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Florida Southern College students are successful and ambitious. These scholars share how they have spent their time here, building real-world experience and setting themselves up for utmost success in either grad school or the workplace.

Kalin Abernathy

Florida Southern College student Kalin Abernathy of the Class of 2022 was named as a recipient of the David and Phyllis Klock Scholarship for the 2020-’21 academic year. Majoring in economics and finance, with minors in pre-law and political science, she plans to study law at either Florida State University or the University of Florida, with a long-term goal of practicing corporate or financial law for a large firm or company. Abernathy, who is from the city of Saint Cloud, was named to ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s Dean’s List in 2020, and received a 2019 Activism Award from the Republican Club of Solivita in Kissimmee. She has been involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, such as serving as president of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s College Republicans and as central regional director of the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR), vice president of event management for her Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and vice president of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s pre-law chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta fraternity. Additionally, Abernathy served as an orientation leader for ¹û¶³´«Ã½ in 2019 and 2020, has been a Scholars Weekend host, volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and has worked part-time for Publix Super Markets.

Sean Baz

Sean Baz, a religion major and member of Florida Southern’s Class of 2021, was named as recipient of the Dr. Morris G. and Marvine Hanley Family Scholarship for the 2020-’21 academic year. He is from the city of Winter Haven. Baz has applied to seminary, with the goal of becoming a professor of theology. Among his achievements at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ are his inclusion on both the Dean’s List and the President’s List, in addition to receiving the Rising Sophomore and Junior Award in the Study of Religion. His extracurricular activities have included serving as president of Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society for religious studies and theology. He also is a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.

Hannah Loper

Hannah Loper of Orlando is a member of Florida Southern’s Class of 2022, majoring in philosophy with a minor in religion. She is a recipient of the Alfred A. Hedburg ’44 Scholarship for the 2020-’21 academic year. Loper is planning to attend graduate school with the goal of becoming a professor of philosophy. She has enjoyed the tightly knit camaraderie of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s religion and philosophy programs, and has looked forward to the learning experiences to be gained from a philosophy internship. She has been involved in a number of extracurricular activities at ¹û¶³´«Ã½, which include her work as a resident advisor, in addition to her duties as historian and social media officer for ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s Philosophy Club and as enrichment director and academic chair for Zeta Tau Alpha. She also has been a home health aide for Flourish in Place Home Care Solutions and a praise team member at First United Methodist Church of Lakeland.

Brandon Lu

Brandon Lu, a member of Florida Southern’s Class of 2022, is from Medina, Minnesota. He is majoring in biology with a chemistry minor, on the pre-medical track. He is the recipient of a Hollingsworth Scholarship, which has supported his goal of becoming an anesthesiologist or orthopedic surgeon. Lu has served as an organic chemistry tutor for ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s Student Solutions Center. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor climbing and going to the gym with friends.

Benjamin Marusko

Florida Southern student Benjamin Marusko of Springboro, Ohio, is a member of the Class of 2022 on the pre-dental track, majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. He is the recipient of a Hollingsworth Scholarship. Working toward his goal of becoming a dentist, Marusko scored in the 99.5 percentile upon taking his dental admissions test. He has served as president of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s Rock Climbing Club and vice president of the Pre-Dental Club. He enjoys surfing, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities.

Grace Sill

Grace Sill, a member of Florida Southern’s Class of 2022, was a recipient of the Robert J. and Maude M. Schack Scholarship for the 2020-’21 academic year. She is from Pensacola, is majoring in religion with an English minor, and is a member of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s NCAA Women’s Swim Team. Sill’s accomplishments include receiving the NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award, as well as being named to both the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the President’s List. Her many extracurricular involvements include serving as vice president of public relations for the Asian-Pacific Islander Student Association, as secretary and social media coordinator for ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s Orchestra Board, as a member of the church council at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Pensacola, and as a team leader for the Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment (PEACE). Among Sill’s favorite experiences at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ are performing in Orchestra concerts and Opera Theatre presentations in Branscomb Auditorium. Her goals include becoming a Fulbright Scholar, attending seminary, and being ordained in the United Methodist Church. She also is considering pursuing a doctorate to become a professor.