A total of 576 students graduated during USF's Spring 2023 Commencement with degrees from the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS). The commencement ceremonies included 399 students receiving undergraduate degrees, 162 students receiving master's degrees, and 15 students receiving doctoral degrees from CBCS.
Students graduating this semester represented the college's Department of Child and Family Studies, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Criminology, Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, School of Aging Studies, and School of Social Work.
We're happy to recognize a few outstanding students from this graduating class.
Lindsey Kummerer
Doctorate in Audiology
Lindsey Kummerer graduated with a doctoral degree in audiology. But that's not the end of her road at USF; she'll stay at the university as she finalizes a dissertation topic and works toward her PhD as part of the dual AuD/PhD program.
"After completing my thesis project for the AuD degree, I realized I really do love conducting research and being able to work toward answering research questions, so I decided to enroll for the dual degree last summer," said Kummerer. "I also like the idea of potentially teaching one day and being able to help future audiologists or researchers gain knowledge and training in the field."
Kummerer's favorite course in her program was Psychoacoustics with Research Associate Professor Jungmee Lee, PhD.
"This was a very hard topic to learn and yet she made the course enjoyable," said Kummerer. "She has a great sense of humor and would make us laugh during tough topics, even if we were all staring blankly after she had explained the information on the same slide three times already. Psychoacoustics is now a part of my research interests."
Kummerer says she'll miss being with her small cohort of 11 classmates, who she enjoyed spending time studying with and socializing with between classes. She says her advice to students pursuing a similar course of study is to concentrate on creating a good balance.
"Make sure you take mental breaks when needed and take care of yourself outside of the school setting," she said. "That will ultimately help you better serve your patients in the end."
Lianna Hernandez
Master of Social Work
Lianna "Lou" Hernandez graduated with honors—she earned a 3.98 GPA and is in the top 35 percent of her class. She also stayed very busy during her time as a USF student; Hernandez served as a student assistant, student grader, volunteer research assistant, cohort representative, director of social work at the BRIDGE clinic, a member of the Social Work Society, National Association of Social Workers member, American Public Health Association (APHA) member, and member of the League of Women Voters.
"One of the most impactful of these roles was as a volunteer research assistant. With Dr. Christopher Simmons as our faculty lead, one of my classmates and I were able to apply to present research at the 150th APHA Annual Meeting in Boston," said Hernandez. "Our abstract was accepted, and we presented a roundtable discussion on African American Men's Predictors of Perceived Health. We are currently writing an article to be submitted for publication on the same topic."
Hernandez says her favorite course in the Master of Social Work program was Social Welfare Policy Development and Analysis with Pamela Alvarez, DM, MSW, assistant professor of instruction.
"Social work values include social justice, and it can be the most intimidating part to me because of the complexity of all the different laws, policies, and procedures," said Hernandez. "Dr. Alvarez made the coursework and lectures digestible and empowering, which is no easy feat considering the weight of the topics discussed. I left that class each day feeling like it was truly possible for myself, and all social workers, to make a difference in the world!"
After earning her undergraduate degree online, Hernandez realized she missed the in-person interaction of traditional classes. So, when she got to USF for her master's degree, she decided to "participate in as much as humanly possible."
"Everything I've been able to accomplish is because I asked someone a question, sent an email, or was referred by a colleague or faculty member who knew my skills and capabilities," said Hernandez. "This time will fly by, but you'll always have the connections you made while you were here. So, get involved on campus and in the community, read ALL your emails, and don't be so stressed that you don't get to enjoy this time. The school has so much to offer; grab USF by the horns!"
Hernandez will remain at USF in a role where she will continue to pursue research while assisting the School of Social Work with various academic responsibilities. She says she also plans to start ballet classes again, take her first solo road trip, and work toward applying to a PhD program. Her advice for new students starting in the Master of Social Work program? Make connections!
Archie Cowans
Bachelor of Science in Long Term Care Administration
Archie Cowans earned his Bachelor of Science in Long Term Care Administration, a versatile program that encompasses a wide range of disciplines such as business and finance, marketing, social work, nursing, human resources, and management. After graduation, Cowans will take the national and state licensure exam to become a nursing home administrator and begin a meaningful career advocating for the frail and elderly population.
Cowans says the courses in the program, especially Alzheimer's Disease Management with Nasreen Sadeq, PhD, assistant professor of instruction, and Health Care Operations with Kendra Ferrero, MBA, DBA, adjunct professor, along with his internship, gave him great insight into what is required to manage a nursing home effectively and to better understand the struggles of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. He says he'll miss the intellectual challenges from the program's professors and the invaluable feedback they share from their vast knowledge and experiences.
Cowans' advice to new students in the program?
"Take time to volunteer at a skilled nursing facility or an assisted living facility near you, get acquainted with the people you will be advocating for, ask questions about the different domains you will be focusing on throughout your program, and learn how facility staff improve resident outcomes," said Cowans. "This will allow you to be more confident in this new environment when you begin your internship. Your professors are the greatest resource you will have, so engage them in discussions about the field, and ask as many questions as possible and take notes."
Julia Hoonhout
Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Healthcare
Julia Hoonhout, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Healthcare, is a recipient of an Undergraduate Research Scholarship through the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. These scholarships were established to support and mentor undergraduate students interested in conducting research.
"Receiving the scholarship was a tremendous opportunity," said Hoonhout. "I worked with Dr. Khary Rigg on a qualitative research study pertaining to perceptions of methadone within the recovery community. This exposed me to valuable research being done at USF."
Hoonhout's favorite classes were Multidisciplinary Behavioral Healthcare Services, also with Rigg, and Research Methods with Celia Lescano, PhD.
"Dr. Lescano was a mentor and encouraged me to follow my dreams," said Hoonhout. "She continues to be a huge support and has cheered me on since the day we met."
Hoonhout says that even though she completed most of her classes online, she was able to connect and build valuable relationships with USF faculty as well as people in the mental health and substance abuse community.
"I had the opportunity to do my field placement with Dr. Kathleen Moore and learned how the drug court system works as well as how USF works within the community to help people struggling with mental illness and/or substance abuse," said Hoonhout. "Dr. Moore was awesome, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with her and her team."
Hoonhout will continue her education in the Master of Social Work program at Florida State University in the fall. She says that her advice for future students is to be proactive with your education, connect with professors, and always communicate with them, whether your class is in person or online. She says the field of behavioral health is a small intimate community, and everyone is willing to help, if you put yourself out there.
Kiante Smith
Bachelor of Arts in Language, Speech, and Hearing Science
Kiante Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts in Language, Speech, and Hearing Science while also serving in the military. While at USF, she served as the cadet battalion commander, which is the highest-ranking cadet position in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. Her days included mandatory early morning workouts in addition to participating in community service, events, and more. Upon graduation, she will be commissioning as a second lieutenant working in military intelligence.
"I had to quickly learn how to balance my studies along with ensuring that my responsibilities for the Army were being fulfilled as well," said Smith. "My days were never dull, to say the least."
She says that getting through undergrad was tough, but to have friends within her cohort to lean on, who understood exactly what she was going through, is "something that money can't buy." Creating study groups to collaborate with and prepare for exams together was something she says played a huge role in her success each semester.
Smith's favorite course in her program was Applied Phonetics in Communication Disorders with Associate Professor Catherine Rogers, PhD.
"Prior to taking that class I didn't realize the love I had for the subject. Dr. Rogers' course was challenging, but nonetheless so rewarding! It allowed me to have a better understanding, not only of English, but of many different languages around the world."
After graduation, Smith will take a gap year before she begins pursing a master's degree. During that time, she will continue her military career, spending roughly six months training in Arizona where she will learn more about her job as an intelligence officer.
The advice she would give to a new student starting in the same program is: don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and meet new people, create a circle of like-minded individuals to lean on throughout the process, when the times get difficult have something to remind you why you started, and time management and planning will always take you far in life.
Xavier Burch
Doctorate in Criminology
Xavier Burch says that what he'll miss the most about being a USF student is being a student of Professor and Graduate Program Director Michael Lynch, PhD.
"Dr. Lynch definitely had a great impact on my experience," said Burch. "The knowledge that I gained from either being taught by or just watching him truly made a difference in how I approach articles, the field of criminology, and how I take on students and guide them in the right direction."
Not only did Lynch have an impact on Burch through his teaching and mentorship, but he also played a role in facilitating the fellowship, aimed at providing opportunities to increase the presence of Black criminologists in the field of criminology, that brought Burch to USF. In his senior year as an undergraduate at Bethune-Cookman University, Burch received the award that covered tuition and living expenses while he pursued a master's and doctoral degree at USF. In turn, following graduation, Burch will return to Bethune-Cookman to teach for three years.
Burch's favorite class in the PhD program at USF was Seminar in the Nature of Crime: Rational Choice and Crime with Assistant Professor Chae M. Jaynes, PhD, saying he left the course with valuable information and knowledge that later helped him on his comprehensive exam.
As Burch prepares to become an assistant professor himself, he offers the following advice to students working on a degree in criminology: do not compare yourself.
"Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something or let anyone place experiences or lack of expectations on you. You are your own person," said Burch. "Make sure to be you, talk to and be transparent with your professors because they have been through what you are going through and may be able to help you stay focused or view a situation from a different perspective. Take it a day at a time and pace yourself."
Rasha Baruni
Doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis
Rasha Baruni earned her doctorate in applied behavior analysis (ABA), but she won't be away from the classroom for long; Baruni will return to her home country to continue her research and teaching as a tenure track assistant professor at the University of Manitoba in Canada.
Baruni's research has focused on evaluating active learning approaches such as behavioral skills training and in situ training to teach children firearm, poison, and online safety and teaching parents to implement safety skills training with their children.
"During my time as a clinician, it had become apparent that safety skills training was not at the forefront of behavioral programming for individuals with autism," said Baruni. "As a researcher, I decided to investigate this further by developing and distributing a survey that solicited information pertaining to perceptions and opinions of behavior analysts related to safety threats and safety skills training. The results of this survey highlighted the need for accessible and efficient safety skills training for behavior analysts."
That survey led to her dissertation which evaluated an interactive computerized training program to teach behavior analysts to conduct safety skills training with their clients with autism. She also completed a paper about the critical features of safety skills trainings and provided behavior analysts with a set of practical guidelines for how to conduct safety skills training and assessment with children.
Baruni says her favorite course in the program was College Teaching Seminar taught by Raymond Miltenberger, PhD, professor and director of the ABA program.
"Dr. Miltenberger taught me to create a positive, inclusive, and equitable learning environment with clear expectations, high levels of engagement, and high levels of positive interaction to motivate students to be successful. This course taught me how to thoughtfully prepare my lecture materials and class activities, to outline clear objectives, and to design frequent assessments to measure student success. Because of the lessons I learned in this course and throughout my time teaching in the PhD program, I feel prepared to teach any course within ABA in my new faculty position."
Her advice for incoming PhD students in the ABA program is to stay focused, be clear about what the overall goal is, and keep your eye on the prize.
"I believe productivity involves setting short achievable goals that ultimately lead to desirable outcomes," said Baruni. "I would also advise incoming students to welcome new opportunities and be open to different perspectives because this is how we deepen our knowledge and develop new skills."
Kelly Schwiegeraht
Master of Science in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health
Kelly Schwiegeraht is a preschool intervention specialist who wanted to get her master's in a program that would help her in her current field and provide further opportunities in the future. With a degree in child and adolescent behavioral health, Schwiegeraht has been able to use the knowledge gained and perspectives from her courses over the past two years to become even better at her job.
Schwiegeraht can't narrow down her favorite courses to just one. She says Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Policy with Associate Professor Bruce Lubotsky Levin, DrPH, MPH and , assistant director for research and education at USF Health libraries, grew her academic skills and provided a challenge, Issues and Trends in Developmental Disabilities with Research Associate Professor (ret.) Elizabeth Perkins, PHD, RNLD, FAAIDD, FGSA covered a broad range of topics and gave her time to dive into some less talked about topics around child and adolescent behavioral health, and Addressing Behavior Challenges in Young Children with Professor and Department Chair Lise Fox, PhD provided practical knowledge to help her current students with behavior challenges.
"I really enjoy learning about the topics we discussed in my courses," said Schwiegeraht. "It gave me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the population of people I love working with and learn how I can serve them better."
As an online student, Schwiegeraht found that she made an extra effort to connect with other students and faculty through Teams meetings and email.
"Don't be afraid to reach out to your professors, even just to say 'hi,' and actually participate in the discussions, said Schwiegeraht. "I got so much more out of the classes when I was communicative with the professors and involved in the material with my peers. It's 'easy' some weeks to just post what you need to write to answer the questions to get the completion grade, but those aren't the courses that will make the biggest impact if that's the route you take every week."