Janelle Irwin Taylor
The University of South Florida is awarding more than 7,700 degrees during its Spring commencement ceremonies May 8-11, including to a mother and son, a cancer survivor, and a 69-year-old Navy veteran.
Of those graduating, 5,848 are earning undergraduate degrees, 1,631 are earning master’s degrees and 265 are earning doctoral degrees. Another five are receiving specialist degrees.
Meanwhile, 131 of the undergraduates are completing their programs with perfect 4.0 grade point averages. Nearly 200 are veterans and more than 100 are from other countries. Domestically, grads hail from 46 states and six U.S. territories. And about 40% of the graduates are recipients of a Pell Grant, a federal program that offers financial aid for low-income students.
The youngest graduate is 18 years old, earning a degree in psychology. The 69-year-old Navy veteran is the oldest, and is earning a doctoral degree in history.
USF President Rhea Law will preside over all 10 ceremonies.
The mother who will graduate with her son is Tammy Moscato. She’s earning her master’s degree in education, two days before her son Bennett will receive his bachelor’s degree in psychology. Moscato works as a student support coordinator assistant at USF.
Another touching graduation story this Spring is about Kylie Culver. She began her master’s in liberal arts program in 2022, but shortly after began experiencing unusual bruising all over her body, along with overwhelming fatigue. She was diagnosed with cancer and had to pause her education to pursue intensive chemotherapy. Just shy of a year after her diagnosis, Culver was declared cured of acute Promyelocytic leukemia and resumed her studies. After graduation, she will travel to Spain to continue her research and pursue a Ph.D. in history.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Samuel Addo will walk across the stage as the youngest of the Spring graduating cohort. He was able to graduate high school early after enrolling in Florida’s home education program, allowing him to take classes year-round and earn college credits from Valencia College in Orlando. He was accepted into the Judy Genshaft Honors College at USF when he was just 16 years old. Addo next plans to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs, also at USF. He hopes to follow in his parents’ footsteps, pursuing a career in academia focused on philosophy or history.
USF is hosting several commencement ceremonies beginning Thursday. They include:
— Thursday, May 8 at 1:30 p.m.: Master’s and educational specialist degree recipients from the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Design, Art & Performance and Education; Muma College of Business; and Patel College of Global Sustainability. That afternoon will spotlight 564 graduates.
— Thursday, May 8 at 6 p.m.: Master’s degree recipients from the colleges of Behavioral and Community Sciences; Engineering; Marine Science; and USF Health: Morsani College of Medicine, Nursing, Taneja College of Pharmacy, and Public Health. There, 511 graduates are expected to attend.
— Friday, May 9 at 9 a.m.: Doctoral degree recipients from the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Behavioral and Community Sciences; Design, Art & Performance; Education; Engineering; Marine Science; Muma College of Business; and USF Health: Morsani College of Medicine; Nursing, Taneja College of Pharmacy, and Public Health; Anne O’Neal will receive an Honorary Doctor of Engineering. That morning, 269 graduates are expected to attend.
— Friday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the following departments of the College of Arts and Sciences: Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications; Anthropology; Economics; School of Geosciences; School of Information; School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies; Journalism and Digital Communication; Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences; Sustainability Studies; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Debbie Sembler will receive a President’s Fellow Medallion and Rob Higgins will receive a Distinguished Citizen Award. Another 610 graduates are expected to attend.
— Friday, May 9 at 6 p.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the colleges of Behavioral and Community Sciences; Design, Art & Performance; Education; and the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Here, 632 graduates are expected to attend.
— Saturday, May 10 at 9 a.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the following departments of the College of Arts and Sciences: Chemistry; Integrative Biology; Mathematics and Statistics; Molecular Biosciences; and Physics; Stephanie Goforth will receive a President’s Fellow Medallion. There are 710 graduates expected to attend.
— Saturday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the following departments of the College of Arts and Sciences: Communication; English; History; Humanities and Cultural Studies; Philosophy; Psychology; and Religious Studies and World Languages; Denis Phillips will receive a Distinguished Citizen Award. Here, 657 graduates are expected to attend.
Saturday, May 10 at 6 p.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the Muma College of Business; Rick Skaggs will receive a Distinguished Citizen Award and Wendi Masis will receive a Ralph C. Wilcox Outstanding Graduate Award. This is the largest ceremony, with 811 graduates expected to attend.
— Sunday, May 11 at 9 a.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the College of Engineering, with 629 graduates expected to attend.
— Sunday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m.: Bachelor’s degree recipients from the colleges of Nursing and Public Health, with 729 graduates expected to attend.
