

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/27/23)

• Dacey, Eileen

  

  Eileen Dacey graduated from the University of North Florida in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. The Jacksonville native visited the campus and was drawn in ever since. After graduation, she relocated to the greater Boston area and has now been up there for over a decade. While she misses life in the Bold City, she continues to travel down to see her family and friends.

  Once she graduated, she faced the typical existential question of what to do with her life. She had strong desires of pursuing a scholarship in the experimental psychology field, but after securing a cognitive scientist position within an agency containing Department of Defense contracts, she quickly realized she wanted to focus more on mental health work. She transitioned into the social services field and was accepted into the Master of Social Work program and Simmons University, completing her post-graduate degree in 2017. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Simmons and is pursuing her PhD in social work.

  Upon completion of her master’s degree, Dacey was offered a position as a clinical director of a program focused on individuals impacted by hoarding disorder. She remained in that role until 2021 when she transitioned into private practice, starting her own LLC. She currently works as a full-time outpatient therapist at a group private practice focused on the treatment of OCD related disorders. Since hoarding disorder falls within this spectrum, Dacey’s specialty brings a level of expertise to the practice. She provides individual and group therapy while simultaneously working as a clinical consultant through her LLC, helping agencies across the nation develop and implement evidence-informed approaches when working with hoarding cases. She currently has cases throughout New England, Seattle and Santa Barbara. As if that wasn’t enough, she also provides training on hoarding disorder for law enforcement, which to date has helped over 5,000 officers.

  In 2019, Dacey worked with Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker to initiate the first legislative proclamation declaring hoarding disorder awareness week, making their state the second to include such legislative language. She has also served on the PAWS commission as an expert on animal hoarding to “Protect Animal Welfare and Safety.” Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, American Kennel Club and Reader's Digest.

  Following the proclamation, she was contacted by publishers at Rockridge Press to author a self-help book. It was daunting balancing her writing with her doctoral studies and working as a psychiatric triage clinician, but Dacey knew this book could cast a wider net to help people internationally. This is also the only self-help book that addresses multiple animal ownership in an empathetic way. At first, she wasn’t sure how much attention her book would garner, but she watched as “Reclaim Your Life From Hoarding” climbed the charts to become a top five best-selling book in her field.

  She sees herself remaining in academia, eventually becoming a full professor, while continuing to write and consult. She has many fond memories from her time at UNF and would like to return in a teaching and research capacity. Dr. Michael Toglia, her former Psychology professor at UNF, always encouraged her and helped develop her critical thinking skills, which is something she continues to instill in her own students. She is an active member in the @National Association of Social Work (which she would recommend for any aspiring social workers), and outside of work enjoys playing tennis, hiking, biking and spending time with her dog and two Siamese cats.

  As an added benefit for our alumni readers, Dacey has included a few quick tips to help our alumni audience declutter their space:

  • Schedule Time to Sort and Organize: Mark your calendar as if you have an appointment with someone important, that important person being yourself.
  • Put Away Now, Not Later: By getting in the habit of putting things in their designated place, this can help minimize the chance of reaccumulating things in areas you’ve worked hard to maintain.
  • Use and Label Organization Bins: After you’ve sorted your areas, purchase clear, study, stackable, airtight containers to protect your contents."

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/29/23)

• Driscoll, Chase

  

  This year marks the fifteenth Homecoming matchup for coach Matthew Driscoll, but for this spotlight we’re turning our attention toward a different Coach Driscoll – our alumnus, coach Chase “Drip” Driscoll (’18) – who’s looking to go a perfect three-for-three on Homecoming games.

  Growing up around basketball while his father was coaching, Chase figured we would give the sport a try. After leading Bishop Kenny High School to back-to-back district titles and a State Final Four appearance, he joined his father as a walk-on for the Ospreys in 2014. The two-time ASUN academic honor roll member and fan favorite was part of the program’s back-to-back ASUN championships.

  After graduating from the UNF College of Education and Human Services with a degree in educational leadership, he joined Oral Roberts University as a graduate assistant coach. After two seasons with the Golden Eagles, he transitioned to an assistant coach role at Webber International University.

  In September 2021, he returned to UNF as the program’s director of basketball operations. As DOBO, his first Homecoming matchup resulted in a 70-64 win against a 22-win FGCU team, and last year the Ospreys completed a River City Rumble sweep over JU during homecoming week. He looks to keep the streak alive as they host Central Arkansas on February 10th to conclude the Homecoming festivities.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/23/24)

• DuPilka, Jenna

  

  Deep within the heart of the University of North Florida’s College of Arts and Sciences, there are two major advocates for programs, scholarships, professorships and advancement opportunities for the university’s largest college. One of those advocates is UNF alumna (‘19) and Assistant Director of Development Jenna DuPilka, who alongside Director of Development Anne-Marie Campbell works to secure funding from donors and corporations by advocating for the incredible programs and needs for future success on campus.

  But years before DuPilka took on this role in 2023, she wasn’t even sure if college was in her future.

  Jenna DuPilka grew up in Jupiter, Florida, where she went to Jupiter High School and stayed active in a variety of extracurricular activities, including Debate Club and other student organizations revolving around politics. She represented her school as an orator in the National Debate Association, which tasked her with traveling to different high school and colleges for competitions. She also harnessed school spirit and teamwork as a cheerleader from the age of 5 through her sophomore year of high school.

  DuPilka found an interest in politics at a young age. She participated in the Girl Scouts and engaged in a lot of advocacy and community outreach through that organization, and her Grandmother, Kaye Tenerelli, was in charge of a grant organization for local businesses and nonprofits in Superior, Wisconsin. She remembers going to meetings and paying attention to the election cycle during the 2004 Presidential Election and finding the process fascinating.

  “My mom and (grandmother) really instilled that in me unknowingly,” she said. “I’ve always loved history, but I wanted to see how I could use my mind to talk about history and politics and convince people and learn how to speak honestly.”

  She had dreams of becoming an attorney and working for an organization like the ACLU and do incredible things in that role, but life led her to new passions as she progressed in her school work.

  About that uncertain college future … Well, DuPilka said she struggled with her math courses in high school didn’t perform as well on the ACT’s math portion.

  When she started touring the Universities, that’s when she really started to want a college education. She researched a number of state schools and community colleges that feed into the bigger universities.

  “I could see myself in a sorority and I could see myself earning a degree and being just as educated as my mom,” she said.

  Jenna graduated from Jupiter High School in 2015 and initially didn’t get into UNF, and started her college journey at Palm Beach State in her hometown. But someone told her to apply to UNF again for the upcoming Spring semester. This time, she made it in.

  DuPilka said she values her college experience as a transfer student because it allowed to her to be an advocate not only for herself, but for her fellow transfer students — both as an undergraduate and in her current role.

  Making Her Mark on UNF

  During her undergraduate years at UNF, Jenna rushed to join the Kappa Delta sorority and developed strong bonds with her Greek Life sisters.

  “I could not have done anything on campus if it wasn’t for my sisters who supported me with everything that I did,” she said.

  She established confidence, and during her tenure as an undergrad at UNF she ran for Student Senate and won to serve in her junior year. While working underneath the current SG president, DuPilka said the president encouraged her to run for SG president. DuPilka initially was unsure, but her Kappa Delta sisters and her classmates encouraged her and reaffirmed her self-confidence that she had what it takes to do the job.

  “I never thought I would do it,” she said. “But it was the best decision of my life.”

  She believes her dedication and experience as both as a student senator and a summer trip to Washington D.C. for an internship prepared her for the role. She worked with an enthusiastic club director who, like her, was established in Greek Life on campus. They prioritized outreach and establishing clubs and connections with cultural organizations that had historically not been as engaged in Student Government, and it brought a new round of excitement to the University. DuPilka credits hiring people “who were passionate about engaging all students,” which brought the campus community together. “I built university relationships that had previously been a little tarnished,” said DuPilka, mentioning that the turbulence of Student Government had previously brought conflicts that needed resolution.

  DuPilka’s full-circle moment came when she took on her current role with COAS, and met current SG president John Grosso to wish him well and provide guidance if needed.

  “That’s when he actually said, ‘I actually became a part of Student Government because of you,’” she said, recalling how his words meant a lot for her to hear.

  She knew one of his brothers during her time as a undergrad and appreciated knowing that she made a positive impact on someone else.

  Soaring to New Adventures

  Following her graduation, Jenna followed one of her passions to work as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. She intended to pursue her master’s in public affairs while she worked for the airline, with the ultimate goal being to serve in a role in Delta’s philanthropic arm.

  She said the job drew her in because she loves talking with people and making their experiences the best it can be through service.

  “I love people and I love helping people when they’re in their happiest moments and traveling,” DuPilka said.

  But when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, she was sent home during her first week of training for the new job.

  She decided to pivot and go after that master’s degree anyway and started at University of Indiana in 2021.

  DuPilka is passionate about food security, and she researched organizations such as Feeding America and their work alongside major corporations such as Walmart, Kroger and Publix. She completed her master’s degree in public affairs — focusing on nonprofit management — in December 2022 and soon started a search, and back home at the Nest sounded like the best option, said.

  Returning to the Nest

  While applying for jobs post-graduation in 2023, DuPilka stumbled across the role she knew she was destined for. She had applied to other university gigs but she said, “I just felt like I’m cheating on my alma mater.”

  Thankfully, she received a response to her application and is coming up on her first anniversary in the role.

  DuPilka describes work in philanthropy as generous and humbling. “I love connecting people with UNF and what makes them excited to support or engage with,” She said. “That’s what this position was going to give me.”

  She said it’s been a rewarding experience to work alongside her peers and enact transformational change within COAS.

  She’s enjoyed how working in this position has opened doors for new connections. One minute she’s coordinating a pledge payment to expand a major donor’s endowment, and the next minute she’s attending square dancing lessons with that same donor. DuPilka brings an energy of warmth and excitement in the room, which makes her an excellent representative of UNF’s commitment to excellence.

  In her spare time, DuPilka enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Tyler, and her 1-year-old pup, Leía, a soon-to-be student in obedience training. She’s a big fan of Star Wars and Harry Potter, noting that she’s represents the Gryffindor House through and through. Jenna’s enjoying the process of reestablishing her community on the First Coast.

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 1/31/24)

• Edwards, Christian

  

  Gardner Minshew isn’t the only Colt returning to Jacksonville this weekend as Christian Edwards (’13) also makes the trip home, which means we get to recognize one more #UNFL alumnus before our #RoarAndSoar game!

  Back in his high school days at the Providence School of Jacksonville, Edwards knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and work in athletics. He started college at the University of Central Florida business school, working with their football program during his freshman and sophomore years, but decided to switch his major to Sport Management and finish his degree at the University of North Florida.

  Edwards comes from a family of Ospreys. His father, Dan, was a long-time public relations specialist for the Jaguars while serving as an adjunct professor at UNF, and two of his three siblings — sister Danielle (’13, ‘15) and brother Preston (’16) — graduated from UNF. He loved taking his law, finance and compliance classes all specialized in the sports realm, and said Dr. Kristi Sweeney and the UNF College of Education and Human Services professors really challenged him and made an impact on his career. In addition to assisting the Jaguars, he got to work with the UNF Softball program where he said, “the energy, passion and pace of the game is unmatched.” However, he knew his passion was in the NFL.

  After graduation, he landed an internship with the Denver Broncos as a media relations intern. During Peyton Manning’s second season with the Broncos, this position took him all the way to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York. Needless to say, the demand for media requests couldn’t be higher, and his staff won the coveted Pete Rozelle Award for PR. Despite the loss to the Seahawks, it was an amazing experience, but he wanted to see where his career would take him.

  He next landed a position working for the Pittsburgh Steelers as their public relations intern. On his first day, he ended up driving Dan Rooney, owner of the team, and developed a relationship with him and his family. He enjoyed working for the historic franchise and was part of a second Pete Rozelle Award winning staff.

  As he kept trying to advance his career, there was an opening for a public relations assistant with the Indianapolis Colts, and if his resume wasn’t impressive enough, the personal call owner Jim Irsay received from Rooney vouching for him ensured he was the best candidate. Edwards has been with the Colts for the past nine seasons, working his way up from PR assistant to assistant director, all the way to his current role as Director of Communications. He loves how much continuity his department has had. While most sports organizations have an abundance of turnover, his communications family has continued to grow together. His boss got promoted from assistant director all the way to Vice President, while he watched one of his part-time interns advance into his former role.

  His favorite part of the job is the relationship building. Not only has he gotten to work with quarterbacks like Manning and Andrew Luck, but he gets to watch as his network of players, coaches and staffers expand, with some joining the team, some leaving for another team and some moving on from the sport. Four of his former coaches are now serving as head coach for another program — Chicago Bears' Matt Eberflus, Arizona Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon,Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Sirianni and Carolina Panthers' Frank Reich. He even remembers getting to know punter Pat McAfee as an athlete before watching his post-football analyst career grow from Barstool Sports to ESPN.

  While his schedule is notably hectic, he still makes time for his family. He met his wife, Kendra, when he was working in Pittsburgh, and she joined him in Indianapolis. They now have two kids, 2-year-old Sadie and 7-month-old Crosby. While most of his free days are spent at the playground, zoo or children’s museum, he looks forward to the days when his kids will appreciate football like he did growing up.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/14/23)

• Edwards, Preston

  

  THE PLAYERS Championship hits Jacksonville this week, so we’re taking the Alumni Spotlight to the links. You may have read Christian’s spotlight last year, but it’s time we invited his younger brother Preston Edwards (’16) to the par-tee.

  As the third of the Edwards children to make it to The Nest, it wasn’t too hard of a decision for Preston to stay close to home. Similar to the rest of the family, he grew up around sports and stuck with it throughout his college career, working both for North Florida Ospreys athletics department and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He earned his degree in Sport Management from the UNF College of Education and Human Services along with a business administration minor. After graduation, he was offered a communications position with the Carolina Panthers fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, so he packed his bags and moved up to Charlotte.

  The demand from the media was at an all-time high for the Panthers, so Preston was immediately positioned to work with several high-profile athletes to help maximize local and national coverage of the team. Over the next five years, he worked his way up the organization to communications coordinator, handling everything from player interview requests, media guides and press conferences, while also working specialty events such as the NFL Draft, Super Bowls and even the launch of the city’s new Major league soccer expansion club.

  After six seasons in Carolina, Edwards got a call about an open position close to home at the PGA TOUR, serving a similar communications role on the Korn Ferry Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour is a development tour for professional golfers who are one step away from reaching the PGA TOUR. After originally joining the TOUR as a communications specialist, a position held for two years, he was promoted to his current role as manager of communications for the PGA Tour Pathways.

  Edwards loves being able to travel around the country to various places where tournaments are hosted, while working with the golfers as they pursue the ultimate goal of reaching the PGA TOUR. University of North Florida Golf alumnus Philip Knowles (’19) is just one of the many golfers he worked with as he earned his PGA Tour card in 2022.

  The job commitment keeps him busy, but he enjoys his role and wants to continue contributing to the growth of this organization. Plus, he’s close to home and able to spend his free time with the family, even if that means throwing some friendly jabs when Christian’s Indianapolis Colts get beat by the Jaguars.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/11/24)

• Ercey, Peter

  

  They say with a degree from the University of North Florida, nothing is shrimp-ossible! Originally from Coconut Creek, Peter Ercey (’14) knew he wanted to go to college for a sport management degree that—at the time—only a handful of schools in Florida were offering. He wanted to be far enough away from home to be independent, but close enough he could still visit easily. In addition to the friendships he continues to maintain from his university days, he believes UNF helped boost his confidence for success, develop networking skills and instill the importance of a strong work ethic. He graduated from UNF College of Education and Human Services with a bachelor’s in sports management and a minor in business administration.

  After graduation, he didn’t really know what he wanted to do other than work in sports (especially baseball). He interned with the Jacksonville Sharks, but other than that didn’t have much industry experience. He ended up taking a job doing B2B office supply sales, and although he learned the persistence required to be successful in the sales industry, he didn’t find any enjoyment, spending more on gas driving to his territories than he was earning.

  When looking for jobs in the sports industry, Ercey learned of a job fair occurring during the MLB Winter Meetings. He flew out to San Diego for a few days and was able to get a handful of interviews from single-A clubs all the way to the major leagues. He ultimately accepted a promotions coordinator internship with Inland Empire 66ers Baseball, the High-A affiliate for the Los Angeles Angels. In December 2014, he packed up and moved cross country for his first taste of professional baseball. Throughout his internship, he created promotional nights and in-game entertainment, while learning more about sales. Once the season ended, he was on the job hunt again and interviewed with the Jacksonville Suns, who under new ownership were looking to revamp their staff. He was hired as an account executive, where he found his passion for ticket operations. After his first season, he was promoted to box office manager where he managed staff, oversaw the internship program and hit all of his sales goals. He was then promoted to assistant director of ticket operations at the start of 2020.

  A lot has changed over the past decade for the Jacksonville baseball club. The Suns rebranded as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and were promoted from AA to AAA. However, when the pandemic hit, uncertainty struck the league. Thankfully, the GM and owner kept everyone on staff, which spoke volumes to Ercey. Following the cancellation of the 2020 season, he worked on safe special events at the ballpark — like socially distanced movie nights. After seeing his versatility adapting to these new protocols, he was promoted to his current role as director of ticket operations.

  Ercey loves his current role, getting to go to a baseball stadium every day and create lifelong memories for people. He’s helped coordinate everything from birthdays, proposals, retirement parties and people attending their first ever baseball game. He’s also had the opportunity to meet various MLB coaches and players while helping in the clubhouse. This past offseason, he oversaw the implementation of four new systems working in sync with their new ticketing system.

  He's taking his job one day at a time. He’s continuing to grow within the organization, hoping one day to possibly become a VP of Ticketing or Assistant GM. Ercey also enjoys being able to come back to UNF several times throughout the year, speaking to sports management students and passing out Jumbo Shrimp tickets. Outside of work, he loves to spend time with his wife and two kids, traveling or just taking them around the city. Plus, now that his daughter just completed her first baseball season, he’s engulfed in the sport.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/25/23)

• Farb, Dianne

  

  Dianne Farb and Rebecca Heflin both graduated from UNF in 1997. Dianne entered law school and has served as an attorney at the University of Florida for over two decades. Rebecca put her degree in literature to use to become a best-selling, award-winning author of romantic fiction. But what do these two Ospreys have in common? For starters, they’re the same person.

  Dianne and her husband, Ron, were living in Ponte Vedra when she decided to enroll at the University of North Florida. At 30 years old, she knew it was a non-traditional experience and felt a bit intimidated being in classes with students fresh out of high school, but she felt so supported in her decision to start her college experience. She loved the literature department, and the amazing professors she learned from such as Prof. William Slaughter, and ended up winning the Award for Excellence in Literary Scholarship. About midway through her program, she decided she wanted to attend law school, and she remembers Prof. Marnie Jones telling her, “You’re too good of a writer to become a lawyer.” After she graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in literature, she wanted to stay and practice law in Florida, and everyone she talked to recommended she apply for the UF Levin College of Law.

  Her time at UF was unique. Some of the law professors were the same age as her, but she believes this helped her develop closer relationships with the professors and administration. Farb worked for the Baptist Eye Institute while attending UNF before stepping into a law clerk position at Baptist Health over the two summers in law school. After earning her J.D. with honors in 2000, the associate dean of career services called her up and mentioned the general counsel had an opening. Farb said, “this was a temporary job with the potential to become full time,” which became a reality as she ended up spending over 15 years as the associate university counsel for research and health affairs. She developed institutional review board policies and guidelines and reviewed protocols to ensure researchers are complied with federal regulation and ethical requirements. In 2016, she accepted her current position — assistant director of research and IRB vice chair — by the same staff she had grown so familiar with. She had always loved bioethics, having done independent studies at UNF and UF, and now gets to focus on that each day.

  Farb said that in the early 2010s, she started to experience a mid-life crisis which led to her seeking a creative outlet. While she was never much of an artist, she knew how to write, and she’d been enjoying romance novels since she was a teenager. Thus came the birth of Rebecca Heflin, a pseudonym inspired by her great-great-grandmother, Sarah Anne Rebecca Heflin Apple Smith. Heflin published her debut novel, “The Promise of Change,” in 2011, later becoming a finalist for the Florida Writers Association’s Royal Palm Literary Award. Her second novel, “Rescuing Lacey,” went on to win the FWA Royal Palm Literary Award among many other accolades and merits. She followed this success up with the “Dreams Come True” series, which earned her a second FWA RPL Award, the “Sterling University” novella series, and the “Seasons of Northridge” series, which earned her third FWA RPL Award.

  Heflin describes her writing process as a mess. “There are plotters and pantsers,” she said. “I don’t plot, I just fly by the seat of my pants.” She has a basic idea of where the story might go, but she writes non-linearly and pieces it together. She’s gotten her inspiration from classic authors like Jane Austen and contemporaries like Nora Roberts and Kristan Higgins. She loves creating stories and characters and believes everybody deserves a happy ending. Her characters tend to be in their 30s and 40s, but she’s got a seasoned romance coming in her new book series featuring a hero and heroine in their 50s.

  Aside from research administration and love stories, Dianne and Ron found a shared passion for philanthropy. In 2003, they co-founded the Climb for Cancer Foundation, which raises funds for cancer programs by climbing mountains, similarly to charity walks, along with other fundraising events. The organization has raised over $3 million for cancer patient support, and she was recognized by Santa Fe College with the 2013 Women of Distinction award due to her philanthropic efforts. She also started a new business called A Novel Idea where she helps independent authors get their books formatted, edited and published, in addition to assisting with graphic and website designs. On the off chance she’s not working on one of these four ventures, you can catch her enjoying nature, whether it’s gardening or traveling with Ron.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/2/23)

• Findel-Hawkins, Jack

  

  Men's Tennis' Jack Findel-Hawkins ('17) has been continuing to excel in the tennis world. The 2016 & 2017 ASUN Player of the Year set program records with 4 All-ASUN and 7 POTW selections, plus an ITA & NCAA All-American selection. After being the first Osprey to qualify for NCAA Men’s Singles, he broke through his senior year advancing to the quarterfinals. He earned his Sport Management degree from the UNF College of Education and Human Services before getting into coaching, spending the last 2 seasons on the University of Memphis Men's Tennis staff before joining Vanderbilt University last summer. He is a member of the UNF Hall of Fame Class of 2024 .

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/19/24)

• Florence, Drayton

  

  Drayton Florence (‘15, ‘19) was a cornerback who spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers & Jacksonville Jaguars. He earned his bachelor’s in Sport Management and his master’s in Educational Leadership/Athletic Administration from the UNF College of Education and Human Services. He now spends his time with the Drayton Florence Foundation.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/15/23)

• Gonzalez, Victor

  

  We’re moving from the golf course to the sandlot as Spring Training is underway. For alumnus Victor Gonzalez (’15), this is when the fun begins.

  Gonzalez serves as Assistant Director of Florida and Dominican Republic Operations for the Minnesota Twins. In this role, he oversees the spring training operations as the club trains in Fort Myers. He also handles everything from the food service operations, county operations, and both the Fort Myers and Dominican Republic player academies.

  Growing up in Lake City, Gonzalez knew he wanted to work in sports. He wasn’t sure which direction to go, but his initial thought was to become a coach, right after crossing the stage as a Florida Gator. However, after visiting his best friend who was living in the University of North Florida dorms, he’s not sure if it was the lazy river, the trip to the beach or watching the Jacksonville Suns, but next thing he knew he submitted his application to UNF Admissions and became an Osprey.

  In the UNF College of Education and Human Services sport management program, he got introduced to the marketing and game presentation field. One of his professors was athletic director Nick Morrow, who got him involved with North Florida Ospreys. Other professors got him connections with the Suns (now Jumbo Shrimp) organization. So between weekdays with the Suns, weekends with the Ospreys and his full time job working at Walgreens, he got about three years of experience in a one-year span.

  After graduation, he attended the MLB job fair in New York. He interviewed and applied to join a few clubs, including the Minnesota Twins, but when asked if he had any interest in moving to Minneapolis, Gonzalez said that he’d rather stay in the warm Floridian climate. Well, he got a call back from the organization that they were looking to fill a new role helping guide international players to the farm club, and it was based out of Fort Myers, so for the bilingual Osprey, it was a perfect fit.

  Over the years, he has worked his way to his current position. He’s had opportunities to move elsewhere, but he enjoy working with his ownership team and there are a few expansion projects he’s spent a lot of time on that he wants to see through. His advice for current students is to always reach out about ways to get involved and take advantage of all the opportunities provided at UNF. He and his wife, Mary Beth, enjoy being able to build roots on the gulf coast, and enjoy their downtime as football fans, Walt Disney World passholders and BBQ afficionados.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/13/24)

• Grass, Gabe

  

  Gabe Grass (‘04) leads by example as someone who knows how a college education and making the right choices for your future can flourish into a thriving career. As the University of North Florida director of corporate relations and major gifts, Grass establishes meaningful relationships with industry leaders and uses his expertise in development, entrepreneurship and interpersonal skills to drive fundraising efforts for UNF.

  He graduated in 2000 from Flagler Palm Coast High School and had been applying to a few colleges across Florida. When Grass toured the UNF campus with a friend, he said it was a “concrete jungle” and held its commuter school status for many students at the time.

  After applying to UCF and FSU, he ultimately chose UNF to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with initial interests in pursuing a career as a child psychologist. With a natural ability to interact with children, Grass was also “fascinated by the different phases and different age ranges and how they progressed” in their cognitive development.

  As that interest started to wane near the end of his undergraduate studies, his background in the field prepared his interpersonal skills and drive for community and understanding in his future career choices.

  Grass regrets his lack of involvement in extracurricular activities and groups outside of class, but he made lasting friendships with members of fraternity Sigma Chi and a dormmate, Nick Freeman, who got paired with Grass based on their mutual love of surfing. The University’s proximity to Jacksonville Beach played a role in Grass’ choosing UNF for his undergraduate studies, as well.

  In a way, one of his professors inadvertently played matchmaker by pairing students up into twos for a group project. Grass looked to his left and right and found empty seats, but when Saralyn Sapp walked in late to class and sat down beside him, their lab partnership soon blossomed into a budding romance. The two quickly fell in love and in 2004 earned two significant documents: their bachelor’s degrees in psychology and a marriage certificate as they exchanged vows later that same year.

  Both Gabe and Saralyn knew opportunities for graduates with only bachelor’s degrees in psychology were limited. Therefore, they looked at universities together to pursue master’s degrees and applied to four different schools, including Virginia Tech, where they found a home on the campus in Blacksburg.

  They drove up in the middle of the winter to visit Blacksburg and were blown away by the beautiful campus and impressive faculty members. They both secured assistantships, alleviating out-of-state expenses, making an enormous difference in their pursuit of higher education. Both Gabe and Saralyn pursued a Master of Science in Human Development within Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He said they found this degree program interesting due to its community engagement and outreach approach to nonprofits, inspiring him in ways that has led him into fundraising and development. Gabe and Saralyn Grass both earned their degrees after finishing their internships back in Jacksonville in 2005. They learned valuable knowledge on nonprofit development, grant writing, stewardship, cultivation and program management during their time at Virginia Tech.

  While Gabe and Saralyn restarted their lives back in Jacksonville, she got recruited by a statewide nonprofit in Tallahassee and they made the move to the capital. Gabe secured a position at Florida State University in fundraising and they both became doctoral candidates for education policy evaluation studies in 2007.

  Gabe and Saralyn reveled in their time in Tallahassee, and one night they went to a homebrew club meeting, which had a strong presence in the area at the time.

  Grass describes himself as the more athletic and technically focused child in his family, while his younger brother and older sister were the creatives.

  “I don't have that gene, I don’t know what happened,” Grass said. “I became my farmer father’s son.”

  But Grass enjoyed the hobby of homebrewing, and once he made his first batch of beer, he said that he felt the “twinge” of creativity his siblings had been living with all their lives.

  He embraced the chef’s flair for it and said, “Brewing beer is a blend of science and art at the same time.”

  He continued making beer in 2008 and 2009 while fully embracing his role at FSU. In the middle of his doctoral program, he thought about the prospects of opening up a brewery, becoming a growing passion during his nonworking hours.

  Fast-forward to 2010 … Grass has completed all of his coursework and started his dissertation on how private philanthropy shapes public policy, but he and his dissertation chair both realized that he was not fully invested in the project. After seeking advice from numerous mentors and his wife, he decided to make his dream a reality and pursued opening a brewery. The credits he completed earned him a professional degree in Education Policy and Evaluation that same year.

  He leaned on connections he had made with the chamber of commerce, the Economic Development Council, and many other small business owners in his pursuit of opening his brewery. He said, “that really gave me a foot up and knowing what it is that I wanted to do, and how to accomplish it.”

  After tireless work in planning, Gabe and Saralyn opened GrassLands Brewing Company in February 2015 and it flourished for the next five years. At its peak, they led a staff of 15 and the beers brewed there were distributed across 10 different counties. As Gabe said, any small business owner will tell you, “it wasn’t always rainbows and unicorns, but we were a team.”

  In mid-2019, the challenges of entrepreneurship became more challenging as Saralyn’s family in Jacksonville dealt with poor health. After sitting down with their landlord, they decided to sell their assets and equipment in order to do a turnkey operation in the same location.

  GrassLands Brewing Company closed its doors in 2019, saying goodbye to their loyal patrons, and the brewery community that they had grown to love in Tallahassee. In hindsight, Grass said the incredibly difficult decision was timely, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous closures of retail-based businesses during the pandemic’s peak. Grass said the brewery would have struggled to stay open and many friends in the industry had to indefinitely close their businesses and many were unable to open back up.

  “At least we were able to celebrate our friends and supporters in a fun way, and still be able to go out the way that we wanted to,” Grass said.

  While Gabe and Saralyn had started their business, they also expanded their family with the adoption of their daughter, Cheyanne, who at 15 years old did not have any stability in her life due to being in the foster care system.

  “The theme of her life was instability,“ Grass said. “[We said] let’s be a consistent presence in her life.”

  They increased how much time they spent with Cheyanne and they fell in love with her, as she did with them. They wanted to help her have a better future and officially adopted her on June 28, 2016.

  After Grass and his family moved back to Jacksonville, he secured a job at Flagler College as the director of corporate and foundation relations and worked there for over two years, including the early days of the pandemic. Saralyn, in turn, joined the leadership team at the Kids Hope Alliance, a funding agency for the City of Jacksonville that supports area nonprofits every year.

  When UNF posted a job involving corporate relations and major gifts, Gabe’s connections with current faculty helped his excellent resume get in front of the right people to hire him for the job and has been serving in this role since 2021.

  He is currently pursuing his doctorate in higher education administration and leadership. “Never finishing my dissertation was something I regret,” he said. “The opportunity to go back to school without incurring collegiate loans and being in a supportive environment is relevant to my career goals now.”

  “I think it’s a unique and interesting time to be at UNF both as a student, and as a leader in development,” Grass said. “UNF's Strategic Plan is going to put us into unknown territory over the next five years, and getting there is going to be a wild ride. I am very excited about it.”

  When Grass is not raising money and securing transformational gifts for UNF, he enjoys supporting small businesses and has fallen in love with Tiki culture. He enjoys spending time with family, friends, and their fur babies, which include three cats: CiCi, Sake', and Delilah; and their adorable dog, Pearl.

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 12/20/23)

• Gulihur, Kit

  

  We’ve got a special alumni spotlight this month as these three featured Osprey alumnae are all still student-athletes. Ana Paula Melilo (’21), Kit Gulihur (’22) and Kendall Nash (’22) have all been instrumental in leading the North Florida Ospreys women’s tennis program to their 7th ASUN regular season championship and their 10th ASUN tournament championship this season.Originally from Brazil, Melilo was recruited to UNF by the former coaching staff. She wanted to find a university with a good tennis program, and good business school and a similar climate, so UNF was a perfect fit. She was progressing through her curriculum quickly for her bachelor’s degree in economics in UNF Coggin College of Business, and with an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID season, she decided to power through and pursue her M.S in business analytics.Born and raised in Jacksonville, Nash was originally recruited to Kennesaw State before returning home to UNF. She earned her bachelor’s degree in UNF School of Communication and will be wrapping up her master’s degree in UNF College of Education and Human Services with a concentration in athletic administration. Despite already having her degree, she had two years of eligibility remaining, so she wanted to continue the success of the program.

  Gulihur was attending high school in Italy when she started applying to colleges. She attended Oklahoma State as a freshman before transferring to UNF and earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology in UNF College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently on pace to earn her master’s degree in international affairs in the Spring of 2024.

  While many collegiate athletes across the country are taking advantage of the new NCAA graduate transfer rule to attend a new university for their final year of eligibility after graduation, these three agreed returning to UNF was one of the easiest choices they’ve made. Nash said, “the community at UNF is so special, with an amazing coach and athletic staff, and the team bonding and the relationships [they’ve] built with one another is incomparable.” To Gulihur, being an Osprey means being a part of a “close-knit, inclusive community.” Contrary to her previous institution, she appreciates how at UNF it seems that everybody knows everybody, and she feels comfortable being herself.

  Nash’s favorite memory as an Osprey was making UNF history in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Despite being the underdog against Ole Miss, they battled back from a 3-1 deficit by winning the final three matches, and as soon as Annabelle Davis clinched the match, they all stormed the court to celebrate. Melilo’s favorite memory is more recent during this year’s ASUN Championships, her parents were able to make the trip up to watch her play for the first time, so having them on the sideline watching them win the conference was special to her. For Gulihur, nothing beats the Ozzies, the annual UNF Athletics award ceremony. In general, she loves being able to dress up with her teammates and celebrate all the Ospreys’ accomplishments at the end of the school year, but this year was extra special as she took home awards for Female Athlete of the Year, Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Best Individual Female Performance.

  We spoke to the graduates about their life plans after obtaining their master’s degrees. Melilo would like to stay in Jacksonville as she loves the city and the growth in the finance industry presents her with a great opportunity. Gulihur is currently working for the government and she would ideally continue that career path, but she’s excited for the future of the tennis program and would love to return to support her girls from the sideline. Nash still has one more year of eligibility left, but even when her collegiate career is over, she wants to stay in the tennis realm coaching for either a university or a country club. Over the years, her coaches have made such an impact on her that she wants to return the favor to the next generation of tennis stars.

  But before they look too far ahead to the future, they still have business to finish this year. They made history last NCAA tournament and gave No. 5 Auburn a battle at the UNF Tennis Courts back in February, so no matter the opponent they plan to show off all their physicality and training as they fight for every point.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 5/3/23)

• Herrick, Mindy

  

  As we approach Thanksgiving, we’d like to give thanks to our donors who help support our students. A shining example is North Florida Ospreys Women’s Golf alumna and UNF Osprey Club Scholarship recipient Mindy Herrick (’21, ’23) who’s here to tee things off.

  Originally from northeast Ohio, the Herricks converted from snowbirds to residents as they moved down to Gainesville. Mindy, following in her father’s and grandmother’s footsteps who were both golfers, picked up the clubs at age 11 when her coach noticed her natural talent. After continued lessons and competitions, she decided to pursue a collegiate scholarship, when Coach Berglund swooped her over to UNF.

  By the time Herrick wrapped up her collegiate career, she finished with a bachelor’s degree from the UNF School of Communication focusing in journalism, a master’s degree from The Graduate School in educational leadership focused on athletic administration, program records for rounds under par, Top 5, Top 10 and Top 25 finishes, and an ASUN Conference Championship ring. While the individual accolades are nice, Herrick said walking off the final green with her teammates showering her with water bottles to celebrate the conference title was “the cherry on top.”

  Herrick continues to fill the trophy case as both the operations manager for the Taylor Leadership Institute and the head women’s golf coach for St. Johns Country Day School. The TLI team recently received the Greatness Award for Student Success by Franklin Covey and Herrick was just named St. Johns Athletics Coach of the Month. She may be one of the youngest head coaches, but after being coached by both Coach Joanne Berglund and Dr. Matthew Ohlson, she loves using her experience to influence the next generation of golfers to achieve their goals.

  Right now, she’s happy with her current regimen where she can do meaningful work with the Leadership Institute and still have time to coach her high schoolers. While you might think balancing these two roles is overwhelming, Herrick said she actually has more free time than her student-athlete days. She’s still able to spend time with her friends and has started reading more since graduation, often finding herself relaxing beachside with a book.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/20/23)

• Hochman, Max

  

  As part of our ROAR & SOAR TAKEOVER, we're shining a spotlight on Max Hochman ('15). Hochman is the Senior Producer/Editor for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hochman completed his bachelor’s degree in communication at UNF College of Arts and Sciences focusing on media production. His current role has a wide variety of tasks, and he’s had opportunities to shoot, edit, direct and produce live broadcasts and post-productions shows for both television and online platforms. You may also be familiar with his “Mic’d Up” segments he films and edits with the players and coaches throughout the season.

  Hochman says, “The experience I got at UNF helped open the door to the career path I’m on today.” He began his journey as a Spinnaker Radio show host and a Spinnaker TV camera operator/floor manager, then took an internship with North Florida Ospreys as a digital media intern and video editor and finished his undergraduate career as a founding club member and camera operator for ESPN3. His fondest memory at UNF was the 2015 Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Championship game, where the Ospreys hosted and defeated USC Upstate to win their first conference tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Hochman says “I’ve never seen the arena so packed before…it was a special moment for Osprey Nation. Swoop!”

  Hochman’s advice for current students is to “be persistent and go get what you want.” He suggests applying for as many internships as possible and take advantage of office hours with University of North Florida professors. He believes the involvement of alumni improves the overall community at UNF and “instills a sense of pride in being an Osprey!”

  Looking into the future, Hochman hopes his success with the Jaguars will elevate him to a position as an editor/producer for NFL Films. When not on the clock, Hochman loves to travel with his wife Katie and cat Floyd.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/11/22)

• Hoffman, Chris

  

  We all know Ospreys love perching on branches, but this UNF alumna found a branch of government to sit atop as she became the first female mayor of Jacksonville Beach!

  From a military family, Chris Hoffman (MBA ’12) moved around a bit before finding a home in Jacksonville Beach. Her father, Rick, was stationed in Mayport, while her mother, Pat (‘84), attended nursing school at the University of North Florida. However, Chris decided to venture out to Gainesville to get her undergraduate degree.

  As a sophomore at UF, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, so she spent many of her school breaks traveling back home. Right after graduation, she volunteered for the American Cancer Society and ended up earning a job in their advocacy department, which led her to Tallahassee to work on tobacco-related policy and legislative work. She then relocated to Orlando to work on a ballot initiative to make restaurants smoke-free. After that campaign ended, she returned to Jax Beach around the time her father retired so they could spend time taking care of Pat and find other ways to get involved with the community.

  Having come from a military family, serving the community was inherent, so after deciding to build her roots in Jacksonville Beach, she got more involved. She was working at TPC Sawgrass while serving on the boards of directors for Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (BEAM), Volunteer Life Saving Corps, Baptist Medical Center - Beaches, and the Beaches Museum. She also was a member of the 2016 Leadership Jacksonville Class, which expanded her network throughout Duval County. Once she stepped away from TPC Sawgrass, she became the executive director for the Beaches Museum.

  Hoffman always knew she would return to school for a master’s degree. She loved the UNF campus — having spent summers here as a child — and had family connections within the school as her mother and sister Linda (’03) were alumnae, while her father served on the UNF Student Affairs Community Council. She also said the Coggin MBA program sparked her interest. “It had a lot of adjunct professors that were actively working in Jacksonville.” The program also provided an opportunity for her to study abroad in India, learning more about global economics.

  In 2012, she decided to run for City Council. She filed her paperwork in February — before walking across the UNF graduation stage in May — and her campaign was underway. She won her election that November and in addition to her council seat, was appointed to serve on the pension board, putting her MBA to good use examining actuarial audits and investments. She served for four years, ran for reelection and won in 2016, and then decided to run for mayor to explore how much more she could do for her community. In 2020, she won 70% of the vote, soaring toward the mayor’s office.

  In her roles, she’s been able to add a lot of excitement to the city and our University. She assisted the Lazzara family in the creation of the UNF Seaside Sculpture Park, which kickstarted the government’s push for more public art into the downtown area. She also helped Kurtis Loftus invigorate downtown during the winter season with the establishment of Deck The Chairs, which in its 11th year UNF is thrilled to once again be a participant. She’s helped to bring a number of events, eateries and boutique shops to the downtown area, with its growth remaining a major focus for her.

  Hoffman’s favorite parts of the job are helping bring new businesses to the city and meeting the younger generations to teach them about local government, but her least favorite part is dealing with misinformation running rampant through social media. She said, “it’s a lot easier to make people mad about things than to make them hopeful,” and with only a community newspaper as their local publication, people often take anything posted online as fact, regardless of accuracy. Another lesser known aspect of the job is that during declared states of emergency — such as a hurricane warning — the city manager and the mayor make decisions. The county has an emergency operations center downtown where mayors get briefings from key parties to make decisions on school closures and evacuations. While there haven’t been devastating storms to hit the city since she’s been mayor, she’s still gone through preparedness exercises, learned about potential water and wind impacts, and made appearances on the weather channel.

  Her mayoral term runs out in 2024 but she will be running for reelection. While campaigning is a major time commitment, during her downtime she still experiences fun in the city, whether it’s seeing a theatrical production from Players by the Sea Theatre or enjoying a local event. She also fosters dogs for the London Sanctuary and is the speaker chair for the Rotary Club of Jacksonville - Oceanside.

  (Written by Alex Achor, Published 12/6/23)

• House, Yoanna

  

  As Paris Fashion Week wraps up, it looks like this year's in style is "très Osprès." Did you know the University of North Florida is the only school with multiple winners of America's Next Top Model?

  Yoanna House is the MODEL example of Osprey perseverance. A parochial school student, she saw the growth of the UNF campus as she was applying to colleges and saw it as a way to escape her comfort zone while remaining close to home. She enrolled in the International Relations program while focusing on Asian Studies. Her goal was to learn about the world firsthand and explore it through a different lens.

  While her parents were adamant about her pursuing her academics, she always had a penchant for fashion. In the early 2000s, reality TV was an up-and-coming concept, and a new show called America’s Next Top Model just made its debut. House stumbled upon the submission process and sent in some pictures, only to learn shortly after that she’d qualified for Cycle 2 of the series.

  As the show started up, she was known her quirkiness and eccentricity, but 11 episodes later, host Tyra Banks announced that the 23-year-old House would be America’s Next Top Model. She was so grateful for the experience which led to her signing a decade-long contract with IMG Models Worldwide.

  The crown of America’s Next Top Model came with its pros and cons. The show opened many doors for her to meet producers and creatives in New York City, and the media training for networks allowed her to go up against established models like Klum Heidi for auditions. House made her debut as a runway model during the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She was featured on numerous commercials, cover stories and spreads, in addition to hosting the shows The Look for Less on the Style Network and Queen Bees on The N. She was also named the face of The CW network, appearing in commercials and web advertisements during the channel’s launch.

  On the flipside, this new fame came with its sense of anxiety. When talking about her appearance on the show, House said, “It was a great opportunity at the time, but never again.” After living the fast-paced life in the Big Apple, she felt strange coming back to Jacksonville, which at the time wasn’t as progressive as it is now.

  20 years following Cycle 2 of ANTM, House welcomes roles in front of and behind the camera. She’s been heavily involved in the industry, but following the pandemic, she’s embraced the producer side more. She notices how drastically the industry has changed since she first started, featuring more types of bodies and less agism within the industry. She returned to school to complete her education, currently enrolled in Harvard Business School’s entrepreneurship program as she looks forward to starting her own business. Her advice to fellow UNF entrepreneurs in Jacksonville is to maintain relationships and hold true to your core values. House said, “It’s easy for artists to knock value on their own work but hold your ground and be willing to say no to certain projects.”

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/4/24)

• Huggins, Ana

  

  Luke Nicholas earned his degree in marketing and communication. Ana Huggins earned hers in communication with a public relations focus. Trent Blair earned his in sport management. What do these three have in common? They all enjoy exercising, building relationships and working in the front office of North Florida's ECHL hockey team, the Jacksonville Icemen.

  Blair is the director of business development, focusing on client retention and B2B relationships with the club, and has been with the team for six years. Huggins is the merchandise and operations manager, serving as the point of contact between the organization and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. She also handles all merchandising within the team store, giveaways or co-branded partnership items, and is in her second season with the team. Nicholas is the vice president of ticket sales and service, facilitating the sales campaigns and the growth of the organization, and joined the team three months before the inaugural season. While they all have drastically different roles in the organization, they all relish the opportunity of being a part of the growth of this new hockey franchise within the Jacksonville community.

  Blair, Huggins and Nicholas all got started with the Icemen organization as part of their required UNF internship. Growing up as a shy kid, Blair says the best thing he learned from the University was how to build and cultivate these relationships. During one of his classes he was chosen by his group to present their ideas. His presentation was so exemplary he earned a proverbial mic drop from the rest of the class. He was also the first generation of his family to attend college, so having his parents and grandparents in attendance for graduation meant the world to him.

  Huggins was a digital marketer with a part-time job hoping to turn full time, before professor Bobbi Doggett convinced her to take a fun, hands-on internship. The Icemen hosted the ECHL All Star Classic in 2022 right at the start of Huggins' internship, where she wound up standing face-to-face with the Stanley Cup trophy. Only planning to stick around for a few months, she fell in love with the team and the sports industry and ended up accepting a full-time job before graduating. She loved her time at UNF and ended her college experience on a high note spending a lot of long, productive nights on the library floor with her group from Dr. Stephynie Perkins' PR Campaigns class.

  While Nicholas was attending UNF, he never intended to end up in sales. He knew he loved meeting and connecting with people, but his professors helped him focus on his strengths and how he could apply them entering the job market.

  Nicholas took a speech class during his junior year that changed how he viewed public speaking and presentations, in addition to providing him life skills which he found integral for his career development. However, when it comes to his favorite memory at UNF, Nicholas said nothing compares to storming the court when the Ospreys Men's Basketball team won the Atlantic Sun Championship in 2015.

  The trio all have plans to continue their career path. They all feel invested in the program and want to see how it continues to grow after watching the growth of the Jacksonville Icemen from their inception to the finished construction of the Community First Igloo. Plus, they all love the close-knit relationship among the front office staff and the level of excitement brought by the fans and community during the games (enhanced by the additional perk of Blair getting to drive the Zamboni). While Nicholas is the longest tenured of the Ospreys, he's also focused on his personal growth, trying to learn as much as he can and continue to assume additional responsibilities.

  The sports industry has a tendency to consume nights and weekends, but they all find time to unwind when they can. Nicholas is able to spend time with family in close proximity. Huggins loves outdoor activities, including going to the beach and spending time with her dog, Emma, and her horse, Adele. Blair works toward improving both his physical and mental health, and is very focused on his faith. He is also a big fan of Marvel and Burger King.

  For those of you reading this who have never been to an Icemen game before, I asked for some helpful tips to pass along. First off, the Icemen are owned by Zawyer Sports, who also own the Savannah Ghost Pirates, the opponent for UNF Night. While the organization supports them off the ice, leave no doubt that they want to destroy them on the ice. Second, it's a very fast-paced sport with a lot of action and limited stoppages in play. When there is a break in the action, there's always some fan engagement piece going on. Another unique aspect is that the fans create their own unique chants throughout the game, so keep an ear open to play along. All in all, it's really an event you have to experience live to understand.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/9/23)

• Hyder, Tasha

  

  Tasha Hyder is a double Osprey from UNF College of Education and Human Services, having earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management and her master’s of education in athletic administration. Originally from east Tennessee, she was looking for business schools and the University of North Florida kept popping up. If the marketing presence wasn't enough to sway her into attending, the close proximity to the beach certainly did the trick. She currently serves as the executive director of the Clay County Agricultural Fair and has been recognized for molding the annual event into one of the top-five fairs in Florida. Her work has been so impressive that the International Association of Fairs and Expositions has installed her as one of its ambassadors. She was also recently named one of Jacksonville Business Journal's 2023 40 Under 40 honorees.

  Hyder has over 1,000 volunteers yet only 3.5 paid employees, so to be a fair manager requires her to be both a problem solver and a magician. While people may suspect that the fair has a marketing team, PR team, etc., that all falls under her duties. Hyder says, “I have the best volunteers, but they also have real jobs and I have to keep that in mind when planning the fair.” Ultimately, the safety of the guests is her priority, so when life throws curveballs leading up to the event, she must adjust and improvise accordingly. Just last year, a storm caused about 70% of the parking spots to be unusable, and if that wasn’t bad enough, a volunteer accidentally ran a tractor through the barn damaging it right before opening day. Hyder says she just tries to stay one step ahead of the bad guys trying to ruin a good time.

  While there is a lot of preparation that goes into consistently creating a strong event year after year, Hyder always manages to showcase her creativity with new attractions. In addition to the livestock and agricultural exhibitions, she also has integrated ideas such as Goat Yoga, Speed Dating on the Ferris Wheel and the Redneck Romper Fashion Show. She's most proud of some of her newest ideas including Sunflower Hours, which are sensory friendly times at the fair, and the Picnic Project, where they partner with local artists to repurpose worn down picnic tables into art pieces which are then auctioned off with the proceeds going to local charities.

  Hyder’s favorite part about her job is being able to create lifelong memories for people. In addition, she loves being able to travel around the country and visit other fairs. With her career path, there’s always an opportunity for something new, as there are so many fairs throughout the states. If she does ever leave her current role though, she has thought about getting back to her roots in the Parks and Recreation department because she misses planning things like playgrounds and a multitude of smaller events.

  Hyder refers to UNF as “the best years of her life” and believes it helped prepare her for her career through various teamwork and leadership opportunities. She was part of the women’s basketball team, which felt like an extended family and allowed her to work in a team environment. She also appreciates being able to look up to leaders such as Nancy Miller and Dr. Jennifer Kane. The most important thing she learned from UNF was how to be an adult. She went from being an only child in a small town to having to figure out life miles away from home, which was a big culture shock and learning experience.

  The fair isn’t the only big event Hyder is planning this week, as she’s actually getting married to another Osprey in October! Tasha and Alyssa ('11) got engaged last February in Big Talbot Island. She thought with all her event planning experience that planning her own wedding would be easy, but she quickly realized how mistaken she was. While she makes compromises at work, fair personnel often think along the same page. In terms of the wedding, Alyssa is more business minded and budget oriented, while Tasha is more creative and innovative with some of her ideas, so it will be interesting to see what the final result looks like. When Hyder isn’t working or wedding planning, she loves to travel and explore new places, in addition to paddle boarding and photography. Otherwise, you can catch her at BrewHound with her two boys, Dudley and Finley.

  If you’ve never been to the Clay County Agricultural Fair before, this year’s event is actually happening RIGHT NOW, but it ends next weekend. Hyder invites you all to come out, eat the food, ride the rides, pet the cows, watch the shows and have fun!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/1/23)

• James, Sierra

  

  You know what they say… New Year, New Osprey! Well, if you’re looking to start the year off full of self-improvement, we’ve got a handful of featured alumni that are here to help!

  Sierra James (‘11) enrolled at UNF because of the beautiful campus, laid-back vibe and the proximity to the beach and friends. She graduated from the UNF Brooks College of Health with a B.S. in nutrition and dietetics before working as a nutrition educator with the Florida Department of Health.

  She completed her dietic Internship while employed with them and spent a total of seven years working in the public health field. Afterwards, she worked for the Wounded Warrior Project in their physical health and wellness department and spent two years working as a clinical dietitian in Oncology. In October 2022, she returned to The Nest in her current role as campus dietitian with UNF Dining Services.

  A typical day for her starts with one-on-one nutrition counseling with students, faculty and staff. Then she plans for all the outreach and events she does across campus to promote nutrition, health, wellness and sustainability. She also does café tours, guest speaking engagements, staff trainings and works with dietic interns as their preceptor.

  If you’re trying to start the year off strong, James would encourage everyone to put most of your focus on balance. “Avoid extreme fad diets and instead focus on including a wide variety of nutrient dense foods regularly,” she said. “Try to think about what you can add to your plate to make it more nutritious instead of what you will take off your plate.”

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/1/24)

• Kaszuba, Jakub

  

  Originally from Poland, Jakub Kaszuba (’19) had trouble breaking the language barrier when his family moved to Jacksonville. Whether it was learning in school, making friends or even adapting to the Floridian climate, he faced a constant struggle to overcome. He was able to find comfort in Taekwondo classes at a local dojang. In the end, he believes that overcoming these obstacles made him a stronger person. He grew to love Jacksonville and plans on staying here his whole life.

  When looking to attend college, UNF’s professor-to-student ratio swayed his decision. He remembers feeling relieved taking his introductory accounting class with Dr. John McEldowney when he noticed everyone in the class was starting on the same playing field. Kaszuba knew that there is always steady demand for professionals in this field, so he decided to pursue this career path. His favorite memory as an Osprey was meeting all the new cohorts from the International MBA program and showing them around the area. He now has friends all over the world. He also served as the vice president and treasurer of Alpha Sigma Pi, spending his time with other accounting majors, enjoying all the fun on campus like the basketball tailgates and the Steve Aoki spring concert. The Capt. Blanchart Maritime Endowed Scholarship recipient graduated with a double major in accounting and finance, and after a year interning with Grant Thornton, he now serves as an auditor in Florida. His office deals with financial and operational audits, so he focuses on the schools and universities in the North Florida region.

  As a child in Poland, Kaszuba loved the experience watching the Grunwald Medieval Battle reconstruction, and after moving to the U.S., this excitement around fighting only grew with television shows like Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z. The Taekwondo classes he took as a kid were his primary way of meeting people and spending time with his father. After completing his taekwondo studies, he moved on to kickboxing at Dead Game and First Coast Full Contact, then boxing at the Police Athletic League and Bulldog Boxing. His combat sports career continued as he joined Elevate MMA and Gracie Barra Jacksonville, while wrestling for Bishop Kenny High School. MMA felt like the final stop of martial arts since it combines many of the other disciplines.

  So, by day he is Jakub Kaszuba, a local auditor. By night, he is Jakub Kaszuba “The Auditor,” a professional MMA fighter with a 10-0-0 record currently ranked in the Top 300 worldwide in the lightweight division. With his training in almost every combat sport, he imposes a physical fighting style to break down his opponents. He utilizes a combination of his wrestling and kickboxing strengths until he wins. To prepare for a bout, he starts a nine-week training camp, consisting of running 20-25 miles a week, eight hours of boxing and wrestling training and weight training four times a week. While he currently sports a clean record, he doesn’t feel the pressure to stay undefeated. “I’ve lost many times in my life in different sport competitions,” he said. “Losing is a normal part of life, and it lets one know how to change their training methods and evolve as a competitor and as an individual.”

  Balancing these two careers is another challenge. He often leaves for work by 6 a.m., gets off at 3:30 p.m. to go train and doesn’t return home until 8 p.m. But if anybody knows how to overcome a challenge, it’s Jakub Kaszuba. Between his preparation and his support network, he is able to succeed. He said, “My wife Ashley and my family are very supportive of me and my success in MMA would not be possible without them. I also have great coaches like Gene Bautista, Roberto Cuartero and Preston Parsons. My coaches and my training partners at Gracie Barra Jacksonville and Elevate MMA get me ready for all my bouts.”

  His plan is to continue working for the Florida Auditor General until he makes enough money to focus on fighting. Once he retires from MMA though, he’d gladly return to work. “I truly love working at the AG and I highly recommend it to all accounting majors,” he said. “It is a great work environment with great and lovely people.” He is currently competing in the 2023 PFL Europe Championship, which will net him $100,000 if he wins, before he fights in the American tournament with a $1 million prize pot. So if any of our alumni are looking to sponsor a champion, reach out to Jakub!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/21/23)

• Keefe, Robert

  

  With over two decades of Naval service as a flight engineer and mechanic, Robert Keefe (’18) rose his way up the ranks, spending most of his career as a lead petty officer before ending his service as chief. As his military career was winding down, he made the decision to pursue a finance degree from UNF. To assist with his education, Keefe received the prestigious Mowbray Scholarship, and as its first recipient, had the opportunity to meet the award’s donors, Melvin and Mary Mowbray.

  Melvin honorably served in the U.S. Navy for 31 years, obtaining the rank of chief petty officer, while Mary dedicated her life to being an educator. “The scholarship meant so much to me,” Robert said. “It allowed me to fully concentrate on school and dedicate myself to my studies.”

  During his time at UNF, he was a frequent visitor to the UNF Military & Veterans Resource Center. MVRC director, Bob Buehn, had no shortage of positive words about Keefe, saying he offered everything from involvement in workshops to constructive criticism for the MVRC. It was during these visits to the MVRC that Keefe decided to pursue a career in accounting. Keefe said, “"I figured, people always need accountants and I'm good at math. But guess what? Accounting has little to do with your numerical skills and everything to do with analysis and understanding regulatory and tax laws." He was able to utilize the skills he learned in the Navy to become proficient in this area before joining the Macquarie Group internship program as an analyst.

  After earning his bachelor’s degree, he was hired full time in an associate role, where he realized how similar regulatory reporting was to flight engineering. "You don't often stop to think of the thousands of details that need to be checked to get a plane in the air,” Keefe said. “Everything needs to be working individually and collectively for humans to go against nature and take flight. This carries over into finance. If we only look at the little details in finance, we will not be successful. We must look at the detail and the whole picture." The skills Robert has built during his time in the military added value to his role and enhanced his team.

  Recognizing the strength veterans can bring to an organization and grateful for the scholarship and opportunities he received, he approached Anthony Glenn, head of the Macquarie Jacksonville office, to create a scholarship for UNF active-duty military personnel and veterans. This scholarship, much like the Mowbray Scholarship, would help bridge the gap for military students to pay for college. Glenn and the company wholeheartedly agreed. This generous corporate decision provides students the ability to focus primarily on their studies without the need for a part- or full-time job to support day-to-day living expenses. "When you are helping people be better, you are helping the world become better," Keefe said.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/6/23)

• Lemon, Cleo

  

  Cleo Lemon (‘14) was a quarterback for the Chargers, Miami Dolphins & Jaguars. He also earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida Sport Management program. He currently serves as the wide receivers coach for Jacksonville State Football.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/15/23)

• Lombardo, Julia

  

  From the turf to the surf, we’re shining the spotlight on Julia Lombardo (’21), former North Florida Ospreys Women’s Soccer midfielder turned marine biologist.

  When Lombardo arrived at the University of North Florida as part of her official visit with athletics, she was impressed by the beauty of its campus, but when she had the opportunity to tour the biology building and the necropsy lab, that sealed the deal for her to become an Osprey. Pursuing a degree in the sciences as a student-athlete can be very challenging. “Difficult class schedules paired with demanding athletic schedules leaves you with very little free time,” Lombardo said. She was fortunate to be surrounded by so many supportive professors, coaches and staff willing to help along with plenty of academic resources offered by the University. She said, “the rigors of being a student-athlete taught me time management, resilience and the ability to work well under pressure.”

  During the summer of 2021, she was able to have hands-on research with catching and tagging sharks and collecting tissue and blood samples. In the fall of 2021, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in coastal and marine biology with a minor in environmental studies. She now serves as a Coastal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) biologist for the US Army Corps Of Engineers, Jacksonville District. Her job involves the writing/supporting of NEPA, Endangered Species Act and biological/wetland assessments in the development of monitoring and assessment plans for their coastal storm risk management (beach nourishment) and navigation (waterways and harbors dredging/beneficial use of dredge material) projects. This involves close coordination with agencies such as NOAA, USFWS, FWC, BOEM and other state and local agencies in addition to their in-house project delivery team. One of her memorable experiences includes going aboard a dredge and observing the process.

  As a child, Lombardo knew no matter what career path she chose, she wanted to make a difference in the world. The work she does for the USACE definitely checks that box. “Working for an organization that allows me to give back to the community that I grew up in is an absolutely incredible feeling,” she said. She’s looking forward to seeing Flagler’s beach and dune restoration project come to fruition. Whenever she has free time, she loves to scuba dive, whether it’s recreationally in the springs across Florida or in a professional capacity as a divemaster providing support in the certification process.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/17/24)

• Marino, Jade

  

  “All the world’s indeed a stage, and we are merely Ospreys”

  As an art student, Jade Marino’s (’22) first foray into theatre took place during middle school, where similarly to East High, the school musical was the main event. She remembers her first performance as Marian Paroo in The Music Man in 8th grade. As she grew, so did her love for the arts. She wanted to find a good program with a voice major and the UNF School of Music faculty and staff really built a connection with her as a prospective student. She said, “that really spoke volumes to me, and it still holds true for the University of North Florida professional staff to this day.” She double majored in English & Music Performance.

  This is her 8th project with UNF Shakespeare. Normally when you see her, she’s flawlessly transforming into Ophelia or Lady Macbeth on stage, but this time she’s working behind the scenes. She started dabbling in the production side in 2022, having adapted the Mask of Night script with Will Pewitt in 2022, when she decided to pursue a more well-rounded perspective of theatre. This year’s Othello production is her first taking on an entirely backstage role. She said, “I love working with my fellow cast and crew in this capacity and I would recommend it to anyone interested in theatre and looking to grow their skillset.”

  UNF Shakespeare Presents: Othello is an original multilingual adaptation, featuring characters speaking lines in what would have been their historically accurate language. This was the most in-depth and collaborative undertaking for her, as it allowed them to widen the lens on all the intricacies and possibilities the original script had to offer, focusing on each character’s background, culture, and comfort language. Marino said, “It was such an eye-opening experience to be able to bring those to light with so much care and thought through the help of our script adaptation, translation, and costuming team, just to name a few sections of our production team that worked so hard to make this happen.”

  When the curtains close, Marino returns to her full-time job as a UNF Admissions coordinator while she finishes her graduate degree. Her territory spans the gulf coast where she’s able to draw perspective students to UNF the same way she was drawn, focusing on the welcoming and personalized feel of campus. In terms of what lies ahead, she plans to pursue another degree in musical theatre and possibly earn her doctorate. She’d like to take advantage of the opportunities that UNF provides, deepening her connection with different organizations and potentially studying abroad.

  UNF Shakespeare’s unique performances are part of a longstanding effort to expand the theatrical presence on campus and continue to foster support for the arts, which is such a rewarding outlet for students and community members alike. If you haven’t seen Othello, Marino recommends you take advantage of their remaining shows at the Limelight Theatre, Friday Musicale and Lazzara Performance Hall. She said, “This has been such a collaborative effort with so many different departments, organizations, and students on campus and over a year and a half in planning, and we would love to share it with you!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/27/23)

• Mastandrea, Benji

  

  As the basketball teams do their part to prepare for the upcoming homecoming games, we’ve got a few alumni suiting up in a different fashion who understand the importance of these matchups.

  At the start of the 2023-24 season, new North Florida Ospreys women’s basketball head coach Erika Lambert brought back a couple of former Ospreys to serve roles on the coaching staff. Chandler Merkerson (’14) serves as associate head coach, returning to North Florida after playing with the Ospreys from 2010-14 while earning her bachelor’s degree in sport management from the UNF College of Education and Human Services. Benji Mastandrea (’19) also earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from UNF and now serves as an assistant coach with the Ospreys.

  “It means the world of me to lead the next generation of Ospreys,” said Merkerson. “My coaches here changed my life for the better and I am honored to have the privilege of doing the same thing.

  Merkerson spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach for Samford, where she helped lead the team to two regular season titles, a tournament title and a WNIT appearance. She was selected as a WBCA Thirty Under 30 honoree, which recognizes 30 of the up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches. Before joining the Bulldogs, she spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Valdosta State, leading the team to an NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018.

  On returning to Jacksonville, Merkerson said, “All of the new, amazing things happening in athletics –from a brand new WBB era under Coach Lambert, to new facilities and upgrades and Nick [Morrow]’s investment in women’s basketball – it’s a really exciting time to be back at UNF.”

  Mastandrea spent the last two seasons as the video coordinator at Illinois State after having been promoted following his tenure as a graduate assistant. The Redbirds were MVC regular season and tournament champions as they made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years. While a student at UNF, he also served as an assistant varsity basketball coach at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

  “UNF as a whole has grown incredibly since my time as a student,” said Mastandrea. “I am most impressed with UNF’s continuous growth in athletics and academics with a focus on the student-athlete.”

  Be sure to support these two alumni on Wednesday, February 7 as the women’s basketball team hosts Austin Peay for their Homecoming Week matchup.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/22/24)

• Mathews, Hunter

  

  Earth Day is quickly approaching, but we’ve decided our home planet deserves a little more respect than 24 hours, so we’re celebrating Earth Week as we showcase some Osprey alumni who spend their lives celebrating nature and protecting our habitat.

  Hunter Mathews (’23) is an environmental scientist on the front line of helping restore the North Florida shorelines. He is a Jacksonville native and the son of Ospreys, UNF Coggin College of Business finance major Jeremy and UNF College of Education and Human Services elementary education alumna Sharon (‘93). As a kid, he loved going to the beach and playing in the ocean, or fishing in the rivers and ponds around the city. Although he left home to earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental science at FSU, he joined the UNF graduate school to complete his master’s in biology. He had spent time working with Dr. Kelly Smith of COAS at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) and believes those connections developed in the field help him pursue his passion at The Graduate School.

  While working as a biology research assistant at UNF, he and the department worked to stabilize the shorelines and restore habitats at the Kingsley Plantation and the GTMNERR’s Wright’s Landing, which have seen increased deterioration over the years due to boat traffic and severe storms. Their goal is to ensure the shoreline is resilient to rising sea levels and climate change disasters, which will in turn protect wildlife and plants.

  Oysters are a critical component of the area’s ecosystem since they work as a water filtration system and help improve water quality, and the reefs help protect fish and provide food for native wildlife. Under the guidance of Dr. Smith, he served as lead author of a research study on Pervious Oyster Shell Habitats (POSH), which are structures composed of recycled oyster shells bound by a thin layer of cement shaped into a dome. The UNF Institute of Environmental Research and Education (IERE) helped fund Matthews’ study which shows evidence that compared to the industry standard “Oyster Balls,” the POSH collect a significantly higher oyster density.

  This project provides a promising option for oyster reef restoration in energetic estuarine systems, creating an environmentally friendly and effective solution that the entire community will benefit from.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/15/24)

• McKinney, Colin

  

  When the twin towers at the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans and people across the world responded with confusion, sadness, anger, or a mixture of these emotions. The effects of this act of terrorism shook the world and the hearts of every American, but for many it also prompted a calling to a greater purpose.

  For Colin McKinney ('13), 9/11 occurred during his senior year at Terry Parker High School here in Jacksonville, forever changing the course of his life. “It was fresh on everybody’s minds,” McKinney said. “I was very eager and very patriotic, and decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps."

  McKinney underwent his basic training at Paris Island in South Carolina before engaging in combat training at Camp Pendleton in California, where he trained in how to operate amphibious assault vehicles (MOS 1833). He later returned to Jacksonville to serve with his assigned Reserve unit. During that time in 2005, McKinney and his fellow Marines received orders to help with rescue efforts in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

  Training for the Marines brought with it exceptional challenges, and McKinney said he wasn’t always sure he was going to successfully make it through training. After learning the basics in training, McKinney continued to excel in his primary role and learning more along the way. As he progressed through his military career, so did his endeavors overseas. McKinney completed two tours in Iraq in 2006 and 2009. While overseas, McKinney and his colleagues took on the task of operating 40-foot pontoon boats, or Small Unit Riverine Crafts (SURC). They used these following an expedited training in North Carolina to patrol the Euphrates River and areas near the Haditha Dam and Ramadi in Iraq.

  The Marine Corps taught McKinney to “never settle for any type of mediocrity” and to always strive to be the best. “No matter what there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

  McKinney had already started college at Florida State College at Jacksonville when he was honorably discharged in 2010 before transferring to the University of North Florida in 2011. For him, there was no other choice than UNF. “It’s just home,” he said. “I wanted to serve in the Jacksonville community and use the resources locally to gain experience.” McKinney earned two B.A.s in psychology and criminal justice.

  Fast-forward to 2023, McKinney now serves as the director of alumni engagement within UNF’s UDAE office after previously working as both a coordinator and assistant director of records and registration at the Nest. He became the unofficial go-to guy for all things surrounding commencement.

  In his new role, McKinney aims to enhance the offerings available to UNF’s alumni base, whether it’s hosting networking events, assistance in job hunts, or just a friendly smile and handshake at a tailgate. “We want to be a resource and an extension of the university assets to put them in the right hands, instead of just figuring it all out on your own,” McKinney said. “We want to be that extra assistance to our alums so they don’t feel so lost, if they do.”

  As the nation joins together to observe Veterans Day to honor our military service members, McKinney celebrates the Marine Corps birthday and uses this time to reflect on his past in the military and honor his fellow vets and those still serving. But his top priority remains his family and being present for his loved ones and his greater community in the Jacksonville area. He, along with his wife, Mandy, and their 10-year-old daughter, Hope, celebrates Veterans Day by attending the downtown Jacksonville parade and by placing U.S. flags all around his yard to highlight their household’s patriotism.

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 11/10/23)

• Melilo, Ana Paula

  

  We’ve got a special alumni spotlight this month as these three featured Osprey alumnae are all still student-athletes. Ana Paula Melilo (’21), Kit Gulihur (’22) and Kendall Nash (’22) have all been instrumental in leading the North Florida Ospreys women’s tennis program to their 7th ASUN regular season championship and their 10th ASUN tournament championship this season.

  Originally from Brazil, Melilo was recruited to UNF by the former coaching staff. She wanted to find a university with a good tennis program, and good business school and a similar climate, so UNF was a perfect fit. She was progressing through her curriculum quickly for her bachelor’s degree in economics in UNF Coggin College of Business, and with an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID season, she decided to power through and pursue her M.S in business analytics.

  Born and raised in Jacksonville, Nash was originally recruited to Kennesaw State before returning home to UNF. She earned her bachelor’s degree in UNF School of Communication and will be wrapping up her master’s degree in UNF College of Education and Human Services with a concentration in athletic administration. Despite already having her degree, she had two years of eligibility remaining, so she wanted to continue the success of the program.

  Gulihur was attending high school in Italy when she started applying to colleges. She attended Oklahoma State as a freshman before transferring to UNF and earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology in UNF College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently on pace to earn her master’s degree in international affairs in the Spring of 2024.

  While many collegiate athletes across the country are taking advantage of the new NCAA graduate transfer rule to attend a new university for their final year of eligibility after graduation, these three agreed returning to UNF was one of the easiest choices they’ve made. Nash said, “the community at UNF is so special, with an amazing coach and athletic staff, and the team bonding and the relationships [they’ve] built with one another is incomparable.” To Gulihur, being an Osprey means being a part of a “close-knit, inclusive community.” Contrary to her previous institution, she appreciates how at UNF it seems that everybody knows everybody, and she feels comfortable being herself.

  Nash’s favorite memory as an Osprey was making UNF history in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Despite being the underdog against Ole Miss, they battled back from a 3-1 deficit by winning the final three matches, and as soon as Annabelle Davis clinched the match, they all stormed the court to celebrate. Melilo’s favorite memory is more recent during this year’s ASUN Championships, her parents were able to make the trip up to watch her play for the first time, so having them on the sideline watching them win the conference was special to her. For Gulihur, nothing beats the Ozzies, the annual UNF Athletics award ceremony. In general, she loves being able to dress up with her teammates and celebrate all the Ospreys’ accomplishments at the end of the school year, but this year was extra special as she took home awards for Female Athlete of the Year, Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Best Individual Female Performance.

  We spoke to the graduates about their life plans after obtaining their master’s degrees. Melilo would like to stay in Jacksonville as she loves the city and the growth in the finance industry presents her with a great opportunity. Gulihur is currently working for the government and she would ideally continue that career path, but she’s excited for the future of the tennis program and would love to return to support her girls from the sideline. Nash still has one more year of eligibility left, but even when her collegiate career is over, she wants to stay in the tennis realm coaching for either a university or a country club. Over the years, her coaches have made such an impact on her that she wants to return the favor to the next generation of tennis stars.

  But before they look too far ahead to the future, they still have business to finish this year. They made history last NCAA tournament and gave No. 5 Auburn a battle at the UNF Tennis Courts back in February, so no matter the opponent they plan to show off all their physicality and training as they fight for every point.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 5/3/23)

• Merkerson, Chandler

  

  As the basketball teams do their part to prepare for the upcoming homecoming games, we’ve got a few alumni suiting up in a different fashion who understand the importance of these matchups.

  At the start of the 2023-24 season, new North Florida Ospreys women’s basketball head coach Erika Lambert brought back a couple of former Ospreys to serve roles on the coaching staff. Chandler Merkerson (’14) serves as associate head coach, returning to North Florida after playing with the Ospreys from 2010-14 while earning her bachelor’s degree in sport management from the UNF College of Education and Human Services. Benji Mastandrea (’19) also earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from UNF and now serves as an assistant coach with the Ospreys.

  “It means the world of me to lead the next generation of Ospreys,” said Merkerson. “My coaches here changed my life for the better and I am honored to have the privilege of doing the same thing."

  Merkerson spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach for Samford, where she helped lead the team to two regular season titles, a tournament title and a WNIT appearance. She was selected as a WBCA Thirty Under 30 honoree, which recognizes 30 of the up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches. Before joining the Bulldogs, she spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Valdosta State, leading the team to an NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018.

  On returning to Jacksonville, Merkerson said, “All of the new, amazing things happening in athletics –from a brand new WBB era under Coach Lambert, to new facilities and upgrades and Nick [Morrow]’s investment in women’s basketball – it’s a really exciting time to be back at UNF.”

  Mastandrea spent the last two seasons as the video coordinator at Illinois State after having been promoted following his tenure as a graduate assistant. The Redbirds were MVC regular season and tournament champions as they made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 14 years. While a student at UNF, he also served as an assistant varsity basketball coach at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

  “UNF as a whole has grown incredibly since my time as a student,” said Mastandrea. “I am most impressed with UNF’s continuous growth in athletics and academics with a focus on the student-athlete.”

  Be sure to support these two alumni on Wednesday, February 7 as the women’s basketball team hosts Austin Peay for their Homecoming Week matchup.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/22/24)

• Meyer, Eden

  

  From the Cross Country and Track & Field team, Eden Meyer completed her Biology degree in 2018 after finishing her collegiate running career with 14 ASUN gold medals and 3 NCAA Championship qualifications. She was also named ASUN Student-Athlete of the year on her way to a nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year. She joined Atlanta Track Club Elite after graduation and continues to run and spend time with family. She is a member of the UNF Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/19/24)

• Meyer, Whitney

  

  As March wraps up, so does our March Madness coverage of Ospreys in sports. Our final feature is close to home as we highlight Whitney Meyer (’10, ’18) who serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Community Impact Officer for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

  A Jacksonville native, Meyer originally attended FSCJ before transferring to the University of North Florida to earn a degree in Public Relations and International Studies. Her goal was to build a local network which made UNF an ideal destination. As a student, she saw a job opening in the Osprey Update and became a reservation assistant, participating in the opening of the UNF Student Union. She also helped create the first UNF Market Days. After graduation, she returned to The Nest as an employee assisting the UNF MVRC and the UNF Alumni Association. She loved the energy surrounding campus and enjoyed the opportunity assisting Ospreys during this pivotal time in their lives.

  After spending a few years doing similar work at Georgia State University, she made her return to UNF hosting special events for the University, working her way up to Director of Community Alliance for Student Success and Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer. She couldn’t have ascended the ladder from assistant to VP without an unwavering work ethic and strong relationships and is forever grateful for her decade of experience at UNF.

  In 2021, she started her current role with the Jaguars where she oversees the team’s philanthropic and community engagement, which includes the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, the Legends program, the youth football program and social responsibility pillars. “The Jaguars are much more than a football team,” Meyer said. She loves the impact of youth football, watching kids be kids. Her team organizes special events where Jaxson De Ville and Jaguars players will go into the community and pass out shirts. She even embraces the new role of coach as her own children are gearing up for flag football. “The power of sport can be so unifying,” Meyer said. During gamedays in Duval, no matter race, gender or political affiliation, everyone is cheering on our hometown team.

  Her goal is to continue learning and growing to be the best person she can be, both professionally and personally, and to be a community champion for Jacksonville. For any current students looking to mirror her success, her advice is to get involved and make meaningful relationships. “Join at least three clubs including one outside your area of study,” she said.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/29/24)

• Muñoz, Ariana

  

  With the #WomensWorldCup about to start, we wanted to showcase one of our North Florida Ospreys Women's Soccer alums with experience on the international stage. Ariana Muñoz (’22) got tabbed for the Peruvian national team for the 2nd time this year.

  Last season, after graduating from UNF Brooks College of Health with her Health Science degree, she joined the national team and scored a goal during a friendly against Mexico. She went on to represent Peru during the Copa América, facing off against Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Brazil #ArribaPeru

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/19/23)

• Nash, Kendall

  

  We’ve got a special alumni spotlight this month as these three featured Osprey alumnae are all still student-athletes. Ana Paula Melilo (’21), Kit Gulihur (’22) and Kendall Nash (’22) have all been instrumental in leading the North Florida Ospreys women’s tennis program to their 7th ASUN regular season championship and their 10th ASUN tournament championship this season.

  Originally from Brazil, Melilo was recruited to UNF by the former coaching staff. She wanted to find a university with a good tennis program, and good business school and a similar climate, so UNF was a perfect fit. She was progressing through her curriculum quickly for her bachelor’s degree in economics in UNF Coggin College of Business, and with an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID season, she decided to power through and pursue her M.S in business analytics.

  Born and raised in Jacksonville, Nash was originally recruited to Kennesaw State before returning home to UNF. She earned her bachelor’s degree in UNF School of Communication and will be wrapping up her master’s degree in UNF College of Education and Human Services with a concentration in athletic administration. Despite already having her degree, she had two years of eligibility remaining, so she wanted to continue the success of the program.

  Gulihur was attending high school in Italy when she started applying to colleges. She attended Oklahoma State as a freshman before transferring to UNF and earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology in UNF College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently on pace to earn her master’s degree in international affairs in the Spring of 2024.

  While many collegiate athletes across the country are taking advantage of the new NCAA graduate transfer rule to attend a new university for their final year of eligibility after graduation, these three agreed returning to UNF was one of the easiest choices they’ve made. Nash said, “the community at UNF is so special, with an amazing coach and athletic staff, and the team bonding and the relationships [they’ve] built with one another is incomparable.” To Gulihur, being an Osprey means being a part of a “close-knit, inclusive community.” Contrary to her previous institution, she appreciates how at UNF it seems that everybody knows everybody, and she feels comfortable being herself.

  Nash’s favorite memory as an Osprey was making UNF history in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Despite being the underdog against Ole Miss, they battled back from a 3-1 deficit by winning the final three matches, and as soon as Annabelle Davis clinched the match, they all stormed the court to celebrate. Melilo’s favorite memory is more recent during this year’s ASUN Championships, her parents were able to make the trip up to watch her play for the first time, so having them on the sideline watching them win the conference was special to her. For Gulihur, nothing beats the Ozzies, the annual UNF Athletics award ceremony. In general, she loves being able to dress up with her teammates and celebrate all the Ospreys’ accomplishments at the end of the school year, but this year was extra special as she took home awards for Female Athlete of the Year, Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Best Individual Female Performance.

  We spoke to the graduates about their life plans after obtaining their master’s degrees. Melilo would like to stay in Jacksonville as she loves the city and the growth in the finance industry presents her with a great opportunity. Gulihur is currently working for the government and she would ideally continue that career path, but she’s excited for the future of the tennis program and would love to return to support her girls from the sideline. Nash still has one more year of eligibility left, but even when her collegiate career is over, she wants to stay in the tennis realm coaching for either a university or a country club. Over the years, her coaches have made such an impact on her that she wants to return the favor to the next generation of tennis stars.

  But before they look too far ahead to the future, they still have business to finish this year. They made history last NCAA tournament and gave No. 5 Auburn a battle at the UNF Tennis Courts back in February, so no matter the opponent they plan to show off all their physicality and training as they fight for every point.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 5/3/23)

• Nazario, Brittany

  

  For today’s alumni spotlight, we’d like to shine a light on all the good our own Brittany Nazario (’17) is doing to improve the Jacksonville community.

  Nazario made the decision to stay in her hometown for her college experience, earning her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. She joined the Students for a Democratic Society (National), which she believes changed her life as their leader Monique Sampson taught her how to be an activist and a true advocate for the community. She also credits her success to Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull, who prepared her for community engagement work, Dr. Gordon Rakita, who helped her understand the impact of making data informed decisions through quantitative analysis, and Dr. Paul Fadil, who taught her that she can have a successful career focusing on people over profit. After graduation, Nazario spent her time contributing to the success of local organizations such as The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Feeding Northeast Florida, Historic Eastside CDC and the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District.

  Earlier this year, she started her new role as the Engagement and Marketing Coordinator for the Blue Zones Project. For those of you who don’t know about the Blue Zones Project, the organization is committed to creating sustainable, system-level solutions that improve population health and economic vitality, which will hopefully create a pathway to a new future where everyone can live longer, healthier and better lives through community well-being. They hosted their official launch event in Jacksonville earlier this month, becoming the 76th city nationwide to be active in this project.

  Nazario enjoys working on the impactful and audacious goal of greater stability, improved health equity, and increased resilience in our neighborhoods. Their work is rooted in lessons learned from the world’s longest-lived cultures which were translated into environmental changes that strengthen social ties, reshape places, and sharpen policies to support healthy choices. She believes this role is perfect with her background in Anthropology in addition to Marketing and Communications. She loves storytelling and placemaking and will always gravitate toward opportunities to improve the Jacksonville community.

  Nazario is a founding member of Museums as Progress and on the board of the Museum Computer Network. She also volunteers at WJCT and is a member of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee. She was recently named one of Jacksonville Business Journal's 40 under 40. Nazario says one of the best pieces of advice she’s received is from her mentor Kerrie Slattery, who always says “good comes from bad.” It’s encouraging for her to know even when times are hard, the negative will always be followed by a positive.

  She loves that Jacksonville is both a small town and a large city, in that there are so many areas with different offerings. A day spent at Jacksonville Beach is vastly different than one in the Urban Core, or Jacksonville Zoo or Town Center. She believes “Jacksonville does a great job of supporting local businesses and that support helps build the character and culture of our city.” Outside of work, she loves supporting local artists and is a bourbon enthusiast, so you can find here at any galleries or exhibitions, or any local spots that can make a decent Old Fashioned (s/o Grape and Grain Exchange and Josephine Avondale).

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/20/23)

• Neftzger, Amy

  

  Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” No one has taken that more to heart than Amy Neftzger (’89). As a child, she was destined to be a jack of all trades. Whether it was entering writing contests or following her grandfather’s musical footsteps, she balanced multiple hobbies at once. As an adult, she remains busy with a myriad of activities.

  Neftzger knew that life’s journey would only get crazier once she became a military spouse. She started taking college classes in California and continued studying in New England when her husband got temporarily stationed up north. When he got relocated again in Jacksonville, she finished her psychology degree at the University of North Florida. She remembers taking Dr. Fred Rahaim’s Industrial Organizational Psychology course and realized that’s what she wanted to pursue. In 1992, she went on to earn her master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Middle Tennessee State University, and has settled down in the greater Nashville area.

  After completing her postgraduate degree, Neftzger took a position in human resources for the Tennessee State Department. She quickly excelled in the field, performing organizational and job analysis to design strategies to test the effectiveness of HR programs regarding employee selection, training and evaluation. She started creating standardized assessments for national organizations while simultaneously teaching students industrial and organizational psychology as an adjunct professor at MTSU. She has become a leader in the healthcare analytics field, having spent six years as a director at Optum, leading the Payment Integrity operations group to identify healthcare fraud through behavior patterns. In 2021, she was promoted to her current position of senior director of advanced research and analytics for UnitedHealth Group, where she manages analytic teams to improve the health care experience for special needs and high-risk populations.

  Throughout this journey, Amy Neftzger maintained her interest in writing. She authored numerous educational publications, and she’s currently working on a couple more tackling bias in machine learning and validity issues with modeling. She’s also written fiction with her novel “The Ferryman” and short stories including “Confessions From a Moving Van” and “Conversations With The Moon.” Plus, she writes stories for children, having finished three volumes in “The Kingdom Wars” series. Her first children’s book — and first work as an illustrator — was “All That the Dog Ever Wanted,” in which a golden retriever learns how to play jazz. Since she balances so many projects, she never suffers from writer’s block. “If I’m ever struggling to continue a story, I’ll shift to something else,” she said. “After not seeing it for a month, I’ll return with a fresh perspective.”

  She finds the fiction works to be more challenging than the nonfiction — since you must manifest the architecture and believable content — but there’s not too much difference between preparing adult fiction versus children’s fiction. She starts both by “searching for urban legends and doing background analysis on the parameters.” The main difference is that she tones down the subject matter and language while avoiding “talking down” to the kids. Her literary influences are Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett — the latter two whom she named her dogs after.

  Music is still a big part of her life, as well. She no longer studies piano and flute like when she was younger, but she did pick up drumming a while back and joined her husband, guitarist Tyra Elliott Neftzger, in a band called Lucky Munk. They also love to travel, and the couple spent two years living in Ireland and traveling across the European Union, spending a month in each country. They ended by celebrating Christmas in the actual North Pole in the Arctic Circle.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/3/24)

• Nicholas, Luke

  

  Luke Nicholas earned his degree in marketing and communication. Ana Huggins earned hers in communication with a public relations focus. Trent Blair earned his in sport management. What do these three have in common? They all enjoy exercising, building relationships and working in the front office of North Florida's ECHL hockey team, the Jacksonville Icemen.

  Blair is the director of business development, focusing on client retention and B2B relationships with the club, and has been with the team for six years. Huggins is the merchandise and operations manager, serving as the point of contact between the organization and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. She also handles all merchandising within the team store, giveaways or co-branded partnership items, and is in her second season with the team. Nicholas is the vice president of ticket sales and service, facilitating the sales campaigns and the growth of the organization, and joined the team three months before the inaugural season. While they all have drastically different roles in the organization, they all relish the opportunity of being a part of the growth of this new hockey franchise within the Jacksonville community.

  Blair, Huggins and Nicholas all got started with the Icemen organization as part of their required UNF internship. Growing up as a shy kid, Blair says the best thing he learned from the University was how to build and cultivate these relationships. During one of his classes he was chosen by his group to present their ideas. His presentation was so exemplary he earned a proverbial mic drop from the rest of the class. He was also the first generation of his family to attend college, so having his parents and grandparents in attendance for graduation meant the world to him.

  Huggins was a digital marketer with a part-time job hoping to turn full time, before professor Bobbi Doggett convinced her to take a fun, hands-on internship. The Icemen hosted the ECHL All Star Classic in 2022 right at the start of Huggins' internship, where she wound up standing face-to-face with the Stanley Cup trophy. Only planning to stick around for a few months, she fell in love with the team and the sports industry and ended up accepting a full-time job before graduating. She loved her time at UNF and ended her college experience on a high note spending a lot of long, productive nights on the library floor with her group from Dr. Stephynie Perkins' PR Campaigns class.

  While Nicholas was attending UNF, he never intended to end up in sales. He knew he loved meeting and connecting with people, but his professors helped him focus on his strengths and how he could apply them entering the job market.

  Nicholas took a speech class during his junior year that changed how he viewed public speaking and presentations, in addition to providing him life skills which he found integral for his career development. However, when it comes to his favorite memory at UNF, Nicholas said nothing compares to storming the court when the Ospreys Men's Basketball team won the Atlantic Sun Championship in 2015.

  The trio all have plans to continue their career path. They all feel invested in the program and want to see how it continues to grow after watching the growth of the Jacksonville Icemen from their inception to the finished construction of the Community First Igloo. Plus, they all love the close-knit relationship among the front office staff and the level of excitement brought by the fans and community during the games (enhanced by the additional perk of Blair getting to drive the Zamboni). While Nicholas is the longest tenured of the Ospreys, he's also focused on his personal growth, trying to learn as much as he can and continue to assume additional responsibilities.

  The sports industry has a tendency to consume nights and weekends, but they all find time to unwind when they can. Nicholas is able to spend time with family in close proximity. Huggins loves outdoor activities, including going to the beach and spending time with her dog, Emma, and her horse, Adele. Blair works toward improving both his physical and mental health, and is very focused on his faith. He is also a big fan of Marvel and Burger King.

  For those of you reading this who have never been to an Icemen game before, I asked for some helpful tips to pass along. First off, the Icemen are owned by Zawyer Sports, who also own the Savannah Ghost Pirates, the opponent for UNF Night. While the organization supports them off the ice, leave no doubt that they want to destroy them on the ice. Second, it's a very fast-paced sport with a lot of action and limited stoppages in play. When there is a break in the action, there's always some fan engagement piece going on. Another unique aspect is that the fans create their own unique chants throughout the game, so keep an ear open to play along. All in all, it's really an event you have to experience live to understand.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 3/9/23)

• Ohme, Kevin & Will

  

  As we celebrate #FathersDay, we wanted to showcase the Ohme family. Kevin Ohme was a pitcher on the North Florida Ospreys baseball team, earning All-America honors in 1993 after leading the nation with 13 wins. His 1.63 career ERA still remains the best in UNF history and he was inducted into the UNF Hall of Fame back in 2008.

  In addition to being an All-American baseball player, he is also an All-American father. His son, Will Ohme (’21, ’23) followed in his footsteps joining the Ospreys in 2019. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Finance back in 2021, he made 18 appearances on the mound this season in addition to making the ASUN academic honor roll for the 4th consecutive year while working towards his MBA.

  Bonus Fun Fact: While playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Ohme finished with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.000 batting average, which statistically makes him the best player in MLB history!

  Bonus Fun Fact: Kevin can’t take all the credit for his son’s athletic prowess as Will’s mother Teri also was an athlete on the UNF Volleyball team!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/18/23)

• Olinto, Damon

  

  We continue our coverage out on TPC Sawgrass focusing on an alumnus who's left his mark on THE PLAYERS Championship as former Chairman.

  Giving back is something that has stayed with Damon Olinto (’83), University of North Florida alum and Market Executive of the Northeast Florida Division of Synovus. His honesty, enthusiasm and passion for giving back to the community is second to none. This practice can date back to his giving to the Bishop Kenny High School community in 1981 as a volunteer baseball coach. He wanted to teach student-athletes the same values the coaches taught him: the athletic aspects and important life skills ranging from character development to leadership.

  Later, as the President of the BK Booster Club and Golf Tournament Chairman, Olinto continued serving his high school by raising money to fund the athletic programs and student organizations. Damon is still serving the BK community as a member of the Ambassadors Council.

  After graduating from UNF in 1983, Olinto began soaring into the professional banking industry by joining Florida National Bank/First Union in 1987 and established a successful career. Using this knowledge, he served multiple local organizations including the Diocese of St. Augustine as a trustee of Diocesan Saving and Loan, and a member on the Diocesan Board of Education. He also was past chairman of the UNF College of Education and Human Services board. Olinto continues to serve the Ospreys as a board member for the UNF Foundation by providing support to the strategic plan for the development of academics and multiple aspects of student life.

  Olinto has been most active in the world of golf. In 2018, he served as Chairman for THE PLAYERS Championship and was responsible for overseeing the efforts of over 2,000 volunteers with the organization. Much of the work consists of fundraising, with over $100 million raised for local organization. Since 2022, he has also been involved with the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS Champions Tournament, bringing leadership and valued volunteer experience to the table.

  Our 2023 Alumni Service Award winner, Damon’s generosity and service to Jacksonville continues to heavily influence others while impacting the greater Jacksonville community. He's been blessed to be married to his wife Janet for over 35 years, and they have three children and two grandchildren.

  (Written by Alex Achorn & Joshua Rodgers, Published 3/12/24)

• Oliveira, Carmel

  

  Haven’t gotten enough #WomensWorldCup action yet? Well we’ve got another North Florida Ospreys Women's Soccer alumna with international experience.

  Back in January, Carmel Oliveira (’22) signed her first professional deal with Argentina’s Club Atlético River Plate. The Brazilian native got experience playing with the U20 Brazilian national team before earning her criminal justice degree at the University of North Florida.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/21/23)

• O'Neill, Sonia

  

  If you thought we were done sharing soccer stories now that the World Cup is over, you couldn’t be more wrong.

  Sonia O’Neill (’17) finished her collegiate career with the Ospreys, earning her Spanish degree from University of North Florida. A citizen of the world, she was born and raised in Toronto to a Canadian father and Venezuelan mother but also holds Italian citizenship, making her eligible to play for many different countries at the international level.

  After UNF Graduation, O’Neill made quite the debut for Swedish club Husqvarna FF, scoring two goals in her first match. In 2018, she signed with Roma CF to play in the Italian Serie B, before moving up to Serie A with Pink Bari. In 2019, she joined Croatian club ŽNK Split in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying round, but was then called up by the Venezuelan national team to play internationally. She returned to the club level with Rangers WFC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League before rejoining Split in 2021. She then moved to Germany to play with one of the most successful Bundesliga clubs, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, before signing with her current club, London City Lionesses, this past month.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/14/23)

• Oswitch, Celia

  

  We’re a month away from our #RoarAndSoar tailgate, and there’s a reason UNF has been referred to as the University of National Football. We’ve got plenty of alumni working for the NFL, and while we don’t have the space to showcase them all, we still want to highlight some of the Osprey alumni and the work they’re doing this season.

  Celia Oswitch ('23) is one of our more recent alumni, having graduated from the UNF College of Education and Human Services this past spring with her B.S. in Sport Management. After starting her college experience at a small school in Ohio, she wanted to transfer to a hands-on sport management program when she found UNF.

  Oswitch said that working in UNF Athletics was one of the best experiences she’s had and that Brock Borgeson, Assistant AD of Strategic Communications, was an incredible mentor and teacher. She said, “I started off working small positions on event days such as camera operations or stats running, but over time I was able to be a consistent stat caller and run social media accounts.”

  During her final semester, she completed her 400-hour internship program serving as the sports information point of contact for men’s and women’s tennis, where she wrote match previews and recaps and hosted the ASUN tournament. She said, “I learned to many valuable skills through UNF Athletics that I was able to take with me to my role at the Jaguars.”

  Oswitch started working with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a part-time assistant in public relations, but turned that into a full-time position this season where she works closely with players, coaches and external media members. Her day-to-day consists of writing media releases, roster transactions, fan announcements and audio transcriptions, in addition to scheduling media availability, working with opposing teams and many more tasks.

  While she may be young in the sports industry, she is anything but inexperienced. Starting as a freshman, she started working in merchandising with the Cleveland Guardians and guest services with the Cleveland Browns. Then, she volunteered at Super Bowl LIV in Miami, where she realized a career in the NFL was her goal. She gained valuable experience working the 2021 NFL Draft and Enshrinement Weekend at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When you throw in all her collegiate experience, Oswitch was able to create a well-rounded resume while identifying the external relations area she enjoyed the most.

  Oswitch reminisces on how football became her passion while watching games with her dad growing up. Next thing she knows she’s on the sidelines watching Rayshawn Jenkins take an interception to the endzone to beat the Cowboys. That following month, she sees Josh Allen return a fumble for a touchdown to certify the Jaguars as AFC South champions before they complete the third largest comeback in playoff history to defeat the Chargers. Needless to say, she got an increased demand for media availability.\

  As her career progresses, she hopes to continue working in the NFL joining the growing group of women in the league. Outside of her hectic work schedule, she finds time to let her mind relax at the beach with some fresh air, a nice sunrise and often a shark tooth find.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/15/23)

• Otero-Vargas, Noah

  

  Originally from Jupiter, Noah Otero-Vargas (’21) earned his degree in sport management from the UNF College of Education and Human Services, with a minor in communication. As a student, he had the opportunity to intern with the Jacksonville Icemen. Knowing that many members of the staff started as interns from UNF before transitioning to a full-time position, he was optimistic a similar fate would follow. Once the Icemen season wrapped up, he was able to enjoy a nice month of relaxation following graduation before he rejoined the team permanently as an account executive. During his interview with alumnus Luke Nicholas (’17), he heard about a new award for ECHL Sales Rookie of the Year, and immediately set an ambitious goal for his first season. 12 months later, the ECHL commissioner announced his name and presented him with the award.

  Otero-Vargas earned his current title as Senior Account Executive. He said, “whether it was on or off the ice, we have goals to accomplish.” His day-to-day role consists of connecting with people throughout the community to talk hockey. While they’re a “sales office,” he argues that they don’t do much selling, but rather work with people and groups to create memorable experiences. Everyone on the roster has goals to accomplish. Those members on the ice aim to win games, but he said “off the ice, we’re looking to create that environment to will those players to those wins.” His favorite moment is seeing the crowd of 10,000 fans celebrating with the team following a victory.

  When it comes to his outlook, he is not the type of person that likes to look into the future, but he hopes to continue his growth professionally and personally. He loves being in Jacksonville, and during his free time, you’ll likely catch him at a local concert or live event.

  For any alumni who haven’t yet attended an Icemen game, Otero-Vargas says they can expect a "fast paced, action packed, and an all-around fun night.” He encourages you to join them for UNF Night at the Icemen to “be a part of the largest and passionate fan base in the ECHL,” and bets that one game is all it takes to become a fan.

  (Written by Alex Achorn & Joshua Rodgers, Published 3/5/24)

• Painter, Emerald

  

  The Jacksonville Icemen season may be over, but there’s still plenty of sports excitement in the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena courtesy of UNF alumna Emerald Painter. Painter serves as the director of game production for the Jacksonville Sharks, a professional indoor football team in the National Arena League.

  Founded in 2010, the Sharks won ArenaBowl XXIV in 2011 before moving to the NAL and winning two championships in 2017 and 2019. Under Painter’s leadership, the Sharks have won their fourth straight “Best Game Day Entertainment” award from the league.

  Painter originally attended FSCJ after high school before transferring to the University of North Florida. She wasn’t sure which path she wanted to pursue and changed her major multiple times. She finally found where she belonged once she discovered the sports management program. She immediately got involved with the North Florida Ospreys athletic department doing grassroots marketing around campus and gameday promotions for all sports. She also took advantage of many opportunities in the city, gaining experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville Armada FC and the PGA Championship. She even worked at a gym to boost her sales experience. In 2017, she started her internship with the Sharks and served as the right hand to the director of operations. She gained so much first-hand experience that once the director left for a new role, she stepped up to the challenge.

  Painter is a very active person as she spends her time rock climbing, hiking nature trails, kayaking, traveling to the beach or heading down to Universal Studios. That’s why her favorite part of this role is that it’s not the typical 9-to-5 job. She's always running around and brainstorming new ways to create an electrifying game presentation. As the new standard of entertainment in the NAL, she generates a fun atmosphere and sees how the excitement of the crowd influences the game. Plus, she gets to build relationships with not only the fan base but also with professionals in the local community. She also has the distinction of having managed two championships in Jacksonville, which not many other people can say.

  She credits a lot of her success to the sport management department at UNF. Not only did the classes guide her through expectations in the industry, but the multiple opportunities provided to boost her resume were vital, and her professors were so helpful that years after graduation she still talks to them for guidance.

  She picked the perfect time to start her UNF experience as she was part of the gameday promotions team during the championship seasons for the Ospreys baseball, men’s soccer and men’s basketball teams. She was also an active member of the UNF Rock Climbing Club. Painter stays involved with the University as an alumna by working with the new UNF College of Education and Human Services sport management interns to provide a veteran’s perspective during Osprey gamedays, while also helping them earn college credit and gain additional experience as part of her gameday team with the Sharks.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/8/23)

• Patz, Melanie

  

  Melanie Patz was recently named president and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida. Patz completed her MBA at the University of North Florida in 2019. She chose UNF due to its strong economics concentration and the opportunity provided to attend classes in person. After completing her undergraduate degree at Samford 30 years ago, her husband Jason and she moved to Jacksonville when he got a job as an industrial designer, and she entered the non-profit sector.

  Other than the people Jason interviewed with, the couple knew nobody in northeast Florida. However, Patz says from the beginning the community was very welcoming and the strong connections they developed have kept them in the area. While the weather and nature are excellent selling points, Patz was really drawn to the community of people that care about each other and work to make the area a place of hope. She believes Jacksonville provides a better opportunity for anyone to achieve their full potential regardless of race or socioeconomic status. One of the major reasons Patz has stayed in the non-profit sector is due to the professionals, volunteers and donors who she believes are all smart, innovative and committed to improving the community for all.

  In 2003, she began working with the United Way of Northeast Florida, serving as the vice president of community impact up until 2014 when she accepted a job to become the new VP of community investment and impact at Baptist Health. She held that position until this past year when she returned to United Way. She said, “it very much feels like coming home.” Since she was at Baptist Health, the work shifted to focus more on improving conditions needed for future generations to do better economically. After reviewing countless research, she is convinced that poverty and racism are preventing Jacksonville from being a community of opportunity, so she is honored to lead United Way during a time when they are focused as an organization on tackling these seemingly intractable problems. Quite simply put, her future aspiration is to end poverty and racism in northeast Florida, and she believes if the community is inspired to come together, they will truly be successful.

  For the first time in their near 100-year history, United Way participated in Jacksonville’s pride parade in 2022. Patz believes this is the most exciting thing she has done so far as they were able to visibly demonstrate their commitment to helping create a community of opportunity for all. In addition, she worked with more than 100 volunteers to help spruce up Matthew Gilbert Middle School in Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside during the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. She doesn’t necessarily enjoy doing yard work but had a great time raking and mulching alongside members of Wells Fargo, UF Health, ARC Jacksonville and other community members looking to volunteer.

  Patz believes obtaining her MBA at UNF years after graduating with her undergraduate degree helped educate her on business innovations, particularly in the finance and IT realms. She also got to work with students through class projects and study groups who were much younger than her, which gave her an opportunity to challenge herself academically in a way she hadn’t in a long time. One Saturday morning, she was standing outside of the library waiting for it to open to participate in a study group when she bonded with a fellow student who also took some time off after graduating before pursuing his MBA —only to realize his gap paled in comparison to hers as he was born the year she got her undergraduate degree. Her biggest takeaway from UNF is that everything is doable with persistence and support.

  Outside of work, Patz enjoys spending her time reading, running, watching television and sleeping. She also serves on the board of 904WARD. She’s generally been too busy with work to participate in many of the traditional alumni activities, but she’s attended panel discussions at the University and is working on a project with economics department chair Dr. Albert Loh. Her message to all UNF alumni would be to find a cause you’re passionate about within the Jacksonville community, and whether you donate your money or your time, know that you are making a difference. If United Way happens to be that place, she’ll welcome you with open arms to join their mission to help all northeast Floridians thrive!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 5/25/23)

• Piatak, Jenna

  

  Jenna Piatak was born and raised in Jacksonville. In 1987, her father Tom Piatak (MBA '95) moved to Jacksonville and pursued his Master’s degree at the University of North Florida. While she had grown up hearing about UNF, she felt that she had to "leave the Nest" in order to grow. She ended up getting her undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 2019. However, she and her brother, Tom Piatak (MBA '21), returned to UNF to get their MBAs.

  In 2006, Tom Sr. and his wife Patty founded Magellan Transport Logistics, a Jacksonville-based company that provides services throughout North America. This Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) has quickly become a leader in transportation needs.

  Jenna serves as the Marketing, Recruiting & Training Manager for Magellan Transport Logistics. Over the past few years, Magellan has grown by around 100 employees and Piatak has been in charge of the hiring process for each one. Additionally, she oversees the organization's marketing and social media.

  Piatak said the biggest part of her marketing role is attracting hireable talent by selling the company to future employees. She said, “UNF has a very strong logistics major, so it’s the best pipeline for good talent.” She was already employed at Magellan before enrolling in the University of North Florida, but as a graduate student she was thrown into an additional role as leader of the internship program. She believes many of the classes she took at UNF directly impacted her leadership over the program, as she was able to apply her teachings toward her students to help them grow in this role.

  While she didn’t have the traditional experience of a UNF student due to the pandemic, Piatak enjoyed her time as an Osprey. She found it very beneficial networking with all the other students in the MBA program since they too were working in the community while taking classes.

  Outside of work, Piatak loves to travel. She recently took a trip to the British Isles to visit Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and ended up in London to watch the Jaguars play the Broncos…and she also recently got ENGAGED while in the UK!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/14/22)

• Ponti, Faith

  

  In May, we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, which shines a light on the topic of mental health while also reducing stigma and celebrating recovery and survival. This #AlumniSpotlight features an alumna who found inspiration and purpose growing up with her own mental health struggles to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and guide others to mental wellness. 

  Faith Ponti (’21) currently works for Sophros Recovery where she focuses on helping clients struggling with addictions. She’s also a certified first responder counselor with specialized training to help those with on-the-job traumas and PTSD. She helps clients by creating a safe space to endure growing pains and tackle mistakes, accountability and forgiveness. She uses mindfulness, inner-child work, Internal Family Systems techniques, and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy as part of her counseling. She may also assist people with body image issues, self-esteem, depression and ADHD.

  She received two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tampa in psychology and sociology. She said she pursued both degrees because psychology provides insight into the “micro” aspects of personal issues while sociology looks through a “macro” lens into a bigger picture with group dynamics. She finds it important to understand both the person and how they fit in within large groups and communities, as well as understanding subtopics such as socioeconomic inequality and differences in political climates.

  Ponti decided to go to UNF for her graduate studies due to its proximity to an ex stationed at NAS Jax. She said she knew she wanted to become a therapist from her own experiences in therapy as a client. Ponti described the mental health counseling program at UNF as “two years of your own intensive therapy,” because going through the learning process also involves facing your own struggles so that you can help others do the same.

  “When you’re a therapist, you have to clear out a lot of the cobwebs in your own heart so that when you’re in session with somebody, you don’t get as easily triggered,” she said.

  She worked through a “deep cleaning” of her own triggers and traumas through the master’s program, and she speaks highly of the impact the program had on her career and of her own understanding of herself. She also credits the program for teaching important therapeutic modalities and counseling skills.

  Mental health continues to be a growing concern, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, and only half of them receive treatment. Meanwhile, 1 in 20 U.S. adults experiences a serious mental illness each year, and only two-thirds receive treatment.

  Other notable statistics include that in 2020 there was a 31% increase in mental health-related emergency department visits among adolescents and that 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24, according to NAMI.

  She said one of the current trends in the mental health realm that she’s noticed is a lot of self-diagnosing based on content posted on social media apps, but most notably TikTok.

  Ponti said she loves the popular social media app like anyone else and provides a lot of informative content for the masses. She’s found many people find comfort in learning about mental health disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. But some people can take this information and make assumptions or use it to justify their actions, which in some cases is not healthy.

  For those who might be interested in pursuing a career in mental health counseling, Ponti said you have to be humble and eager to learn a lot of new things. “A lot of people who want to be therapists are already good at talking to people or giving advice,” she said. But some people approach therapy as if they are life coaches and that’s not what counseling is. “A lot of it is like being a mirror and helping somebody find the best path for themselves,” Ponti said.

  In her spare time, Ponti enjoys spending time with her son, thrift shopping and listening to podcasts.

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 5/21/24)

• Provenzano, Liza

  

  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we’d like to shine a spotlight on a UNF alumna, Liza Provenzano, who is a licensed mental health counselor at the UNF Counseling Center. She’s been counseling for over 15 years now. The Jacksonville native earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology over at a private university in the Arlington area before pursuing her postgraduate degree here at UNF. She completed her master’s of education in the mental health counseling program and officially joined the UNF Alumni Association in 2004.

  She said she was always intrigued by the psychology coursework...understanding human behavior (why we think, why we feel the way we do, etc.). Before joining the Counseling Center, she had done some social service work at the Hubbard House and the Jewish Family & Community Services, but she missed being a part of the campus community. Once the position opened at UNF, she saw an opportunity to make an impact on these young adults and immediately applied.

  Over the last 16 years, she’s seen a lot of growth in not only the University, but the department as well. The Counseling Center has a great space upstairs in Founders Hall filled with a diverse group of mental health counselors with different backgrounds and specialties. There are now plenty of ways for students to find a good fit for their mental health improvement, whether it’s through one-on-one sessions, group programs or even art therapy.

  While there still tends to be a stigma around mental health, Gen Z seems to recognize the importance of prioritizing mental wellness and feels more comfortable sharing and discussing compared to the previous generations. However, Provenzano says there’s still certain things that students feel embarrassed to talk about, along with plenty of students who they can hopefully reach to take advantage of their services.

  One misconception is that since the Counseling Center is part of UNF, anything students say can end up on their permanent record, but she wants to set the record straight that like every other off-campus counseling service there is confidentiality. Another misconception is that the Counseling Center is only necessary for severe issues, but there are plenty of qualified counselors that can help with some light adjustments. Many students have preconceived notions of what college life will be like, whether it’s excelling in all your classes, being besties with your roommates or having a packed social calendar. But sometimes when these things don’t go as planned, it can cause duress. Having someone to talk to like Provenzano or the rest of the counselors can go a long way in improving the college experience.

  While #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth only lasts until the end of May, we feel it’s important to understand the resources available at UNF that you can take advantage of year-round.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 5/26/23)

• Saul, Madison

  

  From one alumni association to another, we figured Madison Saul ('22) deserves her own spotlight! Before graduating from Hicks Honors College at UNF, she served as President of the UNF Presidential Envoys, helping the UNF Alumni Association coordinate and staff our events. She also was the SG Supervisor of Elections, an active member in UNF PRSSA and facilitated two semesters of the Hicks first year course.

  This year, she serves as the Program Coordinator for the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA). She works with former players to promote the game of baseball and continue their brotherhood once they step off of the diamond. This includes events like the Alumni Day Series, Career Development Summit, webinars, and so much more to assist the players in their transitional period.

  During the 2023 season, she helped host eight events across the United States, and was able to attend ones with the Cleveland Guardians, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles. She hosted over 200 alumni during games across the four ballparks, allowing her to connect former players with their Alumni Association and share more information regarding events and benefits. Saul loves hearing and sharing their stories from their big-league days to their current lives. She said, "being able to have a small part in such a special reunion that they look forward to is so rewarding, and each city and group is so memorable."

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/6/23)

• Schneader, Fred & Ryan

  

  Despite both taking business classes at the UNF Coggin College of Business, Ryan Schneader (‘21) and Linda Morales (‘20) #MetInTheNest at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Afterwards, they started seeing each other more and more around the University of North Florida campus and at a few ADPi events before they started dating. They got married in February of 2022 and celebrated their honeymoon in Oahu.

  Ryan earned his degree in Sport Management and currently serves as the Club Sports and Facilities Coordinator at UNF, and is also the Assistant Director of Youth Sports and Fitness Camps. Linda earned her degree in Business Administration and currently stays at home taking care of their new baby, Ryan Jr., born in December 2022!

  What you may not know is that Ryan's father, Fred Schneader, majored in Construction Management at UNF back in 1998 and his mother Belinda Bradeen Bash majored in Accounting at UNF in 1991. Ryan’s path to becoming an Osprey seemed inevitable having spent time attending UNF Youth Sports and Fitness Camps ... the same camps where he now serves as Assistant Director.

  To give mom a break at home, Ryan Jr. has already been spending time on UNF’s campus with dad as he runs this summer’s camps. If the little guy is anything like his parents, this may be the start of another Osprey legacy.

  Until then, here’s a picture of the Schneader boys celebrating a multigenerational #FathersDay enjoying some baseball.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/6/23)

• Shein, Kristen

  

  As a Jacksonville local, Kristen Shein (’19) didn’t travel far to become an Osprey. She loved the area & wanted to stay close to home. Plus, she grew up with a Jacksonville Jaguars obsession and a dream of one day being part of the team. She thought about pursuing sport management but decided to broaden her business scope and joined the UNF Coggin College of Business. She enjoyed the relationship built w/ her professors and said once she took class with Dr. Courtney Nations Azzari, she knew she followed the right path. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in marketing and a mass communication minor.

  After UNF Graduation, she applied for every Jags internship she could find, eventually earning a spot with the partnership marketing team. She enjoyed having a role where she not only helped market the Jaguars, but also local, national & international businesses. Since she joined the team, she’s been a sponge soaking up knowledge, working her way up the corporate ladder. She now serves as the Senior Account Manager of Partnership Activations.

  There are 2 different roles within the corporate sponsorships team. One handles sales while the other handles activations. Once the sales team finalizes the partnership, her team takes over and brings everything to life. This includes working with the game presentation team on in-game features, PR team on player appearances & social team on content. One of her clients is actually the University of North Florida, so anytime you see the Ospreys represented, she likely had a hand in it. She also loves the opportunities to give back to her community, whether it’s partnerships on food drives or the Literacy Locker Room where Jaxson DeVille takes cheerleaders/players to Duval County Public Schools to encourage reading.

  Our #UNFL alumna enjoys working for the Jags & hopes to continue growing within the department. The electric home games this past season — one which featured her partner as presenting sponsor — help expand the Duval pride. Plus, since much of her work surrounds the home games, when the Jags hit the road, she’s free to enjoy an occasional weekend trip to Jax Beach — or convinces her husband or mother to join a road trip to Indy or New Orleans to support her team.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/13/23)

• Shepard, Alex

  

  We’re only a couple of weeks away from our #RoarAndSoar tailgate, and when you see today’s #UNFL spotlight, you’ll paws in your tracks.

  Alex Shepard (’14) earned his sport management degree from the UNF College of Education and Human Services. Growing up in Daytona Beach, he enjoyed being close enough to home, yet on a campus that fit all of his wants and needs. His favorite University of North Florida memory is moving into the dorms as a freshman, knowing he’s about to embark on this completely new journey. He knew he wanted to work for the Jaguars organization and did whatever he could to get his foot in the door. Not only did the sport management program teach him about the industry, but it provided him his first opportunity to work with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He started working gamedays as a volunteer in the Fan Entertainment Zone, and shortly after joined the ticket office for two seasons in the will call booth. An internship opportunity arose with the special events department and he took it without hesitation. Then when Curtis Dvorak, who played Jaxson de Ville for the past 19 years, announced his retirement, Shepard filled in for the mascot role. Initially he viewed it as just another opportunity that interested him, and if he didn’t enjoy it, he had the option to change paths again. Instead, he decided to pursue it full time and the rest is history.

  Shepard said there’s a strange dynamic when he hears everyone screaming Jaxson’s name and wanting to interact with him. He feels like Superman turning into Clark Kent. “Once I put on the head, I become a different person,” he said. The moment he takes off his suit, he’s back to being regular Alex. Jaxson is the performer, he said, as he is far from that in his normal life, so there’s something freeing about no one knowing who’s inside.

  Jaxson is known as one of the most extreme mascots in the league. Shepard said the zipline entrance was something inherited from his predecessor, but they’re always planning new jaw-dropping activities. Last year, he jumped off the roof at Wembley Stadium, and he’s got something equally exciting planned for this Sunday’s game in London. In his role, he has had amazing opportunities. From being the only mascot to do stunts at Wembley and Tottenham FC, to joining the other mascots in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, to flying privately to and from New York for a special event, Shepard has been embracing the Jaxson lifestyle. “The variety and uniqueness day to day is what keeps the job interesting and exciting,” he said.

  Shepard has had such amazing experiences in his role, from developing relationships on a personal level, (s/o Carson Tinker, Keelan Cole and Jamal Agnew), to collaborating with his peers across the NFL and other sports leagues. His biggest adventure comes outside of work though, as most of his time and energy is spent with his wife of 4 ½ years, former Jaguars cheerleader and UNF alumna, Jenn (’15), and their 10-month-old daughter, Sophie. He said becoming a father has been “the most incredible journey and always poses a new challenge to work through.”

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 9/27/23)

• Sjögren, Martin

  

  As the country prepares for the World Cup, we’ve taken the #AlumniSpotlight across the pond as Martin Sjögren shares his experiences with us.

  Sjögren attended UNF on a soccer scholarship from 2000-01, majoring in psychology as part of his sport science studies in Sweden. He grew up about an hour north of Stockholm, and like many others, got into sports at the local club at an early age. He also comes from a sports family as his father played professional ice hockey in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He started off playing everything from ice hockey to tennis to floorball, but around the age of 13 started to specialize in soccer.

  He was looking to play overseas in the U.S. while attending college and got in contact with UNF head coach Ray Bunch. After a few calls, he was offered a scholarship and decided to pursue it. He enjoyed the presentation of the University that Bunch prepared and was swayed by the numerous European athletes on the team. While he only spent three semesters as an Osprey, he racked up a lot of great friends, many of whom he keeps in touch with. He also appreciated the opportunity to challenge himself not only in his sport but in life adjusting to a drastically new home.

  Sjögren had long considered coaching as a potential career path. After wrapping up his playing career in 2003, he was immediately offered a coaching opportunity. Sjögren said, “As a player, I was always interested in tactics and had a good understanding of the game, which I think have helped me in the process of becoming a coach.” His goal was to create an environment that influences the players and staff to improve both on and off the pitch. With a background in psychology, he has always been fascinated in how teams become more effective through their mental approach. He’s also aware of his own psychology, as he’s learned to embrace and enjoy the nerves that arise during their games.

  When he entered the Damallsvenskan — the premier league for Swedish women’s soccer — he started as an assistant coach for LdB FC Malmö, which had a history as a winning program but had been declining in recent years. After three seasons, he was named head coach, and in his first two seasons they won the championship. This was still at an early stage in his career, where as a young coach it was easy to think that he had all the answers. In 2012, he accepted the head coaching job at Linköping, another club in the league but one facing a very different situation. The club didn’t have many financial resources and the team needed to rebuild, placing a lot of emphasis on scouting. They got better each year before seeing their hard work pay off immensely during the 2016 season. The team went undefeated on their way to winning the championship, finishing an incredible 20-2-0 and ending the run of his former team in the process.

  After the 2016 season, Sjögren got a call from the Norwegian Football Federation. After a long interview process, they offered him the job of the head coach for the Women’s National Team. He was honored to accept the job representing the country — even if it wasn’t his home country. The national team is radically different from working with a club, but he felt privileged to be their choice to coach this talented team. After finishing in the top of Group 3 in the UEFA qualification, Norway earned their spot in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted by France. Sjögren said, “To be in a World Cup is one of my absolute best experiences I’ve had so far in my coaching life.” Their team played in large scale stadiums filled with spectators and covered by all the major international media outlets — a huge change from coverage of women’s sports in the past. He also watched his team play their best during his tenure as coach during the Cup, watching the results accumulate from all they’d been working on since 2017. They entered as the No. 12 team, facing off against Nigeria, South Korea and France in their group stage. They lost a close match to the hosts but handled business against the other two teams to advance to the knockout stage. In the Round of 16, Norway played tough all game long, but their effort was matched by the No. 6 Australian team. The game was level after 120 minutes — which meant penalty shots were approaching. Everyone was exhausted, but Sjögren and the staff spent a lot of time making sure their players were the stronger team, both physically and mentally. When faced with this test, Norway pulled off the upset and outscored the Australians 4-to-1, advancing to the quarterfinals. Sjögren was ecstatic, not just for the win, but for how well his team handled the pressure.

  While their championship goals ended with a loss to No. 4 England, they felt pride in how they represented their country on the national stage. However, this wasn’t their only impact in the soccer world. At the end of 2017, Norway signed a historic pay agreement guaranteeing equal pay for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, setting the stage for the United States to follow suit nearly three years later. Sjögren said, “The investments that are being made and the great interest that has been growing across the world [for women’s soccer] is just in its beginning.” After spending so much time in the women’s game, he hopes to see this development continue in every aspect.

  After stepping down from his role as WNT coach in 2022, he returned to Sweden and is coaching for IFK Norrköping, a men’s team in the top tier Allsvenskan. He sees himself continuing as a coach for a long time as it’s still the job he finds most interesting. After several years away from the club environment, he is excited to work with players and staff on an “everyday basis”, but as he puts it, you never know what the future holds.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/12/23)

• Smith, Marshall

  

  As a child, Marshall Smith (’21, ’23) watched a lot of HISTORY Channel. In the 1960s, his grandfather served aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, and he always liked the idea of suiting up for his country. After high school, he considered getting a degree in graphic design, but he wasn’t confident that was the career path he wanted, so he temporarily put his college plans on hold and called up the Naval recruiter.

  He enlisted in 2012 and served active duty for six years as a submarine radioman. He spent most of his time stationed on the Virginia Class Fast Attack submarine, the USS Minnesota SSN 783. When he was deployed, he got to spend his port calls around Europe. He was living in Kings Bay, Georgia, when he decided to return to college.

  He knew he wanted to pursue engineering, and UNF - CCEC: School of Engineering’s ABET accredited programs — along with the locations and ideal campus size — made the decision easier this time around. The hour commute to class wasn’t ideal, so he transitioned to the reserves and got attached to a Riverine unit in Jacksonville where he remained his freshman and sophomore years at UNF. He made some life-long friendships during his time on campus. Smith said, “The late nights we spent grinding it out in the IEEE lab, funny moments in class, game nights, and the general shenanigans we got into were quintessential to my college experience.” He also took advantage of offerings like the UNF Military & Veterans Resource Center and UNF Student Veterans of America, along with the UNF Recreation and Wellness nature trails. He frontloaded his gen eds to earn his associate degree, and then graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a mathematics minor.

  After graduation, he leveraged his military experience, education and personal interests to pursue his passion. He now serves as a flight test engineer for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Maryland. He is in the communications systems and network branch where he tests and evaluates systems. Currently he is working on MH-60R/S helicopters, wearing a flight suit and riding along to collect data, determining the machines’ verifications and validations statuses. He also volunteered to qualify as a project specialist which includes water survival training. At some point in the future, he’d like to earn a master’s degree and attend test pilot school in an engineering capacity to earn his private pilot’s license, potentially returning to Florida to transition to NASA.

  Outside of work, he spends his time outdoors, hiking, skiing, snowboarding and trail running. He even completed the Guana 50k trail race in South Ponte Vedra. He enjoys eating good food and supporting live music — returning to Florida this past spring for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. He also spends his free time playing video games, writing short stories and poetry, and reading — currently going through James Rollins' Sigma Force novels.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 11/5/23)

• Steele, Syd

  

  Syd Steele is a double Osprey, having earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and her master’s degree in communication management. Now, she is a professor at UNF and a Ph.D. doctoral student through the University of Kentucky, studying education sciences with an emphasis on educational leadership.

  Originally from Missoula, Montana, Steele and her mother, current UNF women’s golf head coach Joanne Berglund, made a trip to Jacksonville. Steele was offered a track scholarship and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to live in the Sunshine State. As a student-athlete, Steele had a 6:20 a.m. alarm set every morning to get to practice on time, where a 2-mile warmup greeted her, followed by a workout variation of a 10x400m or a 3-mile run at a quicker pace and concluding with another 2-mile cooldown. Saturdays consisted of a 10-mile team run that usually ended at the Metro Diner in Atlantic Beach. When you include the designated study hall times to stay on top of assignments ahead of travel days, being a student-athlete felt like a full-time job. That is until her senior year when she realized just how quickly everything seemed to go by.

  While running track, Steele met a guy on the cross country team named Andrew Stivers who had just transferred into UNF from Lipscomb University. Despite him being the shy kid, Steele noticed that Stivers somehow always had a way of making her laugh and she was drawn in. Entering 2023, the pair have now been dating for over three and a half years. “I don’t think I would have the confidence to keep pushing my own boundaries if it were not for him,” Steele said.

  Throughout her UNF journey, Steele served as an academic coach for Student Academic Success Services and a teaching assistant for the School of Communication. She served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and won the UNF Alumni Association student service award in 2020 for her outstanding volunteer service in the community. When she applied for graduate school, she was selected as a graduate assistant, which is where she developed her love for higher education.

  Her dream is to serve as a tenured professor, so having the opportunity to teach at UNF sets her up to reach her goal. She hopes to change the narrative of teaching. As a young professor, she has students in her classes older than herself, but she uses this to her advantage to relate to students and teach them in ways that are more conducive to their learning. She is fortunate to have such great role models during her transition from student to teacher including Dr. Matthew Ohlson, Dr. Stephynie Chapman Perkins, Dr. Christa Arnold, Dr. Michael Hallet, Dr. John Parmelee and professor David Conn.

  In addition to teaching, she is completing her Ph.D. program at the University of Kentucky. Her cohort consists of six additional Ph.D. students and seven Ed.D. students all pursuing doctoral degrees in educational leadership.

  Outside of teaching and studying, Steele is a spin instructor at CycleBar Gateway Village in Town Center, teaching classes three times a week. She also enjoys spending time with her miniature dachshund Winston.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 2/13/23)

• Streibich, Caron

  

  Not many people embrace the Osprey life quite like Caron Streibich (’03). When considering universities, UF, FSU and UCF seemed too big and USF was too close to home. But as soon as she visited UNF, she fell in love. Whether it was the campus, the city, the people or the nature, she knew she was home. After receiving a Florida Bright Futures scholarship, she got early, on-site admission during her campus tour. The graphic design major spent all four years on campus in Osprey Cove, eventually becoming a resident assistant her junior year. She still manages to keep in touch with those dormmates years later.

  On the morning of her graduation, she landed an interview with the Jacksonville Business Journal, and by the end of the day, she’d received a job offer. That next Monday, she started at the JBJ as a graphic designer and copy editor. From there, she went to a small, local magazine publishing company before spending several years in corporate marketing departments at Florida Blue, EverBank and Regency Centers.

  When an opportunity to join the Jacksonville Jaguars presented itself on the real estate development team, she seized it. For the past year and a half, she has served as senior manager of community and development initiatives for the Jacksonville Jaguars and is using all the skills she’s accumulated in her 20 years since graduation. Streibich is responsible for the Jaguars’ “1st DownTown Jax” platform and its accompanying website, social media channels and e-mail marketing.

  As you may have seen, the Jaguars recently opened the new state-of-the-art sports performance center, Miller Electric Center. It houses football operations and features two outdoor practice fields, an indoor field, shaded fan grandstands, public art, concessions and more. Sitework has also begun nearby on the Jacksonville Shipyards parcel, which will be the riverfront home to Jacksonville’s first five-star hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Jacksonville, as well as a new six-story office tower housing the Jaguars front office staff, and a world-class public marina and support building. Her team also supports initiatives in the surrounding community, including the OUTEAST neighborhood. The Jaguars also help fund a workforce program called Construction Ready (which is free to adults), and after completing four weeks of training, students are matched with local construction employers to begin their construction careers.

  Streibich said she loves being a part of something big. The Jaguars recently unveiled conceptual renderings for the “Stadium of the Future” and will be working toward stadium renovations for the next several years. They’re also looking to help create a robust sports and entertainment district surrounding the stadium to attract people to the area. She also said she enjoys working gamedays, as the energy and sense of community in #DUUUVAL takes over the stadium.

  As if that didn’t get her around the community enough, Caron is also a local food influencer — @CaronEats on Instagram. She even wrote restaurant reviews for The Florida Times-Union newspaper for the past seven years and has done this after work and on the weekends, so it balances well with her full-time job. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Jacksonville foodie scene, Streibich has some recommendations. “If you’re near campus, check out Bowl of Pho, Fast Eddy’s Quick Mideast, The French Pantry, Prati Italia Jax and Light on the Sugar. If you’re looking to explore, you can’t go wrong at Rue Saint-Marc, Doro, Taverna San Marco, Palm Valley Fish Camp, HANA MOON Sushi or Valley Smoke BBQ.”

  Her perfect day of dining in Jacksonville? Well, that starts with breakfast at 1748 Bakehouse in Springfield, followed by lunch at the French Pantry, then dinner at Josephine Avondale or Taverna in San Marco and finishing with a cake slice from Biscottis.

  As her career progresses, she hopes to continue her growth and collaborate with more creatives. In addition to her UNF Housing and Residence Life crew, she also made great connections during her four years writing for the UNF Spinnaker. The most important thing she took away from her time at UNF was to get involved, personally and professionally, which helps build a foundation with benefits throughout your career. The connections she made during her time as an Osprey remain in her contacts to this day. When she’s not at work, you can catch her traveling, running, volunteering, thrifting or just spending time with her friends and family.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/3/23)

• Sunquist, Tara

  

  This week’s edition of #InvestInTheNest features a UNF alumna with a history spanning more than 20 years!

  Tara Sunquist (‘06) has Blue and Gray running in her veins, having made a name for herself as a student-athlete at UNF before ultimately coming back to coach and shape the minds and college experiences for generations of student-athletes here at the Nest. 

  “I love working at UNF because I feel like I’m part of helping something that is bigger than I am,” she said. “[I’m] paying it forward.” 

  Sunquist is the assistant athletic director for the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence, which she said is a fancy name for academic support for the student-athletes. This support for student-athletes can include assistance in registering for classes to even connecting them with future employers, she said. 

  “We help them from enrollment to employment, just being their support system along the way,” Sunquist said. 

  They have weekly meetings with all freshmen and transfer students, and work to know the athletes individually. 

  Sunquist said the most rewarding part of her job is being a part of the student-athlete experience. As a former student-athlete, she knows the impact that UNF can have and wants to provide that same experience to the current students. 

  “If I can help them in even just one little way, it’s really rewarding,” she said. 

   

  A Swoopendous Student 

  Before Sunquist became a leader within UNF Athletics, she spent countless days on campus once she started her undergraduate program in 2002. 

  During Sunquist’s time at UNF, she made a name for herself during her stint on the volleyball team, becoming a strong defensive player. For those unfamiliar with volleyball terminology, a dig is when a defensive player successfully passes a ball that’s an attack by the opponent team. Sunquist finished her volleyball career at UNF with 1,647 digs, a benchmark that stood until Nicole Baran broke that record in 2012. She holds two of the top three single season digs records for the school by acquiring 508 digs in 2004. 

  Originally from Fort Myers, she recollects that at the time, UNF was a Division II school and ranked in the Top 10 in the country as a “powerhouse” in athletics, ultimately seeing the school transition to Division I status, which she said was a very cool experience. She also got to experience the introduction of the “Swoop” into the UNF culture, forever changing how Ospreys show their school spirit. 

  Sunquist unfortunately tore her ACL near the end of time at UNF and had to set out for a year in 2005. She was majoring in business administration with a marketing focus, but during her recovery she realized she could complete the transportation and logistics program with only five more classes. So, she became a double major and found the T&L program a transformational experience with amazing professors. 

  She recovered in time to play her final semester and season in fall 2006, graduating with two degrees and leaving her own legacy as a student-athlete at UNF. 

  She respects her time as a student-athlete because “you have to learn how to have time management,” she said. 

  “I played for a really tough coach, so you have to learn how to receive tough feedback,” Sunquist said. 

  She said she values the importance of teamwork and learning how to collaborate with the people around you, as well.

   

  Leaving the Nest 

  As Sunquist figured out her next steps after graduation, one of her T&L professors, Robert Frankel, now a professor emeritus, asked her “What makes you excited to wake up every day?” Said. That question guided her decision as she debated between a T&L job with Winn-Dixie or a volleyball coaching job. She chose the latter, and soon found her way up to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte as her first job out of college. 

  While working and living in Charlotte, she met Charlotte track and field stand and her future husband, Eli Sunquist. After they married, they both moved to Johnson City, Tennessee, where she worked at East Tennessee State University while working on her master’s degree in sport management. She worked there as a graduate assistant, before working as a compliance coordinator from May 2011 until September 2012. She served as a point-of-contact for student-athletes regarding compliance, scholarships, housing and other general concerns. She also contributed to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and planned and implemented student-athlete functions, life skill program and fundraising efforts at ETSU. 

   

  A Return to the First Coast 

  The Sunquists decided to move back to Jacksonville, with Tara returning to the Nest for about nine months, working compliance coordinator in UNF’s Records and Registration office. 

  In summer 2013, Tara left briefly for a short stint working at Jacksonville University but came back in August that year to accept an assistant coach position for the volleyball team, creating a full-circle moment in her volleyball career. 

  It was surreal for her to see the development of the Athletics department since she played as an undergrad, and “it was cool to be a part of a team that I helped start from the roots,” she said. 

  She moved into athletic administration as a compliance coordinator and academic specialist in February 2016 before being promoted to her current role in summer 2022. 

  Sunquist said she is excited for the future of UNF will be under the impactful leadership of both President Moez Limayem and Athletic Director Nick Morrow. 

  “UNF is still young and we’re still going places,” she said. “We keep being called a hidden gem. The more that UNF is put out to the public and people know about it the better we’re going to get.” 

  When she isn’t shaping the lives of Ospreys, Sunquist enjoys spending time with her husband, Eli, and her two children, Rooney and Vance. 

  “I love being a mom,” Sunquist said. 

  (Written by Tyler White, Published 3/21/24)

• Ten-Brink, Felicity Grace

  

  This just in, we’ve got the inside scoop on an Indy Swoop. Felicity Grace Ten Brink (’22) earned her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with minors in criminology and psychology. She serves as the morning news producer for CBS WTTV 4 and Fox WXIN 59 in Indianapolis. This seems like an ordinary career path, but her journey has been anything but, and we went behind the scenes to provide in-depth coverage of her story.

  Originally from Zephyrhills, Florida, Felicity applied to a handful of universities, but the internship programs provided at UNF caught her eye. She had television anchor experience in high school and knew the career path she wanted to pursue, so Jacksonville’s Top 50 media market drew her in. However, right as she started her college career, the pandemic hit. She ended up returning home to take her courses online. If that wasn’t difficult enough, she had also just finished a lengthy process officially separating from her biological parents. She had always demonstrated leadership qualities as the eldest daughter and developed responsibility babysitting a local family with 10 children since she was 15 years old, so she was able to succeed independently during these rough times.

  Felicity finally made her way back to Jacksonville as she wrapped up her degree, serving as host and reporter for the Inside Swoop. She loved working with Professor Ken Thomas (’87) for her internship, where she had the opportunity to gain as much experience as she liked and was able to fill in for many different roles, in front of and behind the camera. This is where she decided she would rather produce than host. She loved the writing portion of the news segments and thought she could make a bigger impact this way.

  Luckily, Felicity landed her current job before graduating, but it still meant she’d be undergoing a drastic culture shock. She embraced being fully on her own for the first time, while dealing with the cold December weather of Indiana. It doesn’t help that to produce the morning show, her 9-to-5 schedule means 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Plus, working in news is a tough job, constantly being inundated with negative stories. But if anyone could find the positives, it’s Felicity.

  After taking some time to get acclimated, she’s been doing great producing in a Top 25 media market. She’s made many friends in the local area through work or her faith community, and when she gets time off during a normal hour, she’s able to go outside and enjoy the city, even taking advantage of some of the news studio perks like free theatre tickets. While she’d like to settle down a bit and work regular hours one day — maybe somewhere a bit further from the cold — she’s enjoying all the knowledge and experience she’s getting from her current role.

  While the news broadcasts tend to skew negatively, we do have some positive news to share. Felicity was chosen as a “Top Online Video Host or Correspondent” by the Alliance for Women in Media, winning their annual “Gracie” award for her work on Inside Swoop/Inside Jacksonville. Joining other 2023 winners including Amanda Seyfried, Ava DuVernay and Faith Hill, this award named after Hollywood actress, Gracie Allen, recognizes those making positive impacts and furthering careers in media for women. One of her favorite moments as an Osprey was when Prof. Thomas called her at work to tell her the good news.

  As for her family situation, we’ve got some more positive news. The Ten Brink family that she had grown up babysitting officially adopted her during her final semester at UNF. When Felicity gets time off to travel back to Florida, she can visit her 12 new siblings, with number 13 on the way!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/15/24)

• Thomas, Robin

  

  Robin Thomas ('06) was involved in a life-changing car accident that paralyzed her from the neck down. After her diagnosis, doctors advised her to be placed in a nursing home because she would likely be on life support for the rest of her life. She was able to overcome all the adversity and make such progress in her recovery that not only was she able to walk again, she was able to return to UNF and finish her degree.

  Her first book titled "The Doctor Said…" was published in 2013. This book details the injuries and struggles she went through in the trauma unit and in physical rehab, and her recovery process of having to learn to walk and drive again just to get back into college and graduate. Thomas says, “No matter what someone tells you, if you put your body and your heart in it, nothing can stop you.”

  Her latest book, "Unbroken Spirit" is a continuation of her debut publication and was just published in August 2022. While the first book focuses on the crash and the first five years of recovery, the follow-up details Thomas’ journey beyond those first five years, including all the activities she is able to do now. For instance, she started working out in the Adaptive Sports Program of the Brooks Rehabilitation Center and has been able to ski, surf, horseback ride and skydive.

  Thomas currently serves as a ministry leader for her church’s Celebrate Recovery program, which deals with people who have “hurts, habits and hang-ups,” and just recently got a new job with the Department of Children and Families, helping assisted people get their food stamp applications in and providing general guidance.

  (Written by Alex Achorn & Haley Nesto, Published 9/23/22)

• Varner, Brian

  

  Risk Awareness Week falls during the third week of October, so it’s fitting to shine our spotlight on UNF alumnus Brian Varner (’99), the owner of Safety Solutions for Healthcare.

  While serving duty in Mayport, the Cape Coral High graduate discovered UNF and immediately loved the campus, spending most of his time at the tennis courts, the pool or the Boathouse. He enjoyed pursuing his education at the UNF Coggin College of Business in courses such as business law, business policy and entrepreneurship. He struggled in statistics class, but he found a professor who took the curriculum to another level and captivated his interest. The payoff made it worth it for his future career as he walked away an Osprey graduate with a business management degree and a marketing minor.

  His path to his current role was unique, having transitioned from the U.S NAVY ️ to Home Depot. His diligence and hard work paid off as he moved up the organization quickly, and he was selected to open a new store in St. Augustine while he was still a senior. He spent 14 years with Home Depot before an accident on the job changed his priorities, pivoting his career to focus on risk management.

  Varner moved to Denver and began his new path. He started working with Compass Group USA, a foodservice and support services company with subsidiaries all across the country in hospitals, museums, ballparks, airports and college campuses (i.e., Chartwells). He started as director of safety but worked his way up to vice president of risk management and safety, providing direct support to the presidents of three divisions — Crothall (hospitals and healthcare), Eurest Services (oil and gas, business and industry) and SSC (higher education and K-12) — while being responsible for over 56,000 ground level employees. In 2014, Varner and his team won the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management Award (the Teddy) from Risk & Insurance magazine, recognizing an organization’s excellence in reducing the frequency and cost of injuries to workers.

  In 2020, he saw a new opportunity. After realizing how much money he saved the company, he widened his approach by starting Safety Solutions for Healthcare. SSH provides research-driven consulting services to healthcare linen facilities nationwide. They focus on five pillars for their success in protection: training, awareness, compliance, injury reporting and measurement. They utilize KPIs to provide suggestions for improvements and standardized plans. Through their consulting, they help lessen workplace injuries, which leads to a lower turnover rate, higher morale and increased productivity. Meanwhile, they collect a percentage of all the savings. SSH, along with Linen King, were the recipients of the SafeTRSA Excellence Award from the Textile Rentals Services Association.

  While a lot of things have changed for Varner, he still enjoys playing tennis, serving as a coach with the United States Tennis Association - USTA (Official). He also serves as a TRSA instructor for the Professional Management Institute, a spokesperson for the American Law Firm Association, and a safety and risk writer for The Textile Magazine.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/18/23)

• Visnovsky, Sarah

  

  Growing up, Sarah Visnovsky’s (’14) parents always joked that the way she argued about everything, she would one day make a good lawyer. Well, they were partially right as our #UNFL alumna took her talents to South Beach to serve as Associate Counsel for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.

  Growing up in Jacksonville, she decided to pursue her studies at UNF to be guided by the late Martin Edwards, a giant in the Jax legal community. Her pre-law path included an English major — to help improve her legal writing skills — along with a French minor. She took trials related courses and served as the youngest member of the mock trial team, which was her first legal exposure. She also spent her time volunteering as a member of Kappa Delta, spending all-nighters in Tommy G, playing intramural flag football, and studying abroad living with a host family in Strasbourg, France.

  After graduation, she wanted to get more experience in the field before committing to law school, so she moved to New York where she interned for a judge and worked for a solo practitioner who worked primarily in employment law. She also interned with the Brooklyn Nets where she handled day-to-day legal issues (including her first trademark issue), and grew to love the legality of the sports industry. She then returned to Florida to obtain her J.D from the University of Miami School of Law to become a first-generation lawyer.

  After a few years practicing trademark law at Pulse IP, she landed her current position in Miami as associate counsel with Myles Pistorius & Marc Weinroth. The three of them serve as the in-house attorneys within the organization, which includes everything from Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes football games, the Miami Open tennis tournament, the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, and any Hard Rock Stadium concerts including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

  Her day to day involves providing legal advice, drafting contracts for sponsorship and vendor agreements, and taking a proactive approach to prevent issues like trademark or copyright infringement. She enjoys being able to see the tangible aspects of her job as the contracts come to life and the signage goes up around the stadium. Their team is also preparing for an international audience as the FIFA World Cup 2026 comes to Miami.

  She also assists with the Dolphins Challenge Cancer every February, which this past year raised over $10 million for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. This is a very personal cause for her as she is a cancer survivor, so she will be participating by cycling 13 miles this year while still undergoing cancer treatment.

  After turning 30, she’s started spending her free time checking off bucket list items. In addition to cooking, reading and biking more, she’s looking forward to getting her scuba certification later this year.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 10/10/23)

• Walsh, Sara

  

  It’s always a challenge when an interviewer becomes an interviewee, but if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s Sara Walsh (’99). The broadcast communications major joined the University of North Florida as part of the inaugural North Florida Ospreys Women’s Soccer class. While she arrived not knowing anyone on campus, she felt she immediately had 25 built-in friends as all her teammates were getting acclimated together. Her favorite moments as an Osprey took place during road trips with her team. She said nothing bonds you together like going through two-a-day practices in Jacksonville’s August humidity!

  As a student-athlete, Walsh learned the importance of being a good teammate, working hard and pushing herself to overcome adversity, which set her up for the rest of her professional life. She believes that hard work can take you anywhere. During her time at UNF she overcame injuries to stay on the field and jumpstarted her career working at the local TV station while simultaneously taking classes. For anyone else looking to follow in her footsteps, her advice is that while the profession is difficult to break into, and you’ll undoubtedly receive a lot of rejection, to succeed you must tune out the negatives and believe in yourself. She said, “You can get 100 Nos, but it only takes one YES to change the course of your career.”

  After graduating from the UNF School of Communication, she started as a sportswriter for The Beaches Leader newspaper. Afterward, she worked her way toward an on-air gig as the sports director for WGXA (the ABC affiliate in Macon, Georgia). She continued her career with stops at the ABC affiliate in Nashville and the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., before joining ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in 2010. This included additional hosting duties on shows such as NFL Live and Fantasy Football Now. She then spent several years working for NFL on Fox while hosting Fox’s soccer coverage. Nowadays, she works as an anchor and reporter for the NFL Network and is a host for all U.S. Soccer National Team Coverage on TNT and Max.

  Sarah loves that her job allows her to meet with the world’s best athletes and tell their stories. This past year was exciting because she was on the game broadcast and coverage for the NFL’s first ever game in Germany, which ended with her on the field interviewing Tom Brady in what would be his last NFL season — all while 80,000 German fans are singing “Sweet Caroline” in the background.

  When asked who her favorite person to interview was, she said Tom Brady would be the easy answer given his career accolades, but she knows part of what makes a good reporter is knowing the audience, so she’s going with UNF Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matthew Driscoll. In a full-circle moment, ESPN sent Walsh back to UNF during the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. She profiled the program and the University, including a memorable moment interviewing UNF’s Beau Beech from an inner tube floating down the Osprey Fountains lazy river.

  With all that she’s been lucky enough to do during her career, she said asking for anything else would just be greedy. She’s excited to see where her career continues to take her. Outside of work, she loves to play tennis, work out and enjoy life at the Florida beaches with her husband, Matt, and twins, Hutton and Brees!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 7/3/23)

• Webber, Katie Jackson

  

  As we kick off Homecoming week, we wanted to spotlight an alumna who had a role in creating one of the best Homecoming atmospheres. If you were around to see John Mulaney, Nick Kroll and Steve Aoki in The Nest, you can thank Katie!

  Katie Jackson Webber (’16) initially chose UNF because she saw the anticipated growth of the University and wanted to be a part of it. She got involved with UNF Student Government, UNF PRSSA and Osprey Productions, where she found her niche. After volunteering to get some event planning experience, she became a program assistant, which lead to assistant director and finally director of Homecoming.

  Webber was part of the group that started the first Homecoming committee. Initially, student government, Osprey Productions, alumni engagement and athletics would all sort of do their own thing surrounding the week, but she understood the assignment and bridged them all together to unify the Homecoming festivities. As Homecoming director, coordinated all the activities and worked on everything from booking the comedy show acts to advertising across campus and the local community.

  She planned on staying around at the University of North Florida, but when the state went on a hiring freeze, her position dissipated. She wanted to stay in Duval County and find a role putting her communications and marketing skills to work, so she started interning with an advertising agency. She returned to higher ed as a communications specialist with FSCJ before joining the dark (green) side on the JU marketing team. She worked her way up from social media manager to senior director of marketing, but after six years she decided to pivot. As of a few months ago, Webber now serves as the campaign project manager for Capture Higher Ed, a behavioral intelligence tech company. While it was nerve-wracking to pivot her career, she was interested in the technology side and excited to work with multiple brands. She said, “you never know when life is going to take you in a different direction, but it’s important to keep a little of every skill set.”

  The remote work of her new job provides her with a lot of flexibility, and she’s become more of an outdoors person since starting this role. She and her husband, Kip, live in Ponte Vedra Beach and they’ve embraced the beach lifestyle – golfing, kayaking, reading and running while taking care of their rescue dog.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 2/5/24)

• Weeks, Drew

  

  Drew Weeks played 3 years with the Osprey baseball team before being drafted by the Colorado Rockies. His junior season culminated with a school record .430 batting average, garnering many awards including an NCBWA First Team All-American selection. He was also recognized by Baseball America, Rawlings ABCA and Perfect Game, in addition to being honored with the Golden Spikes and Gregg Olson awards. He spent much of the decade working his way through the farm club with the Asheville Tourists, Modesto Nuts, Hartford Yard Goats & Albuquerque Isotopes. He then spent a season with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization before joining AVAIR as an account executive. He is a member of the UNF Hall of Fame Class of 2024 .

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/19/24)

• Wilson, Jeremiah

  

  Speaking of “Going Green,” University of North Florida alumnus Jeremiah Wilson ('23) has found himself at the top of the NBA standings in his role as Digital Content Specialist for the Boston Celtics.

  As he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the UNF Coggin College of Business, Wilson transitioned seamlessly from North Florida Ospreys manager to content creator to his current role with the Celtics. Whether it's capturing on-court action, behind-the-scenes moments, or community engagements, Wilson's work resonates across various social media platforms, engages fans and offers unique insights into the team's dynamics.

  Reflecting on the transition from college sports to the NBA, he acknowledged the increased expectations that come with a high profile position. During his first year at UNF, he was a one-man operation, so he was always on the clock but everything he shot was the best available. In the NBA, there are plenty of others gathering footage, so there’s more downtime but higher pressure to get the high performing content. “Both present their own unique challenges, but I’m so thankful that I faced those challenges at UNF before making the jump to the NBA because I truly think it made me a better creative and better person,” Wilson said.

  Despite the demands of his job, Wilson finds fulfillment in the camaraderie and inclusivity of the team environment, reminiscent of his days on campus. Traveling with the Celtics not only allows him to witness the team's journey but also provides opportunities to explore new cities and arenas – an aspect of his job he cherishes.

  Interacting with star players like Jayson Tatum adds another layer to Wilson's experience, as his appreciation for his work highlights the impact of his contributions within the organization.

  As the Celtics prepare for a playoff run, Wilson remains focused on his career growth and contributions to the team's success, embodying the spirit of ambition and dedication that defines his journey. While he enjoys traveling the country, Wilson prioritizes relaxation outside of work, whether it's spending time with his girlfriend or indulging in a much-needed nap in his own bed.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 4/23/24)

• Wittenberg, Julie

  

  From the ballroom to the courtroom, the story of Julie Wittenberg (’23) is definitely unique. While most young children burn through their excess energy running around the house, Wittenberg channeled it into dance. Her mom got her enrolled in ballet classes at the age of 2, which was so young that the local studio couldn’t accommodate her. In order to find an instructor up for the challenge, they would have to travel from their home in Ormond Beach down to Port Orange. Her early start paid off though, as once she reached her preteen years, she was already receiving invitations to highly competitive summer intensive courses. She started training at the American Ballet Theatre in New York and was performing at the Shanghai International Arts Festival as a sophomore. To prepare for the performances, she would dance for around 12 hours a day, starting the morning with rehearsals before doing her regular training in the afternoons and evenings.

  By the time she had turned 16, she was among the top professional ballerinas in the United States. She received summer invitations to train at The School of American Ballet, the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet and Ellison Ballet. Over the next few years, she was performing with the Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet) and Salt Lake City’s Ballet West. However, her dedication and commitment to her craft meant that she had to forgo many of the traditional high school experiences, which took its toll on her. She spent one final season training with the world-renowned ballerina Gelsey Kirkland, who created a healthy and nurturing atmosphere for her, before finally stepping away and accepting a future without dance.

  For a few years, she lived at home and coached gymnastics for Florida Elite, but it didn’t really click as a career path for her. She started taking college courses at St. Johns River State College where she realized her new goal was to pursue law school and actually experience all that she missed out on during high school. When she toured UNF, she felt the atmosphere provided a true university experience, yet was small enough that she still felt valuable as an individual. She loved all her professors at UNF, especially her composition writing professor Melissa Halloran, who previously worked with her at SJR State, and Dr. Adrienne Lerner, who helped her succeed as her pre-law advisor.

  Wittenberg graduated from UNF with her bachelor’s degree in English and was recently named a scholarship recipient from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She was originally looking to apply her artistry experience towards a law specialty, such as fashion, entertainment or intellectual property law. However, after getting to experience the world through her ballet travels, she is also exploring an international law specialty, especially since one of her UF professors specializes in International FinTech. Most importantly, after taking a break from the consuming world of dance, she is finally able to enjoy it as a hobby again.

  So if you ever hear a judge ask how the defense pliéd, it might not be a malapropism but in fact our multitalented Osprey in action!

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 6/26/23)

• Wojtyla, Brennan

  

  One of the newest Osprey alumni, Brennan Wojtyla graduated from the University of North Florida in 2022 with a degree in graphic design. He was named student artist-in-residence at Museum Of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. His work will be on display starting with a soft opening today followed by an opening reception Feb. 1 during Art Walk.

  Wojtyla got into art at an early age, though he never considered it as a career until recently. Through the help of scholarships, the Jacksonville native stayed close to home and attended UNF. He loved the more personal atmosphere being able to work closely with professors and peers on passion projects. However, when the campus shut down due to the pandemic, he was able to try new things with his work. He considers the pieces he made during this period to be important in his development as an artist.

  Wojtyla's favorite moment was taking sculpture classes with professors Jenny K. Hager-Vickery and Lance Vickery. They gave him great mentorship and guidance throughout some of his crazier projects and gave him the freedom to bend his academic work to fit his personal practice. He became aware of the Artist-in-Residence opportunity during one of his classes and used his graphic design expertise to prepare a digital portfolio.

  Wojtyla says that his work is heavily influenced by his surroundings. Since Jacksonville is an industrial city, he prefers to utilize industrial processes instead of traditional artistic techniques. His work incorporates objects you may find on the side of the road, such as pieces of wood, a slab of concrete or a toilet. He decontextualizes and recontextualizes them into fine art using spray paint and other techniques.

  Wojtyla said, “In a perfect world, I want someone to look at my work and hopefully realize that they can find beauty and inspiration in everyday occurrences and forms.” The goal is to draw people’s attention to traditional forms & practices of everyday life that go unnoticed.

  Wojtyla said he is grateful for the assistance he’s received from the MOCA staff and shared he’s gained a wealth of knowledge thus far. Following his show at MOCA, he will be attending residency programs in Germany, spending three months in Leipzig before traveling to Berlin.

  (Written by Alex Achorn, Published 1/20/23)