As the University of South Florida prepares for in-person commencement ceremonies May 6-8, 2022, students are looking back fondly and looking ahead with great excitement for the future. The graduating students from USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus featured below are no exception.
Student government suits marketing major and future dentist
Carter Bedinghaus admits to being known as “that student who goes to all the events” at USF Sarasota-Manatee. Outgoing and confident, the graduating senior – who is one of USF’s most active and engaged student leaders – admits to being a bit nervous when he was preparing for college. But thanks to the distinctly personal experience at the Sarasota-Manatee campus, it didn’t take long for Bedinghaus to feel at home and begin to excel.
“I just kept doing everything and going to events. Within the first week or month at USF Sarasota-Manatee, I really fell in love with the close-knit culture. Everyone was helpful and greeted me with a smile,” Bedinghaus said. “And now it has come full-circle because I really enjoy mentoring others and helping others get through the classes and struggles of college.”
Carter says he’s loved every single second of college – and he’s barely had one second to waste. His many campus roles include USF Orientation leader, USF Ambassador and president of the Adventure Club. He was recognized in 2021-2022 with a Campus Involvement and Leadership Award, and this spring he was named to the Muma College of Business’ 25 Under 25 list. Bedinghaus also received the Golden Bull Award, one of USF’s highest student honors.
As a sophomore, Bedinghaus was elected president of the Student Senate, later serving as vice-chair of the Campus Council, and he found Student Government a gratifying way to develop leadership skills and serve his community.
“I never thought of myself as a government kind of person, but I love the advocacy and the leadership qualities,” Bedinghaus said. “Throughout my life, I really want to get involved in my community, but I never thought I’d enjoy government work as much as I did.”
While the Manatee County native can imagine a future run for office, his immediate plans are to pursue a career in dentistry.
As a marketing major, Bedinghaus’ path toward medicine is rather unique, and he’s excited to apply his business and leadership skills from the Muma College of Business to a career that allows him to work closely with patients of all ages.
Like many teenagers, Bedinghaus wore braces for several years, and it’s a positive experience he wants to share with others.
“I really gained a lot of confidence when I got my braces off. It really changed my outlook on life and my positivity,” said Bedinghaus, who will attend the LECOM School of Dental Medicine. “It made me want to meet people, understand their stories, and help them feel more confident in their smiles and in their lives.”
Bedinghaus’ enthusiasm for USF and the campus experience is contagious, which he hopes will motivate peers and others to get involved and take advantage of every opportunity. “You never know what it might lead to,” he said. “The people that I’ve met and the networking I've done was just for fun, but I was meeting all the people that have established my network and helped me beyond academics.”
Network for military students and their families provided instant sense of family
Graduating senior Madison McMahon’s path as a student at USF Sarasota-Manatee has been greatly influenced by her strong connection to family. The first in her family to complete college, McMahon and her family moved from Queens, New York, to Southwest Florida.
Like many students, McMahon was drawn to the size, location and sense of community at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. In her freshman year, she joined the USF Ambassadors—affectionately known as the spirit of USF—later becoming president of the Sarasota-Manatee campus. The experience greatly impacted McMahon’s growth as a student and young adult.
“The Ambassador program really helped me learn how to network, how to take leadership roles, how to speak publicly,” McMahon said. “Because I joined when I was relatively new at USF, the Student Ambassadors, including those in St. Petersburg and Tampa, formed my friend group. The program made me feel at home at USF and made Florida feel like my new home.”
The first club McMahon became active in was the USF Student Veterans Association (SVA), which serves both veterans and their families. Although McMahon is not a veteran, her father was in the U.S. Marines, which means she was able to access the support and resources — including GI Bill benefits – through the SVA and the Office of Veteran Success.
Now also a member of SALUTE, the National Honor Society for veteran students, McMahon’s favorite USF event is the annual remembrance ceremony hosted by the Sarasota-Manatee campus on September 11.
“My dad was there on 9/11 as a first responder, so it’s a very meaningful day for me,” McMahon said. “To have this event on campus where so many people in the community gather— and be able to help with it — was just really great.”
McMahon’s path at USF, specifically her field of study, also has been impacted by her family. Shortly before relocating from New York to Florida, McMahon’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The experience, along with the earlier loss of her older brother, greatly influenced her career path.
She chose to major in psychology, a field that greatly interested her so she could better understand and help those experiencing depression and anxiety. Her focus later shifted to medicine, and her plan now is to become a physician assistant (PA). Currently she’s working as a trained phlebotomist at Sarasota General Hospital where she loves interacting with patients.
Non-traditional pathway leads student to nursing
Before attending USF, Charlene Barnes led a full career as an information technology professional in finance. In 2015, her son contracted meningococcal disease and died within 24 hours of his first symptoms. Haunted by the experience, Barnes, 68, set out to better understand the disease and dedicated herself to trying to make a difference.
After almost 45 years since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in management science from the University of California San Diego, Barnes enrolled in the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus’ Accelerated Second Bachelor’s Degree program to become a registered nurse. She immediately appreciated the difference of being an older student.
Barnes also enjoyed the hands-on experience of working intimately with patients throughout the 16-month program at Manatee Memorial Hospital and then at the HCA Blake Medical Center. After graduating, Barnes plans to pursue epidemiology research and hopes to volunteer for the Manatee County Health Department.
Teaching degree allows single mom to pay it forward
Aspiring teacher Kenia Perez Torres left a promising banking job to pursue what she loved, but along the way a daunting challenge arose, one that almost derailed her career before it began.
A single mom of a special-needs child, Perez Torres, 31, was in the final semester of college to become an elementary school teacher when the bills started piling up. Her Federal Pell Grant had suddenly ended and her part-time job at an outlet mall didn’t pay nearly enough to cover expenses.
Worried she would need to leave school to work full time, she began “reaching out to anyone who would listen,” including USF staff and faculty. Eventually, she learned about a unique program at USF: the Stay the Course Scholarship.
Intended for students facing unexpected financial hurdles to complete their education, the Stay the Course Scholarship turned out to be exactly what Perez Torres.
Perez Torres has wanted to become a teacher since childhood, when she her family moved to Florida from Puerto Rico. Newly arrived and speaking little English, she said she would have been lost in school if not for a kind ESOL teacher who enabled her to keep up with her classes.
The teacher left an indelible impression, and inspired Perez Torres to pursue teaching. Eventually she started classes at a community college to do just that, but she was forced to drop out to tend to her newborn special-needs daughter. Vowing someday to finish college, she opted to attend USF after learning about its elementary education program.
She quickly discovered a home at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and soon was on her way toward earning a degree.
An internship at Blackburn Elementary School in Palmetto proved especially helpful. It came during her senior year, not only providing valuable classroom time toward a teaching certificate, but also the promise of a job upon her graduation from USF this month.
“I’ve been paycheck to paycheck for so long and now, for the first time, it feels like I have wings, like my life is about to take off. I wouldn’t be here, getting ready to graduate and start a new career, if it wasn’t for USF and its donors. They literally supported me and my daughter so I could graduate.”