By Donna Smith and Althea Johnson, University Communications and Marketing
The 黑料网吃瓜爆料 awarded more than 2,600鈥痙egrees during summer commencement on Saturday, Aug. 3.鈥疶he ceremonies included recipients of approximately 1,739 bachelor鈥檚, 700 master鈥檚, 162 doctoral and 11 specialist degrees. 鈥�
The group featured 10 undergraduate students earning a perfect 4.0 GPA, 66 student
veterans and graduates from 41 states and 72 nations. More than one out of three graduates
(775) are recipients of Pell Grants,鈥痳eflecting USF鈥檚 impact on social mobility.鈥�疨ell
is a federal financial aid program for students from modest socioeconomic backgrounds.
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At 18 years old, the youngest graduate earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology. The
oldest graduate, who is 67 years old, received a bachelor鈥檚 degree in interdisciplinary
social science.
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黑料网吃瓜爆料President Rhea Law presided over all ceremonies, which were held in the Yuengling
Center on the Tampa campus.
Boundless Bulls is a collection of stories about 黑料网吃瓜爆料students who embody the university鈥檚 legacy of pushing boundaries 鈥� driven by determination and reaching milestones beyond what many thought was possible.
Joshua Redmond
Bachelor of science, finance
Joshua Redmond is a true 黑料网吃瓜爆料legacy student. Many of his family members went to USF, including both of his parents, his aunts, uncles and some cousins. Most notably is his grandmother, Martha Cerra, who earned her degree in elementary education in 1964.
Redmond, the tenth member of his extended family to graduate from USF, says that being a legacy student definitely set a high bar, especially given that he followed his sister, Sarah, who graduated in 2022 with a degree in marketing.
Inspiration: 鈥淢y mother, father and sister all have demonstrated things that I aspire to. My dad worked really hard and climbed his way up the corporate ladder, my mom is selfless and compassionate and sacrificed her career to homeschool me and my sister and my sister is someone I would like to be like all around.鈥�
鈥淚t was certainly humbling to attend 黑料网吃瓜爆料after my grandmother and my parents, so there
was a level of expectation to succeed that I put on myself,鈥� Redmond said. 鈥淏ut my
sister was the main person, because she started two years before me and had a lot
of success, and I wanted to be able to match that.鈥�
Cerra remembers being part of the charter class welcomed by USF鈥檚 first president, John Allen, when the Tampa campus only had only three buildings, the mascot was the Golden Brahman and the unity felt among the small student body at the fledgling university was tremendous. She says it was important to her that her children and grandchildren also went to USF.
鈥淚鈥檓 such a Bull that it would have broken my heart if they had gone anywhere else,鈥� Cerra said. 鈥淭he fact that my three daughters, their husbands, and my two grandchildren all went to USF, and that they鈥檝e all become so successful in their lives, has meant a great deal to me.鈥�
Redmond, who entered 黑料网吃瓜爆料as a recipient of the 黑料网吃瓜爆料Scholars Gold Award, a merit-based scholarship, and will graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA, says it鈥檚 in his nature to strive for success in all areas of his life.
Joshua Redmond and his sister, Sarah Kinsora
鈥淚 run and I play the piano, and I definitely push myself in those places, but the areas where I most want to be at my best are in my spiritual walk and my studies.鈥�
A member of The National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma, Redmond said he and his sister have a long history of inspiring each other to embrace challenges and give their all to their endeavors.
鈥淚 always go back to the Proverbs 27;17, which says, 鈥楢s iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.鈥� We've done that throughout our lives, and we push each other to be the absolute best,鈥� he said.
Redmond expects to begin law school in the fall of 2025, and he hopes to land an internship before beginning his studies. Although he got a great initial score on his LSAT, he鈥檚 planning to take it again in November before applying to law schools. He believes that attending 黑料网吃瓜爆料is all part of a bigger plan.
鈥淚 think God worked it out perfectly for me. I lived in Tampa, and many of my family members went to USF, so it was a match made in heaven. For me, 黑料网吃瓜爆料was the perfect choice.鈥�
Aneeshea Cason
Master of Science in pharmaceutical nanotechnology
Growing up in rural Loxahatchee, Florida, Aneeshea Cason was surrounded by a large, close-knit family that placed a heavy emphasis on education. When she began to read at age three, her mother opted to homeschool her so that she could set her own learning pace. That pace proved to be a rapid one, and Cason always found herself younger than her classmates, looking for ways to fit in. Her method was simple and effective and would be a catalyst for her success: She got involved.
Inspiration: 鈥淢y parents really did lay the foundation for me and they are the reason for my ambition and my having the confidence to pursue leadership roles at an early age.鈥�
鈥淢y parents always encouraged me to surround myself with like-minded individuals who are ambitious and have the same goals and values that I do,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's great to hear from different perspectives, but you want to be around people who can lift you up and who you can lift up as well.鈥�
When she transitioned from homeschooling to a public high school in ninth grade, she was a 12-year-old freshman among students who had gone to elementary and middle school together, so she immediately began looking for a way into the social fabric of high school. A longtime basketball player, Cason joined the varsity team 鈥� with encouragement from her father and the team鈥檚 coach 鈥� where she played all four years and set a record.
鈥淚t was a little scary at first, but my dad told me that if I was ready to take on the challenge, he was there to support me,鈥� Cason said. 鈥淲e put in the work, and I ended up being the first female basketball player at th