By Ryn Williams, Layout Editor
Although every incoming freshman class is “the biggest yet” at Saint Leo University, it’s important to remember the graduate of previous classes. Having weathered through COVID-19, the old Colleges and Honors program and a different university president, Saint Leo’s alumni have seen it all.
Haley Robinson graduated from Saint Leo in 2021 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees: homeland security and professional writing. She was involved in multiple on-campus organizations, including social media and marketing chair for the Campus Activities Board (CAB), a LEAD scholar, and layout editor turned editor-in-chief of The Lions’ Pride Media Group (TLPMG).
Robinson enjoyed her time at Saint Leo, although she felt various areas declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the staff changes it brought.
“Despite this, I would not trade my time at Saint Leo for the world,” said Robinson. “I got a world-class education, met my partner and best friend, so, overall, I lucked out!”
Her favorite classes included Dr. Allyson Marino’s “Stories of Resistance” and “Women’s Literature,” and Professor Agnieszka Leesch’s run of the Monsters in Literature course.
Robinson felt it was a “crime” to make her choose a faculty member that influenced her the most. Close contenders were Marino, who heavily helped influence her current graduate school choice and program, Dr. Valerie Kasper, former Professor Marissa McLargin, former Dr. Padraig Lawler, Leesch, and Professor Pamela “Pam” DeCius.
She currently attends the National University of Ireland Maynooth as a full-time student, where she will be graduating this summer. On campus, she works as an international student ambassador by day and pursues a Master of Social Sciences in rights and social policy by night.
Her plans for the future involve finishing her dissertation and returning to Florida, where she hopes to secure a position at Saint Leo.
“I’d love to be back at my alma mater helping students navigate some of the biggest choices of their lives,” said Robinson. “I lived it, so who better to help them out?”
She also plans to use her masters in a fuller capacity through grant and proposal writing for food assistance policy. She also hopes to marry her partner, whom she met while attending Saint Leo.
“Here’s a chunk of sage wisdom. Nobody knows what they’re doing after college.” Robinson said, blowing on her evening tea, a ritual she picked up when she moved to Dublin last summer. “Yep, not a clue! Life is unpredictable… so do what makes you happy and what brings you joy. I promise it will all work out.”
Robinson was not the only TLPMG graduate of last year. Christian Silva graduated last year with a Bachelor of Science in honors computer science, and the two were competitively active on campus. Much of his time on campus was spent as the marketing chair for the math club, the social media marketing chair for CAB, university ministry, and his consistent role at TLPMG every year.
Silva began as a contributing writer. He grew into the graphic designer position, then became multimedia manager, and finally spent his senior year as the creative director.
“I had a really wonderful time. Especially with the professors–the professors were incredible,” said Silva. “I mean, I can only speak for the classes that I had, and I was part of the business side of school.”
One of Silva’s treasured parts of being a student was how accessible professors were and the close relationship he developed with them due to the smaller class sizes. Some of the professors who helped Silva flourish at Saint Leo included Professor Frank Orlando, former Dr. Chris Friend, Dr. Jerome Williams, Dr. Monika Kiss, and Dr. Vyas Krishnan.
“As people, it was fun to chat with them. It’d be very friendly, and they’d be very talkative,” said Silva. “It didn’t make you feel like you were just a student, but part of the academia, even though we didn’t have our degrees yet.”
Silva graduated in the honors program before the grand restructuring of 2022. One of the most memorable classes for him was the Scientific Revolutions class he took with Williams, which he described as “the heart” of the honors program. Another course that helped him achieve the skills he needed for his career goal was web design.
Silva didn’t wait until after graduating to job hunt. He started at the beginning of his senior spring semester and used Career Services to help polish his resume.
“I didn’t get a job right off the bat, in terms of what I wanted to do,” said Silva. “I ended up getting a job at Staples as a tech associate… and while I was there part-time, I was still looking for jobs, and I found something as a contractor for an agency.”
From July 2021 to March 2022, Silva worked as a web and graphic design contractor. At the end of his contract, he found a more graphic design-centered role at an agency and moved back to Tampa in April.
“If you’re at an agency, whether you’re a designer or a receptionist or someone that’s dealing with more on the marketing or the business side of things, you’re dealing with a lot of different clients, so there’s a lot of sparks for creativity,” Silva said. “But you can also get creative burnout, like a writer with writer’s block.”
Silva contrasted working for an agency with being an “in-house” employee, who would require stricter brand guidelines with less creative freedom–but would provide more job security. At some point, he’d like to work as an in-house designer.
“From there, I can pinpoint exactly what I truly enjoy,” said Silva. “But if one brings me more peace and it’s less stressful, I would rather have that.”
Silva got engaged to his fiancée on Mar. 5, 2022, and they hope to celebrate their marriage.
Even though he arrived at Saint Leo as a shy, more introverted student, Silva thanked his involvement with classes and organizations on campus for helping him grow. Another graduate of last year with a similar experience is Corinne Todd, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre with a minor in fine art.
Todd was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the theatre honors society on campus. She started taking classes at a Saint Leo Center for Online Learning from her home in Virginia but took the plunge and decided to attend classes in person for her last two years.
“Honestly, looking back at it, going to the main campus in Florida was the best decision,” said Todd. “I mean, it was life changing to me.”
She currently balances two jobs, one as a costume wardrobe dresser and one as a sewing machine operator for a canvas company.
She felt “instantly” welcome into Saint Leo and in the theatre department, despite never taking theatre classes in high school.
“When I changed my major, I was really nervous because I’d never been in that environment. And I’m super shy, too, and everybody’s very outgoing.” Todd said. “I was really welcomed into the group, and it became like a family.”
An acting class she took helped push her “out of her bubble” and helped her appreciate the work actors did.
She is also applying to graduate school for a master’s in fine arts (MFA) for costume design, with help from Dr. Alicia Corts, an assistant professor of theatre.
Corts has an expansive resume, ranging from directing to acting to costume designs. Todd saw her example, and it inspired her.
“It helped me figure out that maybe I could do all those things just like her,” Todd said.
It was in a scenography class that Todd fell in love with costume design.
“I drew something, and I thought it was really unique and modern, but it wasn’t specifically correct to the era,” said Todd. “So, when she was like, ‘I like it, but it’s not believable,’ it really shook me for a second. Then it helped me really understand the research you had to put into costume design.”
She’s applied for an MFA at Florida State University in Tallahassee and two fellowships, one at the University of California Berkley and one in Ithaca, New York.
Todd’s dream is to be a successful costume designer. She’s also hopeful for the slowdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help open up more opportunities for theatre around the country.
Another monumental graduate is Samantha Harris, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion with a minor in philosophy. She currently works as a director of faith formation and youth ministries in Dunedin, Fla.
Harris enjoyed the community of professors and classmates she had at Saint Leo.
“[It] truly shaped me into a better person,” said Harris. “And I will always be grateful for that.”
She felt as though her professors pushed her forward. While she wished the administration had been more helpful in fostering a better environment for education with in-depth classes, her professors “made all the difference” by encouraging and challenging her.
“The immense growth from the struggles of difficult assignments we overcame together made me into a stronger writer, [enhanced]my work ethic, and boosted my confidence to overcome obstacles in the workplace,” Harris said.
Harris also thanked the Catholic chapel on the heart of campus. “It got me through many long days and nights of study. I owe all the Glory to God.”
As Dr. Suess said, “You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You’re on your own. And you know what you know.”
