最新天美传媒

The 最新天美传媒's Spring 2026 commencement ceremonies will be held Thursday, May 7, through Sunday, May 10, in the Yuengling Center on the Tampa campus. We are proud to recognize a few outstanding students from the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences.

Not every student participates in meaningful research during their undergraduate years, but Coral Morley will leave USF having contributed to two projects shaping how care is delivered for vulnerable populations.

A College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholar, Morley assisted with a longitudinal study examining how children with autism develop key skills such as recognizing emotions, understanding others鈥� perspectives and interpreting social situations. She also evaluated a digital tool designed to help caregivers supporting individuals with physical or cognitive impairment prepare for emergencies.

"I realized that research wasn鈥檛 just about theory; it was about discovering information that could directly improve people鈥檚 lives," said Morley. "In the disaster preparedness project, it was surprising to see how strongly caregivers emphasized the need for individualized and actionable guidance. Rather than general advice, they wanted clear, personalized steps that accounted for their unique situations."

Now, with a degree in health care administration, Morley hopes to continue to influence healthcare systems and patient outcomes. She plans to sit for the state exam to become a licensed nursing home administrator, then begin a full-time role in a skilled nursing facility, assisted living community or hospital setting while pursuing a Master of Business Administration.

"I鈥檓 passionate about being part of the next generation of healthcare leaders who not only understand systems but also lead with compassion," said Morley. "My goal is to help create environments where both residents and healthcare professionals are supported, valued and able to thrive."

After nearly two decades developing and implementing evidence-based substance use and violence prevention programs for children and adolescents, Kimberly Menendez set her sights on adults living with opioid use disorder.

Her husband, a firefighter paramedic, routinely responded to nonfatal opioid overdoses at one of the nation鈥檚 busiest stations, yet patients often received no meaningful connection to behavioral health services. Her doctoral dissertation in the behavioral and community sciences program takes a comprehensive look at the issue through three interconnected studies, blending data analysis with the lived experiences of first responders.

鈥淧rehospital data and first responder experiences reveal critical gaps that hospital-centric approaches miss,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose insights are essential to building more effective, continuous systems of care."

Beyond her dissertation, Menendez has made a lasting impact through mentorship, scholarship and program development. As managing editor of the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, she has supported hundreds of authors, an experience that has inspired her to launch the Ink Lab, a resource to help graduate students strengthen their professional writing and research dissemination skills. She has also contributed to advancing police鈥揵ehavioral health co-response models and mentored emerging researchers through initiatives such as the Summer Research Institute, SMART Lab and a peer-review society affiliated with the journal.

Following graduation, she will begin a postdoctoral fellowship with the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce, where she plans to continue advocating for stronger integration between substance use disorder professionals, emergency medical services providers and broader behavioral health systems.

鈥淢y goal is to help ensure that every nonfatal opioid overdose encounter becomes a true bridge to sustained care,鈥� she said.

Balancing two demanding disciplines takes more than talent. It takes intention. For Ethan Abercrombie, a double major in criminology and music studies, that started with a simple habit: planning the week ahead.

鈥淭he success of my week is 100% contingent on the 10 minutes I spend Sunday night planning,鈥� he said.

Abercrombie began playing music in middle school and developed a deep passion for performance, but he had always envisioned a future in law enforcement. Over time, those two interests began to intersect in unexpected ways.

"Playing music from a young age has instilled in me the ability to identify patterns, adapt to challenging situations under stress and make quick, strategic decisions 鈥� all qualities that are crucial in the law enforcement and criminal investigation sectors."

Over the past four years, Abercrombie has honed his focus on cybercrime and intelligence analysis. His involvement in the , Alpha Phi Sigma National Honor Society and volunteer work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation have helped shape that direction, offering hands-on experience and mentorship from professionals in the field. His research interests center on internet crimes against children, particularly how offenders operate in digital spaces.

"I鈥檝e been fascinated by how offenders behave differently behind the digital mask compared to face-to-face interactions. I鈥檓 eager to leverage this interest and contribute to the development of cybercrime prevention initiatives that support investigators and safeguard victims from exploitation."

After graduation, Abercrombie will continue his education at USF, pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in cybercrime and digital forensic investigations while working as a digital evidence technician for a law enforcement agency. He also plans to keep performing on weekends, maintaining a balance between his two passions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that challenges me but also gives me space,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to turn it into my primary career to take it seriously.鈥�

Throughout her childhood, Avry Eden Weinstein witnessed her mother endure years of emotional and physical pain caused by misdiagnosed and undiagnosed health conditions that ultimately led to substance use disorder. Just seven days after Weinstein鈥檚 13th birthday, her mother died.

The loss profoundly shaped Weinstein鈥檚 path. She describes her mother as her 鈥渂iggest inspiration鈥� 鈥� a guiding force behind her decision to pursue a degree in behavioral healthcare and a career supporting others through grief.

"I want to be that person little me needed when I lost her. I want to be the one who helps you believe that it will get better and that in the end life is worth staying for," she said.

In March, Weinstein put her training into practice at Camp Erin, a national bereavement program for children and teens. There, she helped lead a group of nine girls in a cabin skit that blended performing arts with themes of inclusion and resilience, set to the Oscar-winning song 鈥淕olden.鈥�

"Everything came together in a way that felt both creative and meaningful," she said. "This all happened alongside the deeper, more emotional parts of camp."

Experiences like Camp Erin have reinforced Weinstein鈥檚 vision for the future. She hopes to one day open centers that integrate performing arts, music and play therapy to support children navigating grief and loss. In the meantime, she has applied to the USF Master of Social Work program, with the goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker and continuing to turn her personal loss into purpose.

Christopher Feliciano's calling in social work was confirmed while volunteering with BRIDGE, a student-run free clinic at USF that serves uninsured adults in underserved communities.

鈥淭hrough BRIDGE, I was able to support individuals directly while also helping create fundraising plans, organize resources and think about larger systems of care,鈥� Feliciano said. 鈥淏eing in the School of Social Work and engaging in inspiring conversations in class reinforced that this was exactly where I was meant to be.鈥�

That hands-on experience helped shape his understanding of the field, not just as a profession focused on individual support, but as one deeply connected to systems, policy and community impact.

After earning his Master of Social Work, Feliciano will continue serving vulnerable populations as a social worker with Lutheran Services Florida鈥檚 Refugee Dream Center. In this role, he will support refugees as they navigate new opportunities, build independence and integrate into their communities.

鈥淚 learned that social work is so much bigger than I originally thought. It goes far beyond direct practice,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom policy advocacy to clinical work, community organizing, healthcare and leadership, social workers have the ability to create change on every level.鈥�

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) wasn鈥檛 Perdita Samuel Lopez鈥檚 original plan, but it quickly proved to be the perfect fit. She discovered the field while minoring in ABA as an undergraduate, a path that ultimately led her to pursue it at the master鈥檚 level.

鈥淚 had a professor who was so passionate about ABA and did an amazing job facilitating excitement for learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter taking Fundamentals of ABA, I knew I wanted to pursue this field.鈥�

Her hands-on experience as a registered behavior technician further affirmed that decision. With guidance and encouragement from board certified behavior analysts, Lopez built both confidence and clarity in her career direction. She also participated in Project MABAS, a program that prepared behavior analysts and social workers to meet the diverse needs of children with behavioral and/or mental health challenges, and serves as a research assistant for ePTR Coach, a coaching model that trains educators to support elementary students with severe behavioral challenges.

As her master's journey comes to a close, Lopez plans to take some time to recharge 鈥� 鈥渢o relax, wake up without an alarm, maybe go on vacation鈥�  鈥�  before taking the BCBA certification exam. She hopes to begin her career in a school setting, where she can apply her training to support students and make a meaningful impact.

Brooke Haney's research interests have long been focused on the intersection between behavioral health and criminal justice. But as she explored problem-solving courts 鈥� specialized dockets designed to address underlying issues such as substance use and mental illness rather than relying solely on punishment 鈥� she identified a gap between the literature and best practice in drug treatment courts.

"While best practices highlighted the importance of admitting high-risk, high-need justice-involved individuals into drug treatment court programs, the literature commonly cited drug treatment courts as an intervention for nonviolent offenders only," said Haney. "This dichotomy was very interesting to me as individuals with violent offending histories are commonly labeled as 'high risk.'"

That disconnect became the foundation of her dissertation in the behavioral and community sciences program, which examined drug treatment courts as an alternative to incarceration for individuals with substance use disorders and violent offending histories. Using this approach, Haney found that expanding access to these programs could help break cycles of incarceration and reentry for this population.

After graduation, Haney will continue to work with the university on contracts and grants related to behavioral health and criminal justice. Long-term, she aims to advance efforts that disrupt cycles of incarceration for all justice-involved individuals.

Gianna Rodriguez is drawn to the power of communication and the profound impact even small gains can have on a person鈥檚 quality of life.

鈥淐ommunication is something that comes so naturally to most of us that we don鈥檛 really think about what life would be like without it. Whether it鈥檚 someone with aphasia trying so hard to express a thought but struggling to get it out, or a patient working toward safely swallowing an ice chip again, I鈥檓 reminded how much we rely on these abilities every day without realizing it.鈥�

She didn鈥檛 discover language, speech and hearing sciences until the summer before her junior year, but she says it ended up shaping her entire undergraduate experience. She went on to serve as president of USF鈥檚 chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and, through the International Teaching Assistant Support program, helped a graduate student from India strengthen her English communication skills for both classroom instruction and everyday interactions.

Rodriguez also gained hands-on research experience at USF, screening for dyslexia and developmental language delays, including among bilingual children.

鈥淏eing in that space felt really personal to me because I grew up as a bilingual child, and I remember what it was like navigating language in different environments. Working with families who share that experience and contributing to something that could support them early on felt incredibly meaningful, like I was giving back in a way.鈥�

Rodriguez will continue her journey at USF this fall as she pursues a master鈥檚 degree in speech-language pathology.