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A lot happens at Rollins at any given moment, and this past year was one of the most exciting yet. From the historic installation of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to the opening of new spaces like the STEM Hub and the Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre, we’ve been hard at work delivering on our mission to create the next generation of global citizens and responsible leaders. Before we start what is sure to be another fulfilling and productive year at Rollins, let’s look back at some of our favorite moments from 2023-24.

Welcome Week 2023 kicked off the new semester with a weeklong agenda of events and programs for both new and returning students to enjoy, including some epic dance-offs during the glow-in-the-dark disco.

Facilitated by the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement, this year’s SPARC Day continued the tradition of service for all incoming first-year and transfer students. As part of the College’s 18th annual day of service, more than 900 students, faculty, and staff provided service to 25 local nonprofits and community organizations, including 4Roots Farm, the Ronald McDonald House, New Hope for Kids, and many more.

First-year students celebrated the beginning of their educational journey at Rollins during Candlewish, a beloved Tars tradition where students vow to share the light of a Rollins education with those who need it most.

We enrolled the largest incoming class in the College’s 140-year history with 638 first-year students in fall 2023. This new group of Tars hail everywhere from Texas and New York to Morocco and the United Kingdom, while first-generation college students comprise 14 percent of the class.

Biology professor Brendaliz Santiago-Narvaez and biochemistry/molecular biology major Tiffany Rojas ’25, who plans to pursue dentistry post-Rollins, conducted oral microbiology research through Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program.

Tiffany Jones ’16 is leveraging her Rollins education in her dream role at Google, where she works as a strategy and business operations program manager and puts skills like cultural empathy that she learned at Rollins into practice every day.

The fitness center and movement studio in Lakeside Neighborhood allows students like communication major Vern Andrews ’25 to focus on all aspects of their wellness—from solo strength-training sessions to group fitness classes.

Rollins made history when the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated joined Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated as the second National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)—Divine Nine—organization on campus.

This past year was filled with many bluebird days, allowing our students to take full advantage of our sunny weather and lakeside location—from paddleboarding sessions in between class to sunset kayak excursions.

International relations major Capri Gutiérrez ’23 earned a prestigious Fulbright research fellowship with a nonprofit organization in Uganda, where she’s continuing work she started at Rollins creating a database of child victims of war that will be used by the Ugandan government and NGOs to provide essential support.

During Intersession, the Bonner Leaders and Alfond Scholars teamed up to explore issues of immigration rights and the interplay of economics, agribusiness, and labor policies through an Immersion experience in Apopka—just 40 minutes northwest of Winter Park.

Business management major and lacrosse player Ben Kopen ’24 took us behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a student-athlete at Rollins—from faculty advising sessions and internships to workouts and game day.

Park Avenue—downtown Winter Park’s charming main thoroughfare—is essentially an extension of campus, where a collection of boutique shops, chic cafes, and award-winning restaurants means there’s always something new to do, see, and taste.

Our small, discussion-based classes allow students like Hayley Stoddard ’24 to find their voice and shape their path. Stoddard credits the mentorship and opportunities she received from international business professor Emmanuel Kodzi for preparing her to secure a role as a CRM analyst at Travel + Leisure right after graduation.

The Rollins chapter of Phi Beta Kappa—the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society—inducted 24 new members. Rollins is part of a distinguished set of less than 10 percent of colleges in the U.S.—and only seven others in Florida—to shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 17, the much-anticipated fox made his annual springtime appearance on Tars Plaza, signaling that one day a year when classes are cancelled and the campus heads outside to enjoy a day-long dose of vitamin D.

Angelina Khourisader ’23 ’24MBA worked as a supply chain finance intern at Siemens, where she helped the SPS Americas finance team gain insights into current material cost and price fluctuations, contributing to a deeper understanding of the supply chain dynamics.

With the musical The Prom closing out the Annie Russell Theatre’s 91st season, we broke the fourth wall, so to speak, to show you how the various elements of theater production—lighting, dance, costuming, acting, directing—all come together on stage and have been enhanced by the spaces in the new Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre.

The past year yielded more meaningful, productive relationships through the Career Champions Alumni Mentorship program, which pairs alumni like Board of Trustees member Eryka Jennings ’92 (left) with students like computer science major Nicole Edoziem ’24 whose interests align with their expertise.

Physics major Makayle Kellison ’25 earned a Goldwater Scholarship, the country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarship for the STEM fields. Kellison’s path to the Goldwater began at Rollins when she started conducting student-faculty research on rocket acoustics, which included fieldwork at NASA during the historic launch of the Artemis I rocket.

The Bush Science Center’s new STEM Hub fosters opportunities for learning, connection, and equity, quickly becoming the go-to spot for math and science majors to study for exams, discuss coursework with classmates, or receive tutoring and guidance from fellow students.

In keeping with tradition, the College of Liberal arts graduates celebrated their commencement on Mother’s Day, ushering in the close of their Rollins journeys and the beginning of their bright futures.

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