By Ryan Hughes and Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
˛ÝÝ®ĘÓƵ President Rhea Law will lead her final commencement exercises during ceremonies Dec.12-13 on USF’s Tampa campus. Over the course of Law’s four-year tenure, she has conferred more than 59,000 degrees and presided over 81 commencement ceremonies since summer 2021.
This semester’s graduating class includes recipients of 3,229 bachelor’s, 748 master’s and 130 doctoral degrees. Law will preside over all five ceremonies, which will be held in the Yuengling Center.
The group includes 47 undergraduate students earning a perfect 4.0 grade point average, 137 military veterans and graduates from 79 countries, 43 states and one U.S. territory.
In addition, 39 graduates from USF’s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will receive the degrees they finished within the new college. This marks the college’s inaugural graduating class since it opened in August. This historic milestone will be signified by a lime-colored tassel, representing the college. The college’s namesake, Arnie Bellini, will also receive the President’s Fellow Medallion.
The first group of students from the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will receive the degrees
The historic milestone will be signified by a lime-colored tassel, representing the college
The college’s namesake, Arnie Bellini, will receive the President’s Fellow Medallion
This semester’s youngest graduate is 19 and will earn a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences. The oldest graduate this fall, who is 67 years old, is earning a doctorate in curriculum and instruction.
Siham Wazzan, youngest graduate
Michael Mitchell, oldest graduate
Cole Hill – Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
Cole Hill’s doctoral research at USF focused on improving AI gait analysis by embedding physics into machine learning models, making them more adaptable and reliable across environments. His work addressed limitations of data-driven systems and contributed to projects like SynthGait for the U.S. Department of Defense. Hill completed internships with the National Security Agency and the DoD, later defending his dissertation before accepting a position at Meta.
Ednecia Nelson – Bachelor of Science in Public Health
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.
Clark Stanton - Bachelor of Arts in digital communications and multimedia journalism
Clark Stanton went viral for filming USF football games with unconventional devices like a Nintendo DS, creating nostalgic, low-fi videos that drew massive national attention. His creative approach boosted the team’s social-media presence and helped launch his career in digital communications.
Passionette Jacobs – Bachelor of Arts in Communication
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.
Elena Contreras – Master of Social Work
Elena Contreras turned a childhood marked by abuse into a career dedicated to helping others heal. After years of silence and isolation, she pursued social work to become the advocate she once needed. Contreras now works as a case coordinator for USF Health’s Child Protection Team, helping abused children.
Michael Murren – Bachelor of Science in accountancy
After a severe car accident in 2018 left him with a traumatic brain injury and aphasia, doctors doubted Michael 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.
Teresa Booker - Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
Teresa Booker's military medical training helped her save a visitor’s life on campus by administering critical CPR during an emergency. Her journey reflects resilience, service, and determination as she completes her degree and prepares for a future career in dental hygiene with the Air Force.
Elliott Wilson - Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science
Eliott Wilson — a self-described introvert who transferred to USF Sarasota-Manatee — discovered confidence and community on campus as he embraced student life, serving as orientation leader, tutor, resident assistant, and even karaoke-club officer. USF Sarasota-Manatee. He credits supportive classmates, hands-on research and real-world pharmacy experience for shaping his future ambition.
Sandra Ilona Napolitano - Bachelor of Arts in criminology
Sandra Ilona Napolitano will serve as a student speaker during the Dec. 12 commencement ceremony. The criminology major with minors in deaf studies and intelligence studies, Napolitano is a King O’Neal Scholar and a member of the Judy Genshaft Honors College’s inaugural cohort of Wilcox Scholars. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Napolitano helped launch the Honors College's podcast and contributed to more than 70 episodes.
After graduation, Napolitano will continue in her full-time role at the Tampa Police Department as a public safety telecommunicator and will begin a master’s program in global security at Johns Hopkins University in the spring.
Ceremony information:
Friday, Dec. 12 | 9 a.m.
Master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degree recipients from all colleges.
*Dr. Mayumi Yamamoto will receive a Global Leadership Award.
Friday, Dec. 12 | 1:30 p.m.
Bachelor’s degree recipients from the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences
and the following schools and departments from the College of Arts and Sciences: Zimmerman
School of Advertising and Mass Communications; Anthropology; Communication; Economics;
English; History; Humanities and Cultural Studies; School of Information; School of
Interdisciplinary Global Studies; Journalism and Digital Communication; Philosophy;
Religious Studies; Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences; Women’s, Gender,
and Sexuality Studies; and World Languages. *Craig J. Richard will receive a Distinguished
Citizen Award.
Friday, Dec. 12 | 6 p.m.
Bachelor’s degree recipients from the College of Arts and Sciences in the following
schools and departments: Chemistry; School of Geosciences; Integrative Biology; Mathematics
and Statistics; Molecular Biosciences; Physics; Psychology; and Sustainability Studies.
*Michael Simas will receive a President’s Fellow Medallion.
Saturday, Dec. 13 | 9 a.m.
Bachelor’s degree recipients from the College of Arts and Sciences in the following
schools and departments: Chemistry; School of Geosciences; Integrative Biology; Mathematics
and Statistics; Molecular Biosciences; Physics; Psychology; and Sustainability Studies.
*Arnie Bellini will receive a President’s Fellow Medallion.
Saturday, Dec. 13 | 1:30 p.m.
Bachelor’s degree recipients from the colleges of Muma College of Business; Design,
Art, and Performance; Education; and Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Matt Cimitile and Andrea Knies, University Communications and Marketing; Jeremy Maready and Lorie Briggs, USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing; and Patricia Harrison, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, contributed to this article.