CAS Chronicles
2025 Stories
USF Alum Yarah Elshaer Receives Fulbright Grant to Teach English in Bosnia and Herzegovina
USF alum Yarah Elshaer has been named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Guided by her passion for using education to uplift communities and strengthen national identity, she continues to pursue ambitious goals that create lasting impact.
September 11, 2025Alumni, Honors & Awards
USF Achieves Record Cohort of 15 United Nations Millennium Fellows
The University of South Florida reached a new milestone with 15 students selected for the 2025 United Nations Millennium Fellowship, where they will receive leadership training and carry out social impact projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals.
September 10, 2025Honors & Awards
USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus to build new STEM academic facility
The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus today announced plans to build the development of a new STEM academic facility, a transformative project that will expand access to high-quality lab instruction in chemistry, biology, and physics for students across all USF campuses.
September 3, 2025Community Engagement
USF will host free, multinational film festival
The Tampa Bay community will have an opportunity to screen Spanish and Portuguese-language films from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Spain, Brazil and Mexico during a month-long film festival coming to USF.
August 28, 2025Events
Around the world in one summer: CAS students reflect on new skills and connections gained abroad
From Curaçao to Kyoto, students from USF’s College of Arts and Sciences spent the summer expanding their horizons through immersive study abroad programs that blended academic learning with cultural exploration.
August 28, 2025Community Engagement, Research & Innovation
Expanding excellence: 31 new faculty members join the College of Arts and Sciences
The USF College of Arts and Sciences welcomes 31 new faculty members with a unique breadth of research and expertise in highly evolving specializations, reflecting the college’s continued commitment to comprehensive excellence.
August 27, 2025Honors & Awards, Research & Innovation
CAS alumna’s experiences fuel passion for mentorship
Gabriella Boykin, a first-generation college student and recent graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences, is dedicated to working with students and supporting their academic journeys.
August 27, 2025Alumni
Elevating Educators: USF celebrates next generation of STEM teacher leaders
Leadership from USF, the Coalition for Science Literacy and HCPS welcomed the recipients of the 2025 Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship and celebrated the accomplishments of the 2024 cohort, who earned their master of education in curriculum and instruction from USF this summer and completed a professional development series in mechatronic principles.
August 21, 2025Alumni, Community Engagement, Events, Research & Innovation
![Cuban sandwiches being prepared in a Tampa restaurant in the 1960s [Photo courtesy of Florida Memory Program]](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/2025/august/cuban-sandwich.jpg)
The Cuban sandwich story: How USF played a surprising role in its rise to fame
The University of South Florida has played a major role in shaping the Cuban sandwich's legacy — from researching its history and refining Cuban bread baking methods to inspiring the creation of National Cuban Sandwich Day, now celebrated worldwide every August 23.
August 20, 2025Community Engagement
Inaugural ‘Gael Scoil USF’ event shares Irish traditions with the Tampa Bay community
This summer, the University of South Florida introduced Tampa Bay youth to Irish heritage through its inaugural ‘Gael Scoil USF’ event, inviting grade schoolers to engage with Irish culture firsthand through baking, dancing, sports, storytelling, and other immersive experiences.
August 13, 2025Community Engagement
A decade in the making: USF Geosciences Field Station celebrates grand opening with alumni reunion
After a decade of collaboration between USF faculty, staff, and alumni, the Geosciences Field Station in Mackay, Idaho officially opened this summer. The launch was marked by a reunion of more than 30 alumni, representing four decades of shared experience and support for Geosciences students and their capstone work.
August 11, 2025Alumni, Community Engagement
Aiden Jaskolka-Brown
Like most future doctors, Aiden Jaskolka-Brown chose his career path out of a desire to save lives. But Jaskolka-Brown didn’t wait until he became a doctor to save lives. In 2023, he donated a segment of his left liver to a 5-month-old baby.
August 4, 2025Community Engagement