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USF graduate overcomes brain injury to earn degree
After a severe car accident in 2018 left him with a traumatic brain injury and aphasia, doctors doubted Murren would ever live independently. Through relentless physical and mental rehabilitation, he regained his abilities and returned to college, eventually transferring to USF. He excelled academically, joined honor societies and volunteered with special needs children.
December 8, 2025Student Success
USF to confer more than 4,100 degrees as President Rhea Law presides over her final commencement ceremonies
The class includes a student who overcame stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, along with the first group of graduates from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
December 8, 2025Student Success
Teen mom’s 20-year journey from the military to graduating from USF
Passionette Jacobs’ path to graduation was anything but easy. A mother at 15, she left high school to support her son. She later earned a GED through Job Corps and certifications in medical office technology. She served 12 years in the National Guard, learned trades like welding and plumbing, and even authored a children’s book.
December 8, 2025Student Success
USF student overcomes cancer to pursue dream of helping Alzheimer’s patients
Ednecia Nelson was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 21, forcing her to pause her education. After enduring surgery and chemotherapy, she entered remission in 2020 and resumed her studies, eventually transferring to USF. Inspired by her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s battle, Nelson plans to advocate for dementia patients and hopes to open her own memory care facility.
December 8, 2025Student Success
How a high school sports injury and first name introductions inspired Enrique Trevino to pursue medicine at USF
A glimpse inside the operating room at a young age helped shape Enrique Trevino’s path to medicine. Now training at USF, he’s committed to combining his passion for sports with a people-first approach to patient care.
September 10, 2025Student Success
USF confers nearly 2,700 degrees during summer commencement ceremonies
Graduates included a student who is blind and overcame the odds to fulfill his lifelong dream and a biomedical sciences major who donated part of his liver to save the life of a baby.
August 10, 2025University News
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, 2025Student Success
Seeing beyond sight: A USF blind student’s journey into broadcasting
As a mass communications major, 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.
August 4, 2025Student Success
Yash Patel
His interest in accounting was born as a high schooler helping his grandmother run her Clearwater motel. Yash Patel then started a vending machine business that funded his education, gaining real-world experience along the way.
August 4, 2025Student Success
How a USF student’s personal battle with dengue helped develop mosquito-fighting AI
Farhat Azam is using artificial intelligence to help fight mosquito-borne illnesses. As a doctoral student at USF, she is helping develop a smart mosquito trap that can identify disease-carrying species and alert health officials in real time. Her work aims to protect communities from future outbreaks and save lives.
July 28, 2025Cyber/AI, Research and Innovation, Student Success
From classroom to command: USF student helping shape the future of national security
For May Birch, national security isn’t just a field of study—it’s a calling rooted in family, shaped by mentors and propelled by student leadership.
June 9, 2025Student Success
USF confers more than 7,700 degrees during spring commencement ceremonies
Graduates included a mother and son earning their degrees, a cancer survivor who never gave up on her educational goal and twin sisters who created thriving startups, winning awards along the way to fuel their entrepreneurial journeys.
May 12, 2025Student Success, University News