Leadership and service aren’t always recognized — but the Muma College of Business 25 Under 25 program is dedicated to making sure high-achieving business students get to shine. The program
honors undergraduate students in the college who have excelled in at least two of
the following four areas: academics, leadership, professional development, and campus
or community service. To be considered, students submit a resume, an essay, and optional
reference letters.
With over 8,000 students enrolled in University of South Florida Muma College of Business, being selected as one of the 25 honorees is a prestigious achievement — and a confidence boost that these students are on a promising path to success. Among this year’s standout recipients were five Judy Genshaft Honors College students: Rylee King, Emilie Leyva, Jacob Park, Minh Ha Pham, and Joshua Streitmatter.
Recently, four members of this year's cohort appeared as guests on the Honor Roll Podcast to talk about their leadership lessons, future plans, and what it feels like to be recognized as one of USF's boldest Bulls under 25.
Meet This Year’s Honors Awardees
Rylee King
Rylee King, an Honors student passionate about travel and service, is making her mark at USF through involvement in the USF Real Estate Club. As a marketing associate on the executive board, she helped plan events, engage students, and connect with professionals who inspired her career pivot from medicine to real estate.
This summer, King is expanding her global perspective through study abroad trips to France and Japan, where she’s visiting corporations and learning about global investment practices. Her work ethic, commitment to her organization, and passion for global travel helped earn her a coveted spot in the 25 Under 25 cohort.
Emilie Leyva
You may have heard of what it’s like to be the president of a student organization — leading meetings, organizing events, delegating tasks — but Honors student and marketing major Emilie Leyva has taken the role to the next level. As the president of the USF chapter for the American Marketing Association (AMA) — one of the top 20 chapters in the country — Levya has dedicated her time to community involvement and fundraising.
She helped raise more than $26,000 for the 20th Annual ScramBULL Golf Tournament, reinforcing USF’s reputation in the marketing space. Most recently, she led her chapter to the International Collegiate Conference, where they presented on how to become a top AMA chapter. Leyva will soon pursue a master’s degree in hospitality management with a focus on corporate social responsibility at EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland.
Minh Ha Pham
Minh Ha Pham has broken barriers as president of USF’s Google Developers Club, housed in the College of Engineering. A double major in business analytics and information systems and in quantitative economics and econometrics, Pham initially surprised club members with her non-engineering background. She joined the organization to expand her data analytics skills, beginning in a marketing role and working her way up to president.
Pham helped organize the club’s first university-wide hackathon and raised $5,000 to bring it to life. Not only did she expand the club’s reach on campus, but she also made it more accessible to marketing majors in order to increase the diversity of its members. This summer, she’ll continue developing her skills through a data analysis internship at Navy Federal Credit Union.
Joshua Streitmatter
Finance major and Honors student Joshua Streitmatter is using his passion for real estate to make a difference. Currently working as a land advisor for Eshenbaugh Land Company, Streitmatter is focused on developing affordable housing in underserved communities.
Inspired by service trips to places like Mexico and Jamaica, he sees real estate as a vehicle for impact. After graduation, he plans to continue working with Eshenbaugh to develop areas like Arcadia and Alachua County, Florida.
Learning About Leadership
Through their undergraduate experiences, these 25 Under 25 honorees have developed leadership skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. From leading student organizations to working in high-pressure jobs, each has discovered their own philosophy of leadership.
Leyva, who serves as a social media and brands coordinator for five Sarasota-area restaurants, learned that leadership is about more than just managing people — it’s about building connections.
“I think culture and creating a welcoming environment is a big part of leadership,” said Leyva. “Working for a restaurant group, I see that the kitchen working environment can be not fun, so finding ways to motivate employees outside of financial rewards is really important.”
Streitmatter experienced something similar while leading a service initiative through his fraternity.
“Leadership can tie into creating a vision, or even incentives to encourage people to do something they don’t want to do,” said Streitmatter. “It’s easy to motivate people to accomplish an object that’s exciting, but it’s getting them to do the things that aren’t exciting — that's the work that will lead them to something great.”
Pham found that leadership requires both solving disputes and continual learning.
“It’s really hard to bring everyone together to work towards the same goal. Sometimes on the executive board, we would get mad at each other, but at the end of the day, we are all here to learn about leadership,” said Pham.
Leadership doesn’t begin at graduation — these Honors students are already making their mark. Whether through a willingness to learn, going after your goals, or working with your peers to achieve new heights, opportunities for growth are everywhere.
Explore more Honors opportunities that could jumpstart your leadership journey.