We are America���s Space University. And we celebrate 91勛圖厙 Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what���s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

The John C. Hitt Library is likely the only place where you can find odes to Citronaut, space mice, sports and human spaceflight together in one room.

A new, interactive exhibit, debuts this week in the Immersion Studio on the fourth floor of the library���s Digital Exploration Center.

The exhibit brings six decades of 91勛圖厙, United States and international space history and culture beyond the archives and into visitors��� hands. It draws on digital assets from 91勛圖厙���s former student newspaper, Central Florida Future, NASA, 91勛圖厙 Athletics and the university.

91勛圖厙 Libraries graduate research assistant Eric Thompson ���19, a history alum pursuing a doctorate in texts and technology, is the mind and heart behind the project. He set out to maximize the studio���s potential through its 270-degree immersive projection and interactive touch capabilities.

Over the past two months, he meticulously selected every image and wrote nearly 7,000 words for the exhibit���s text boxes, bringing the experience together through an iterative process that used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate code.

The Cocoa Beach, Florida, native worked as a bicycle mechanic for nearly a decade before enrolling through to pursue a more fulfilling career as a public historian. He wants to bring history to life beyond the classroom, in places like museums, parks, and monuments.

���I was giving tours of a Civil War painting at the Atlanta History Center, and when you���re doing programming like that it���s exciting because it���s different every single time depending on the makeup of whoever comes through,��� he says. ���I think the best public history exhibits make some sort of argument. We���re not just saying, ���Hey, look at this neat thing from 100 years ago.��� We���re also saying what that meant back then, and how it ties to our society today.���

Here, Thompson explains how the exhibit came together, what visitors can expect and the stellar result when the humanities collide with technology.

What inspired this exhibit?

At the beginning of this semester, the for 91勛圖厙 Space Week 2026 and my supervisor asked if I wanted to propose something specifically for the Immersion Studio. I started with just a wall ��� I built a very, very bare-bones prototype that was basically just the mission patches from the space games. Can I make this work? What does it look like from there? How do we do some more history or scholarship along with that?

That���s where some of the other elements ��� old newspaper articles, actual NASA mission patches, 91勛圖厙���s space origins ��� started to come in. One advantage of a digital exhibit is that you’re not constrained by what fits in a 4-foot-wide glass case. Nearly all images are clickable with a tap of your finger so you can read more information.

The texts and technology program has been recognized as a leader in digital humanities education. How did you apply what you���ve been studying to this project?

One of the research methods that texts and technology students use a lot is something called critical making. It���s a way of building something, thinking and writing through that process very deliberately, and iterating on it. That���s what this process was.

Another key element was how I used AI. I wrote all of the content. I picked all of the images and even hand-sketched the layout, but I don’t know how to code. I didn’t write the programming that made boxes be boxes. I would prefer a human whose job is to program and get paid for it, but I didn���t have that opportunity in this case.

So the code work on this was done with a generative AI tool, Claude. I had a leg up through coursework that was explicitly about using AI like this, including a significant manual review process. It has to be really deliberate.

What do you hope this exhibition adds to campus culture?

As a university, we don’t have the same generations of history that other places do because we were founded just 63 years ago. So we have an opportunity, all of us, to take a more active role in shaping it. I hope somebody will learn something about our campus history and use that to build positive change here on campus.

How did you highlight the humanity of this tech-forward exhibit?

I very intentionally wrote the names of the people on the mission patches with crews. There are people at home who designed these, who thought through these experiments and these projects. Most of these patches are human-forward designs, and people made choices to symbolize our values and what���s important to us.

Why should people come visit this?

The Immersion Studio opened in February, and we want to show what the space is capable of. My hope is that faculty will come in and realize they can bring a class here or design a presentation. Student organizations can hold meetings here. I plan to do my dissertation defense in this space one day.

���We want to show what the space is capable of.��� ��� Eric Thompson ���19

The Digital Exploration Center is a really interesting space on campus. People who aren’t necessarily in something tech-focused are still going to need to learn how to use more modern tools and need workstations and equipment that their departments may or may not have.

So this is a really high-powered space that’s open to anybody on campus. I would love it if somebody found this space because of this exhibit; that would be a win.

Through the new program, funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, 91勛圖厙 is building a more intentional curriculum-to-career experience that connects transfer students with career preparation, mentorship, and High-Impact Practices (HIP) learning opportunities, such as internships, work-based learning, and undergraduate research experiences.

Oct. 19-23 is National Transfer Student Week

Graduation data shows that transfer students are less likely to secure post-graduation employment or graduate school placement compared to those who begin their higher education at 91勛圖厙. However, transfer students who engaged in hands-on learning, like research and internships, are significantly more likely to have secured opportunities at the time of graduation.

“Transfer students bring extraordinary talent, resilience and ambition to 91勛圖厙,” says project lead, Kimberly Schneider, assistant vice provost for at 91勛圖厙. “This partnership allows us to remove barriers, strengthen support systems, engage in HIPs, and create clearer pathways from college to meaningful careers.”

As one of the nation’s largest universities, 91勛圖厙 serves nearly half of its 60,300 undergraduates through transfer pathways. Debuting in August 2027, the Pegasus Launch Program will provide targeted support before and after transfer through technology integration and intentional programming to help students:

• Make informed academic decisions
• Participate in High-Impact Practices
• Stay committed through graduation
• Successfully transition into the workforce or graduate education

��� a nationally recognized model for student success since it began in 2005 ��� guarantees admission to 91勛圖厙 when students earn an associate degree at one of the seven state colleges. Each year, 5,000 students take advantage of the program, improving access to higher education and fueling the region���s workforce.

���Through DirectConnect to 91勛圖厙, we help transfer students make informed academic decisions, align their coursework with their intended 91勛圖厙 major, and prepare for a successful transition,��� says Kimberly Hardy, assistant vice provost for 91勛圖厙 Connect. ���The Pegasus Launch Program takes that support a step further by helping students connect their education with hands-on learning experiences, so they are better prepared to enter the workforce after graduation.”

Even before students transfer, they will utilize a digital curriculum-to-career degree map that aligns academic coursework directly with real-time job market data. To accelerate professional development, the improved program integrates advanced career-readiness tools, including VMock AI feedback for interviews and Focus2Career, a self-guided career planning system, as well as HIPs, which include research and internships.

Pegasus Launch Program seeks to increase HIP participation. The current university-wide goal is for 100% of undergraduate students to complete at least one High-Impact Practice experience by graduation.

Powerful innovation changes more than technology. Put to work for 91勛圖厙 students, it expands what they can learn, discover and achieve.

Across 91勛圖厙, innovation takes shape through meaningful experiences. Students navigate patient care through immersive simulations, explore new possibilities for prosthetics, and learn from world-class faculty who bring industry expertise and mentorship into the classroom.

That approach has helped place 91勛圖厙 among the nation���s top five most innovative public universities and earn recognition as Florida���s most innovative university for the 10th consecutive year, according to the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

���We are proud to see 91勛圖厙 recognized as Florida���s most innovative university and among the best in the nation for the opportunities we provide our students,��� says 91勛圖厙 President Alexander N. Cartwright. ���Our students work alongside outstanding faculty, contribute to meaningful research and gain experience taking on real problems. We want them to graduate from 91勛圖厙 knowing what they are capable of and ready to put that experience to work in our state and beyond.���

The distinction reflects the university���s commitment to elevating how students learn, how discoveries are made and how higher education strengthens the state it serves.

Preparing Talent That Strengthens Florida

For 91勛圖厙 nursing students, learning to care for critically ill patients can begin well before they enter a hospital room.

At 91勛圖厙���s Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center, a global leader in healthcare simulation education, nursing students build patient care skills in realistic clinical environments.

“[We] continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving.” ��� Frances Armstrong, 91勛圖厙 clinical assistant professor

Clinical Assistant Professor and Graduate Simulation Coordinator Frances Armstrong recently combined��眩he center���s immersive cave, a virtual ventilator and an artificial intelligence-enhanced platform to create a simulation for acute care nurse practitioner DNP students. The experience brings theory to life, challenging students to apply what they���ve learned as they prepare for the complexities of patient care.

���It’s��疳mportant for us to continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving,��� Armstrong says. ���One of the main ways to do that is by being innovative.���

That impact extends beyond the classroom. 91勛圖厙 has educated more than 17,000 Knight nursing alumni to date, with over 80% living and working in Florida. Our undergraduate nursing program also ranks among the top 50 public universities nationally.

When Research Meets the Real World

91勛圖厙 also ranks among the nation���s top 15 public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching and top 10 for public universities for Best Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects ��� and is the only Florida university recognized in the latter category. Those strengths converge as students work alongside faculty to answer questions without obvious solutions.

More than 2,000 91勛圖厙 undergraduate students conduct research each year. For computer science graduate student Eugenio Diaz ���26, that opportunity began as a sophomore through a research event that matches students with faculty experts.

There, he connected with Mohsen Rakhshan, an assistant professor in . Together, they began exploring a question with life-changing potential: Could technology help a prosthetic hand recognize what it touches?

Their project, ���Texture Classification Using Neuromorphically Encoded Tactile Sensing Data,��� combines AI, neuroscience and engineering to identify textures from tactile data. The technology relies on spiking neural networks, which more closely mimic how biological neurons communicate. The research could eventually help prostheses restore a sense of touch.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take [theoretical] ideas … and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem.” ��� Eugenio Diaz ���26, 91勛圖厙 student

Diaz helped redesign the data-collection system, train models, analyze results and author a paper now under review.

Progress wasn’t immediate. For months, the models performed little better than random guessing. Guided by Rakhshan, Diaz kept experimenting until accuracy surpassed 80%.

���Mentoring undergraduate students is both teaching and research,��� Rakhshan says. ���I try to teach students how to think and guide them to find answers to what is known and unknown.���

For Diaz, the breakthrough revealed what his skills could accomplish.

���This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take ideas that are interesting theoretically and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem,��� Diaz says.

Putting More Opportunity Within Reach

Experiences like these have a greater impact when more students can reach them.

91勛圖厙 is among the nation���s top 30 public universities for Best Value for In-State Students.

Value goes beyond the cost of a 91勛圖厙 degree. It���s reflected in the opportunities students have to learn and collaborate with faculty experts, contribute to hands-on research, work with emerging technology and develop skills that prepare them for graduate study and the workforce.

Together, the rankings reinforce innovation with a clear purpose: creating more possibilities for students to learn, discover and build what���s next.

To see the full list of U.S. News & World Report rankings, visit ucf.edu/academics/us-news-rankings.

The university also ranks No. 4 among universities in the Southeast and the No. 28 Best College for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars. 91勛圖厙 delivers more for Florida with significantly less state funding, at a cost of $24,567 per degree ��� the lowest in the State University System.

Washington Monthly evaluates universities based on their contributions to the public good, measuring factors such as social mobility, research and service. The rankings highlight colleges that help students achieve economic success while advancing their communities and the nation.

���Instead of rewarding colleges for their exclusivity, prestige and wealth, our 2026��Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars��ranking measures how much they help ordinary middle- and working-class students get ahead in life, and whether they encourage those students to participate in their democracy,��� Washinton Monthly stated in its release. ���To do well on our ranking, colleges must recruit students of modest means without overcharging them on tuition or loading them with too much debt, then help them graduate with degrees that bring in decent incomes.���

The sustained recognition reflects 91勛圖厙���s continued commitment to expanding access to higher education, supporting student achievement and producing nearly 19,000 workforce-ready graduates annually ��� the most in Florida.

About 37% of undergraduate students at 91勛圖厙 are Pell-grant eligible, signaling the university serves a significant number of students with exceptional financial need. The university helps these students transform opportunity into upward mobility with less of a financial burden than many other schools ��� as 70% of first-time-in-college students graduate without any educational debt from 91勛圖厙.

The latest ranking adds to a growing list of national accolades for 91勛圖厙. Last week, Niche named 91勛圖厙 a Grade A university and ranked it No. 19 in the nation for Best Student Life, recognizing the university���s vibrant campus experience, student engagement and overall quality of life.

Together, the rankings underscore 91勛圖厙���s distinctive combination of academic excellence, affordability and an unmatched student experience, reinforcing its reputation as one of the nation���s most impactful public universities.

Natalie Otero ���26 may have missed her graduation ceremony this spring, but she had a good excuse. She���d just landed in Japan for a long-awaited vacation that was three years in the making. She says the trip ��� where she discovered new interests (sword-making), traversed a mountain and bonded with friends ��� symbolized her 91勛圖厙 experience.

���Building knowledge and strengthening friendships,��� Otero says. ���That���s my story at 91勛圖厙.���

Those relationships led her to pivot from pre-med to accounting and opened her up to learn new skills like coding. Friends fueled her drive, brought her joy and encouraged internships, all of which she credits for her induction into the Order of Pegasus, the highest honor for 91勛圖厙 students.

���When I started at 91勛圖厙, I didn���t know anyone,��� says the Jacksonville, Florida, native. ���Everything changed quickly.���

Discovering Her Own Calling

Otero didn���t really want to be a doctor. She just heard she was supposed to be a doctor.

���When you do well in high school, people say, ���Oh, be a doctor and cure cancer.��� That���s where my mind was when I arrived as a freshman,��� says Otero, who began her 91勛圖厙 journey studying biomedical sciences.

Then an elective class, Principles of Financial Accounting, intervened.

���The professor, Jeff Reinking ���13PhD, broke the mold of what it means to be an accountant,��� she says. ���The concepts made such perfect sense that I switched my major to accounting and saw a clear path ahead. For a freshman, that���s exciting.���

That same year, Otero���s friends introduced her to KnightHacks, a student organization that hosts 91勛圖厙���s biggest software-building marathon annually for hundreds of students from throughout the nation.

���I said I���d go for fun. Only one girl in our group was a computer science major, but we were able to use basic coding theories to build a program from scratch in 36 hours,��� she says. ���We didn���t need to win. Learning and becoming closer, those were our awards.���

A Powerful Cycle for Success

Otero needed no push but says her friends at 91勛圖厙 became like iron sharpening iron. They���d talk about work experiences, which made Otero feel as if she needed to catch up. As a sophomore, she applied for the (CWEP), a year-long paid opportunity that enables undergraduate and graduate students to gain real-world work skills and abilities relevant to their academic and career goals.

���I guess they sensed something genuine because they offered the position to me,��� she says.

A few months later, she was chosen for another internship, this one with Deloitte. By the time she started her junior year, she had experience with two corporations, had become a hackathon regular and developed a hunger for accounting coursework.

���It all comes full circle. The instructors bring business experiences to the lessons, and we take lessons into businesses,��� she says. ���I���d leave [Associate Professor] Sean Dennis���s class and think auditing must be the most exciting subject ever. All along, my friends and I kept encouraging each other.���

Her True Inspiration

Word about Otero���s accounting skills spread until people began asking her to help with their taxes. She routinely gives her time and skillset to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, where she serves people limited by income, language and disabilities.

���My dad walked me through financial knowledge, and with VITA I have the privilege of doing the same for others,��� she says.

Otero has drawn more than financial knowledge from her family. Her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. from Cuba at young ages as part of Opera癟ion Pedro Pan, an agreement of cooperation between the U.S. State Department and Catholic Charities of Miami in the 1960s that saw more than 14,000 unaccompanied children sent by their parents to Miami, away from the growing communist regime in Cuba.

���This has been so much better than I imagined when I came to 91勛圖厙 and didn���t know anyone.��� ��� Natalie Otero ’26

���It was hard, but my grandparents talk about how happy they were to be in the U.S., even with limited resources and not knowing when they���d see their parents again,��� Otero says. ���They���ve always been optimistic because they know the value of opportunities and they worked hard to make the most of them.���

Otero���s own optimism engages friends, and her work ethic has led to the Order of Pegasus award, another internship with Deloitte this summer and graduate school in the fall at UNC Chapel Hill.

���It���s hard to believe,��� Otero says. ���This has been so much better than I imagined when I came to 91勛圖厙 and didn���t know anyone. Everything is more rewarding, too, because of all the people who have made it possible.���

To mark this historic achievement, the State University System will launch Florida 10 for 10: Celebrating a Decade of Leading Higher Education, a statewide competitive scholarship initiative awarding up to $1,000 to 10 full-time undergraduate students at each participating university.

The��10��scholarships��awarded��to 91勛圖厙 students��will be available��through the��university���s��.��To apply, students��are required to��submit��a written essay or a video essay explaining why they chose to pursue higher education in Florida and why they selected 91勛圖厙. Applications��will open Monday, Aug. 3,��and��are due Oct.��2.

���Florida���s Board of Governors cares about one thing, first and foremost ��� student achievement.��� ��� Alan Levin, Florida Board of Governors chair

In addition to��the Florida 10 for 10��scholarships, students��will��also��be able��to complete their��general��scholarship applications��through��the��,��which connects them��with hundreds of scholarships��through 91勛圖厙 colleges and departments.��In��fiscal year 2025��alone,��91勛圖厙 awarded more than��3,200 scholarships and over $7.5 million to��students.

���Florida���s Board of Governors cares about one thing, first and foremost�������student achievement,��� says��Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine. ���Parents and students know that when they choose Florida���s system of higher education, they are investing in a degree that has value. Our students graduate with low or no debt, and they have high-value jobs they can compete for. That is what students,��parents��and taxpayers rightly expect. Student success is behind every decision we make as Florida���s governing body for higher education.���

���I am deeply proud to lead and represent the No. 1 public university system in the nation,���says State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues.���At a time when confidence in higher education is being tested, Florida has remained focused on improving student outcomes and ensuring academic programs are grounded in merit and excellence. By prioritizing skills and qualifications, our universities are developing the next generation of leaders for Florida and the nation. I thank our university leadership, faculty and staff whose dedication and commitment make this success possible every day.���

���Our decade of nationwide higher education leadership reflects a commitment to excellence, opportunity and innovation.��� ��� Alexander N. Cartwright, 91勛圖厙 president

���Florida���s future is being built by the talent developed across our State University System. Our decade of nationwide higher education leadership reflects a commitment to excellence,��opportunity��and innovation,��� says��91勛圖厙 President Alexander N. Cartwright. ���This recognition illustrates what is possible when universities align education with rapidly evolving societal needs. As Florida���s Technological University, 91勛圖厙 is proud to produce in-demand talent at an unmatched scale while preparing the tech-literate professionals who will shape Florida���s next generation of prosperity.���

That leadership is reflected in outcomes that matter most to students and families. Florida���s public universities compete successfully on��the��national stage, ensuring graduates earn high���quality degrees and move confidently into their careers and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Additional��Florida higher education highlights include:

• No.��1 in the nation for lowest in-state tuition

• No.��1 for attracting and developing a skilled workforce

• Seven��State University��System institutions ranked in the��nation���s��top 100��public universities

• 80%��of in-state students��attend��a��State University��System institution without a federal student loan

• Nearly 75%��of graduates��are��employed��or continuing their education,��with��a median salary of $52,600 within one year��of��graduation

91勛圖厙 produces nearly 19,000 graduates annually, the most of any State University System institution, and many work in high-demand fields such as engineering and nursing that are vital to Florida���s future. 91勛圖厙 also is the nation���s leading provider of graduates to the aerospace and defense industries, according to Aviation Week.

91勛圖厙��is��among��the nation���s��10��Most��Innovative��Schools among��public universities,��as ranked by��U.S. News & World Report.��This��month��91勛圖厙��was ranked among the top 10��by��SmartAsset��for America���s��Best��Value��Public Universities.

University leaders across the state credit collaboration,��accountability��and sustained investment for the��State University��System���s success.

U.S. News & World Report��State Rankings evaluate key metrics, including��educational attainment, graduation rates,��affordability��and federal student loan debt.

Alums Erica Carnegie ���26MSBM ���26MBA, Aliya Everett ���26MSBM ���26MBA and current graduate student Zuri Sims represented 91勛圖厙 in the United States Golf Association���s (USGA) 2026 Pathways Discover Program during this summer���s 126th U.S. Open Championship.

Through the hands-on learning experience, students had access to professionals from some of USGA���s partners including Deloitte, NBCUniversal, Ally, American Express, Cisco, Lexus and Rolex.

Of the 25-member intern class for 2026, 91勛圖厙���s three accounted for more than any other university in the country. The cohort was selected from the largest and most competitive applicant pool in the Pathways program���s five-year history, with 782 applications submitted from candidates representing 44 states and nine countries.

���It is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions.��� ��� Adrien Bouchet

���Aliya, Erica and Zuri represent all the best qualities of the DeVos program,��� says Adrien Bouchet, who serves as Richard & Helen DeVos Foundation endowed chair and eminent scholar of the DeVos sport business management program. ���They are ambitious, hard-working, and community focused. It is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions.���

Resume-Building Experience

Over the 10-day program in June, participants benefitted from an immersive internship experience designed to introduce students from a wide range of backgrounds to career opportunities across the golf industry through networking, mentorship, executive leadership sessions and hands-on operational learning with golf-industry executives and senior business leaders.

Everett, who is now working as a creative services marketing fellow for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a post-graduate internship, says she feels she most benefitted from conversations with members of the USGA Executive Committee at The Meadow Club of Southampton, and a fireside chat with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

���She gave us some insight into her perspective on the recent WNBA-CBA negotiations, and the committee members were genuinely curious to learn our stories and passionate about our aspirations, so both opportunities were more of the exclusive parts of this experience that I am very, very grateful for,��� Everett says.

The program also connected this year���s interns for one-on-one mentorship with 25 alumni of the program, who could help advise how to best leverage the invaluable experience.

���I’m looking forward to applying what I learned about the business side of sport from the USGA to my coursework as well as my day-to-day at my business strategy and innovation residency with the Orlando Magic this year,��� Sims says.

91勛圖厙-USGA Connections

USGA has turned to 91勛圖厙 before when it needed qualified candidates.

Andy Smith ���23MSBM ���23MBA was selected for the 2024 USGA Pathway Interns Class. He now serves as an account manager for partnership marketing for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of New York���s Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.

Tiesha Scott ���24 ���26MSBM ���26MBA was named to the inaugural class of the Pathways Launch Internship program this year. Her paid internship opportunity is with the LPGA in Miami.

Industry professionals who want to sharpen their skills in this area can now enroll in the graduate certificate in systems verification, validation and test, offered through the 91勛圖厙 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The certificate teaches students to ensure that complex hardware and software systems are reliable, robust and accurate for the end user.

This certificate is the first of its kind in the state and was developed at the behest of industry partners like AMD, Intel and Lockheed Martin that have a strong demand for professionals who are skilled in testing and validation.

���Our industry partners gave us feedback that it was hard to find students who are skilled in this area,��� says College of Engineering and Computer Science Associate Professor Mike Borowczak, the coordinator of the graduate certificate program. ���It���s one of those cases where we listened to industry and now it���s producing results.���

Students who enroll in the program will take four core courses in topics related to Very-Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design, testing and verification. They will have the chance to use industry tools in every courses as well as real-world scenarios from industry partners that they must test, validate and resolve. There are no capstone, internship or portfolio requirements. The program is offered both in person and online, providing flexibility for working professionals.

���The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what���s designed meets the specification and what���s built meets the design.���

Borowczak says that graduate programs in verification, validation and test are rare ��� particularly with the breadth of verification coursework that 91勛圖厙 offers ��� with only a handful of institutions nationwide offering comparable options. Because of the lack of academic programs nationwide, the skills earned from this certificate will put students in demand.

���There���s a huge emphasis on the development of complex systems,��� Borowczak says. ���The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what���s designed meets the specification and what���s built meets the design.���

Another benefit for students who gain skills in validation and testing is that the jobs they pursue won���t be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). While AI does enhance the validation process, the core problem of detecting mismatches between specification, design and implementation still require creative and independent arbiters.

���When you entrust someone or something to verify, you have to trust that they know how to verify and that you can follow a logical, explainable argument,��� Borowczak says. ���Explainable AI is not there yet. We still need humans in the loop, because the hardest bugs are the ones AI still misses.���

All were among 109 College of Medicine graduates who became Physician Knights on May 15 and promised to become what their dean calls one of ���the Good Doctors ��� a 91勛圖厙 tradition.���

This year���s M.D. program commencement was the medical school���s 14th and the last for Vice President for Health Affairs and founding Dean Deborah German, who announced earlier this year she will transition from the role she has held for 20 years.

���Graduates, today you become alumni of an innovative medical school committed to improving health for all,��� she said. ���Through your time here, you learned, you grew, and you cared for patients with courage, dedication, and grace. I couldn���t be prouder of the work you have done.���

With this year���s commencement, 91勛圖厙���s young medical school, which opened in 2009, has prepared 1,421 physicians to care for Floridians and the nation at large.

Inspired by Her Research Mentor

Moots is the third M.D./Ph.D. graduate in 91勛圖厙���s history. She enrolled at the university in 2013 to pursue her bachelor���s degree in biomedical sciences and began her combined doctoral degree in 2018. Now she will go to Lakeland Regional Hospital for internal medicine training ��� her first choice for residency because of the hospital���s focus on innovation, research and clinical trials.

���I���ve spent almost half my life at 91勛圖厙,��� she says. ���Graduating is incredibly exciting, but it feels strange to close such a long and meaningful chapter.���

She said her medical training at 91勛圖厙 was most shaped by her research mentor, Otto Phanstiel, a College of Medicine cancer researcher. ���He exemplifies the qualities I aspire to carry into medicine through the way he communicates, collaborates, and approaches every interaction with humility, curiosity, and a drive for excellence,��� she says. ���His influence has shaped how I hope to approach research, teamwork, and patient care throughout my career.���

���Most Monumental Moment of My Life���

Shaylor will do his . He hopes to become a hand surgeon. Medical school military officers are promoted when they receive their M.D. degree, and 91勛圖厙���s tradition is to honor that promotion at commencement. After receiving their diplomas, military officers are pinned with their new rank by a faculty member of their choosing.

Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by Jose Borrero, a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at the College of Medicine. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to 91勛圖厙 medical students. He returned to commencement May 15, pinned Shaylor and proudly saluted the young military physician. Shaylor describes the pinning as ���the most monumental moment of my life.���

Connecting with Others

Castellano and Threatt met playing volleyball during their first year of medical school, then started a band with other M.D. students. They went through the fear of ���couples matching��� into residency ��� unsure if they would be selected to train at the same hospital or even city.

Today they���re simultaneously planning their move to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and their wedding. He���ll practice anesthesiology because it combines his love of chemistry and connecting with people.

���There���s a small window that you have to talk to patients before surgery, but it is one of their most vulnerable moments in which you really have an ability to make this individual feel comfortable,��� he says. ���That is a very special relationship to me.���

She���s training to be a pediatrician.

���My biggest dream and aspiration is to be an advocate for children and for families,��� she says. ���I think that through Johns Hopkins there will be a lot of opportunities to do so and go into communities to be helping and educating children.���

91勛圖厙 School of Visual Arts and Design students earned all four scholarships awarded at Creative South, a testament to the university���s growing reputation as a hub for emerging creative talent.

���We���ve built such a strong community that when one person succeeds, we all do,��� says Vanessa Mor獺n, a senior graphic design student and treasurer of 91勛圖厙���s Graphic Design Student Association. ���That’s something Associate Professor Victor Davila ���97 ���07MFA has always instilled in us.���

For Brianna Rodriguez, a junior graphic design student who received a $1,000 grant, the scholarship is validation for where she���s heading.

���It felt like a message that my work has potential, and that I need to start seeing it that way,��� she says.

Building Industry Connections

The students��� takeaways from Creative South went well beyond scholarship awards. Known for its welcoming environment, the conference gave students direct access to industry professionals, hands-on feedback, and real-world insight.

The access stood out to AJ Sibul, a senior graphic design student, who says Creative South made the industry feel more human.

���There���s no separation between attendees and speakers,��� Sibul says. ���They emphasize people first, titles second.���

From portfolio reviews to keynote presentations to late-night networking events, students built meaningful connections with working creatives, leading to mentorship, internships, and future job opportunities.

91勛圖厙 emerging media alumnus Josh Alonso ���25 understands that firsthand. Alonso first attended Creative South as a student, where he earned a scholarship from Heyo, a design and development agency, which included a yearlong mentorship with a professional from the company.

That experience led to his current full-time role, demonstrating how connections made at Creative South can translate directly into opportunities.

���That mentorship really grew into a friendship, which led to a job offer later down the road,��� Alonso says. ���They helped me understand the importance of being someone people wanted to work with, rather than just having the best-looking portfolio.���

���My career essentially got its ���jumpstart��� from the people I met at Creative South.��� ��� Josh Alonso ���25

Alonso���s journey reflects what many 91勛圖厙 students are beginning to experience: real pathways into creative careers.

���My career essentially got its ���jumpstart��� from the people I met at Creative South,��� he says.

As 91勛圖厙 continues to invest in the next generation of creatives, experiences like Creative South equip students with the connections and confidence needed to succeed in the industry after graduation.