Zita Fletcher and Paul Johannes didn’t follow the paths others expected of them — or even the paths they expected for themselves. They arrived at the University of South Florida open to experiences that challenged their assumptions and expanded their possibilities. As alumni, Fletcher and Johannes leaned into their individuality to pursue careers that break from convention. And as they grow as professionals in their fields, they don’t rest on tradition, but continue to learn, lead, and push the status quo.
This spring, Judy Genshaft Honors College alumni Fletcher and Johannes were recognized as 2026 USF Outstanding Young Alumni, along with fellow Honors alum Dr. Ahmed-Zayn Mohamed, Dr. Nicole Dinescu-Munoz, Raechel Canipe, and Maya Brown.
Fletcher graduated from USF in 2013 with an interdisciplinary social sciences degree. In her field of military history, she’s an accomplished writer, contributing to works like Forbes, Military Times, and Defense News.
Johannes graduated from USF with a degree in business economics in 2016. He currently serves as a submarine warfare officer in the U.S. Navy.
Passion-Driven Paths
Their Honors experience gave both Fletcher and Johannes the freedom to explore their
interests beyond the traditional paths.
Fletcher initially chose USF so she could pursue her many interests — including military
history, the social sciences, and German — without feeling pressured to stay on a
single track.
“I liked that you were allowed to be your own person here and that it was an option, especially within the Honors College, to combine different interests together,” Fletcher said. “There wasn't a real cookie-cutter path that you needed to follow, and that appealed to me a lot.”
Her interdisciplinary social sciences degree has helped her make real people’s stories a priority as a military historian.
“Coming at history from a social science perspective means you have to be open to what that person's experience was and what they have to tell you. I think that experience at USF studying the social sciences has made me a better historian in that way,” she said.
Johannes explored beyond the traditional path he initially envisioned. He entered the university on the healthcare track, but his Honors education helped him explore other possibilities.
“I started as a chemistry major and began going through the pre-med process, but I was really starting to enjoy other aspects of my academic career. Studying philosophy in the Honors College, participating in the Beyond the Classroom study abroad series, and experiencing more outside of the classroom led me to think, ‘Maybe I don't want to do this,’” Johannes said.
After shifting into law and completing a legal internship, he realized that an overlooked throughline in his extracurricular involvement might be the key to choosing his future career.
"While I was interning, I realized I wanted to do something more centered on leadership, based on my experiences in sports, leading my fraternity, participating in the Interfraternity Council, and being involved in various aspects of student life here at USF,” he said.
Determined to become a leader, Johannes pursued a career in the military, where he now leads a team of 75 officers and sailors in his role as engineering officer on the USS Columbia, a nuclear-powered submarine.
Committed to Lead
Johannes leads officers aboard his submarine; Fletcher leads in a different way, breaking barriers as a woman in the male-dominated field of military history. She became the first female editor for both Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines.
Although she works as a military historian and storyteller who uplifts veterans’ voices, support is not always a given.
“You do get some pushback from people who have been involved in military history longer,” she said. “There are a lot of older men involved, and sometimes they can be a little skeptical of you.”
She doesn’t let that stop her. In fact, she made editorial additions to a magazine that were well received, even though some initially doubted her decision.
“It's been exciting to blaze trails. The people who are supportive — their support means so much more than anyone who's a naysayer,” she said.
For Fletcher and Johannes, the people they work with are at the heart of what they do. Fletcher enjoys contributing to the storytelling of the veterans she interviews for articles and book projects.
“What was rewarding for me was convincing veterans to go out on a little bit of a limb and express themselves. They would write their story, and I would help them put it together, make it better, improve things where I could, illustrate those stories, and really bring them out. That was a really rewarding experience for me,” Fletcher said.
Johannes aims to lead his crew members with a “people-centric approach” and a willingness to listen.
“I’m going to learn something from each of you today, and I’m going to take that with me, and it’s going to make me a better leader tomorrow,” he said. “Really incorporating that approach to take care of the individuals who are working for me means the rest of it is going to take care of itself.”
His closeness with his crew reminds him of his time at USF, where relationships with peers were an important part of his experience.
"There are 150 of us in a 365-foot metal tube for three, four, five, six or even seven months at a time,” he said. “That creates a special connection, similar to what you build with your classes, cohorts, clubs, societies and the Honors College as a whole throughout your four years at USF.”
The Journey Doesn’t End Here
Receiving an Outstanding Young Alumni Award is not the end of Fletcher and Johannes’ journeys. Both continue to pursue new opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact.
Fletcher is working on a forthcoming book that expands her master’s thesis about World War II and the Battle of the Bulge.
Johannes has been selected as one of 16 military officers to become an Olmsted Scholar. The Olmsted Scholars Program, founded by General George Olmsted after World War II, spans three years. In that time, Johannes will become fluent in Danish and complete a master’s program in a liberal arts discipline in Denmark. He compares the program to his Honors freshman course: Acquisition of Knowledge, a course that exposes students to various global philosophies and worldviews.
“The [Olmsted] program is designed to broaden my thinking and help me understand issues the way Danish people and Europeans understand them. It's very similar to the perspective I gained through Acquisition of Knowledge classes,” Johannes said.
A Legacy for Honors Generations to Come
Fletcher and Johannes offer Honors students an example of what it means to define success on their own terms.
Johannes recalls taking his first Honors course, Being Authentic, taught by Honors faculty member Benjamin Young, an experience that encouraged him to pursue a career aligned with his strengths and values.
“It made you think about how you're conforming to the norms and how you need to make the conscious choice to be yourself,” he said. “You have the ability to decide: ‘How am I going to shift to be myself, not just go be the doctor or the lawyer or the politician, but to be Zita Fletcher or Paul Johannes?’”
Fletcher encourages students considering a nontraditional path to keep their passions part of their lives.
“My advice would be to just follow your interests, even if you have to do it on the side for a little while before you can fully focus on them. Don't give up. Keep focusing on those things, and it will pay off eventually,” she said. “The next time someone tells you, ‘What are you going to do with that?’ maybe you don't know at the time, but eventually it'll come together. Just stick with what you love.”
“You're going to find what fits for you,” Johannes added, “not what the world thinks fits for you.”