Hannah Leonard
Franksville, WI
Why did you choose to come to Flagler?
"My grandparents lived here when I was growing up, so I’d always vacation here. I always grew up seeing Flagler, so when it came time to start touring colleges, I thought Flagler would be a good fit. I wanted warmer weather and a beautiful campus and the student-to-faculty ratio. I liked how it was smaller classes.
What field work and research have you done with your major?
"I helped with dolphin research, where you go out on a boat in the intercoastal and you take photos of the dolphins and count population numbers in our local waters. I’ve also done a turtle relocation project with the Jacksonville Zoo, they asked us to collect all the turtles out of the freshwater ponds and relocate them to different ones. I’ve done squid research projects, where we go out at night to collect squid samples by the fort and document the populations there.
Karina Quiñones
Orlando, FL
Were there any activities that made you feel more well-rounded?
"Double-majoring made me well-rounded but being a part of ambassadors and SGA definitely solidified it for me, because those are two major organizations that encompass a wide range of the school, so I could have a better sense of the whole community. Those were the most monumental because those are where the most visible change happened for me.
If you could give one piece of advice to Flagler students, what would it be?
"Get involved. There are so many different things at Flagler, so many events, so many activities, so many clubs, I feel like you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not involved.
Leilanie Morales
St. Augustine, FL
How did you choose your majors?
"I’ve always been super into psychology and art my entire life. I had taken this art therapy class when I was in the navy, and I didn’t even know art therapy was even a thing. It’s also two of my passions and to be able to combine those, it was a no-brainer.
What sort of academic research did you conduct within your majors?
"With my art major, this wasn’t my thesis, but one of my favorite classes was the Artist in Residence class with Leslie Robison. We got to work with this artist, Jackie Sumell, and she’s a prison abolitionist. Her project right now is called “Solitary Gardens,” a collaborative project meant to cultivate conversations around alternatives to incarceration. Our class got to work with the incarcerated youth at St. John’s Youth Academy and create seed packets based on medicinal herbs they learned and identified with most. Those seed packets were then dispersed to the community to extend the conversation past those immediately affected.
Joaquin Gutierrez Vargas
La Paz, Bolivia
Why did you come to Flagler?
I chose Flagler because my cousin was part of the tennis team and he always mentioned how nice Saint Augustine was and the culture that existed within the athletic department. Plus, I knew that the sport management department was very good, so it had the perfect combination for me to choose Flagler.
How did your sports management degree set you up for success?
It prepared me in all fields related to sport, which helped me to start working not only as a coach but also as the social media coordinator of the Ancient City Soccer club. Having the internship requirement helped me to start looking into the professional field during my junior year.
Jake Geoffrey & Max Hammock
More Information
To read the full story for each of the student above, select the link below. We are so proud of all our students and their accomplishments!