Countdown to Commencement: New College to Celebrate 43rd Graduating Class Friday
Florida State Representative Keith Fitzgerald and Belize Zoo founder Sharon Matola, a New College alumna whom ABC’s Nightline has called the “Jane Goodall of Belize,” are among the dignitaries who will be on hand this Friday as New College of Florida celebrates its 43rd annual commencement exercises. They will be joined by a group of 158 graduates, which includes a record-tying seven Fulbright Fellows, four recipients of French Government Teaching Assistantships and a host of other award recipients.
Fitzgerald, along with New College President Mike Michalson, will kick off the festivities when the College hosts a special awards ceremony at the Jane Bancroft Cook Library on Friday afternoon at 2 pm to honor this year’s outstanding student scholars from the state honors college for the arts and sciences. The students he will be shaking hands with this year include an impressive list of graduating seniors, as well as undergraduates, which includes the following:
Seven Fulbright Scholars:
Evan Axelrad – Forest Hills, New York
Melissa Jacobowitz – Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Georgia Junmei Kashnig – Champaign, Illinois
Mackenzie Karp – Ocala, Florida
Claire Michelsen – Rockford, Illinois
Lee Ellen Reed – Williamsburg, Massachusetts
Adam Schafer – Sarasota, Florida
Two Morris K. Udall Scholars:
Elizabeth Hamman – Carbondale, Illinois
Nancy Rose Spector – Marco Island, Florida
One NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholar:
Michael Dexter – Sarasota, Florida
Four French Government Teaching Assistantship Awardees:
Anyelle Johanna De Leon – Hollywood, Florida
Alexandra Rogers – Rock Hill, South Carolina
Madison Sharko – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Scott Ross – Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
On Friday evening at 7:00 pm, the College’s annual rite of passage will take place on the great lawn behind College Hall, when President Michalson welcomes New College alumna Sharon Matola, founder of the Belize Zoo, as the guest speaker for this year’s commencement exercises. More than 1,500 family members, alums and guests are expected to attend the event, celebrating this year’s graduates.
For more information on New College’s 43rd Annual Commencement, visit the New College commencement web page or contact Aimee Chouinard, media relations coordinator, at (941) 487-4152 or [email protected].