CAS Chronicles
Alumni Spotlight
2025 USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award Recipient Dr. Bailee Olliff Practices Medicine With Purpose
From pre-med student at USF's Judy Genshaft Honors College to trauma medical director, 2025 USF Outstanding Young Alumni recipient Dr. Bailee Olliff has built a career grounded in purpose — making an impact through mentorship, community service, and a strong support system.
June 5, 2025Accomplishments, Alumni
350 poison dart frogs walk into a lab
Stepping into Yang Lab is like stepping into a sauna, thanks to the many temperature-controlled terrariums that line the walls. Inside, frogs glitter like gemstones — ruby, emerald, sapphire — on mossy beds. The frogs' vibrant and diverse colors are what drew Yang to study them in the first place.
Successful CAS alumni offer time and insight to students
Two CAS graduates and Outstanding Young Alumni recipients answered questions about their academic and career paths, sharing guidance with eager students.
May 27, 2025Alumni
Alumna creates community impact by putting anthropology in action
Aria Garling credits USF for influencing her nonprofit work and helping her design meaningful, intergenerational programs.
May 27, 2025Alumni, Community Engagement
St. Petersburg poet laureate and USF alumna publishes debut novel
In Gloria Muñoz's debut novel, a genre-bending work of young adult climate fiction, Florida is crumbling under the weight of climate disaster, and seventeen-year-old Julieta Villarreal must decide whether to remain on Earth with her friends and family or to leave everything behind and embark on a mission to establish humanity’s first extraterrestrial settlement.
April 29, 2025Accomplishments, Alumni, Events
Five of six Outstanding Young Alumni for 2025 call CAS ‘home’
Each year the USF Alumni Association chooses grads from across the university to honor at the Outstanding Young Alumni Awards, most of whom come from the College of Arts and Sciences.
April 3, 2025Accomplishments, Alumni
CAS alumna plans more accessible future for Tampa Bay
Amanda Harig, an alumna from the School of Public Affairs, credits her already impressive career to the hands-on experiences and mentorship she received during her time at USF.
March 27, 2025Alumni
Critics fall in love with romance novels penned by USF alumna
Alicia Thompson, full-time writer and bestselling author, studied her craft in USF’s College of Arts and Sciences.
February 24, 2025Alumni
Seeing beyond sight: A USF blind student’s journey into broadcasting
A senior at USF majoring in mass communications with a concentration in broadcast program and production, Trent Ferguson has not allowed blindness to become an obstacle in pursuit of his dream of becoming a sports radio broadcaster.
February 17, 2025Alumni
Lesley Miller, Jr., dedicated civil servant, reflects on lasting impact USF had on his life and career
Lesley “Les” Miller, Jr., USF College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) alumnus and civil servant, reflects on the unexpected ways that his time at USF prepared him for his career.
January 16, 2025Alumni
‘Once you’re in it, you’re in it for life.’ Aspiring surgeon receives wraparound support from Women in Leadership & Philanthropy program
The Women in Leadership & Philanthropy program has invested thousands of dedicated mentoring hours and more than $4 million in grants, scholarships and programmatic funding to more than 700 scholars like Merlo, who received $1,000 to support her studies this year.
November 21, 2024Accomplishments, Alumni, Community Engagement
Veteran Kyle McIntyre reflects on a career in public service with roots at USF
USF College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) alumnus, and recipient of the 2024 USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Kyle McIntyre attributes his time as a CAS student to setting the foundation for his career in public service.
November 20, 2024Alumni