With summer on the horizon, students across the country anticipate the end of another chapter, including Orlando’s spring 2026 college graduates. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and future ambitions, students from the University of Central Florida, Rollins College and Valencia College shared a similar message with their fellow students: Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, yet don’t forget to enjoy the small moments. But how did this diverse group of students come to the same conclusion?
UCF advertising and public relations (AD and PR) graduates Andrew Bower and Yzabella De Los Santos entered college with different career paths in mind: social sciences for Bower and engineering for De Los Santos. Yet they both quickly realized that those weren’t the programs for them.
AD/PR piqued Bower’s interest as he remembered some ads from his childhood being “dumb,” but others “where it’s like, ‘Oh my God. I wanna buy this,’ when I’m like 10 years old.”
De Los Santos explained that while she liked the mathematical aspect of engineering, she wanted something more creative. Having done film photography and yearbook in high school, she found that part came naturally.
Both interested in brand strategy, Bower and De Los Santos applied the same concepts they originally enjoyed to their new paths. Bower was fascinated by the psychology behind advertising, and De Los Santos enjoyed the technical aspects of communication.
Still, they took the time to pursue subjects they purely enjoyed. Bower studied abroad for a semester in South Korea and completed a minor in anthropology and multicultural studies. De Los Santos completed a minor in hospitality. And they joined the boards of multiple AD and PR organizations, such as Quotes and Ad 2 Orlando, while working or interning.
At the Student American Advertising Awards, put on by the American Advertising Federation, Yzabella De Los Santos (left) won ADvocate Intern of the Year, and Andrew Bower (right) became a Student Scholarship Recipient. After graduating from the University of Central Florida, De Los Santos would love to work in hospitality, and Bower hopes to one day work for an international company. (COURTESY OF ANDREW BOWER)
“Be open to every opportunity that comes your way, and don’t feel like because you chose a major, you have to stick with that,” De Los Santos said. “Look for those opportunities, get yourself out there, meet people, network.”
Bower and De Los Santos also reminded students to make time for themselves.
“[Take] things as they go because in the end, if you’re stretching yourself out too much, like ‘I need to figure out everything,’ you’re losing sight of what’s important,” Bower said. “You’re looking ahead too much. You got to look in the present.”
Now, on to our Rollins graduates: Sydney Eckstein and Richard Stoiberer were international students at Rollins, with Eckstein coming from Bali, Indonesia, and Stoiberer from Austria. Eckstein graduated this spring with a major in computer science and a minor in data analytics. Stoiberer graduated with a double major in international business and computer science, and a double minor in Spanish and data analytics.
Ultimately, what drew them to the States and to Rollins was the opportunity to continue their tennis careers while receiving a quality education in a smaller community. Both became captains of their respective teams.
While Eckstein knew she wanted to pursue computer science coming into college, she found her passion for economics through the clubs Rollins offered. On the other hand, Stoiberer didn’t know exactly what to study and figured international business would be useful, later finding it fascinating. A similar story follows his studies in computer science and data analytics. Stoiberer’s Spanish minor, though, was something he pursued throughout his middle and high school in Austria, where his school focused on world languages.
As student-athletes with heavy academic schedules, time management was key to Eckstein’s and Stoiberer’s success. For Stoiberer, this meant being intentional with how he spent his time with people and shifting gears when he got stuck. For Eckstein, this meant accepting the busy seasons of her life for what they were and looking forward to the relaxing ones.
“I was always like, ‘Right now I feel super stressed with school, and I haven’t had enough time to sleep …’ and that has gotten me down at some points,” Eckstein said. “But for me, acknowledging and accepting that, OK, it doesn’t feel like that now, but I will work towards doing something in the future that’ll balance it out a bit more, has given me comfort.”
Sydney Eckstein (left) and Richard Stoiberer (right) graduated among their class’s top students. Aside from academics and being a tennis captain, Stoiberer graduated as an All-American athlete. Both students were recognized by the Rollins athletics program at the Tommy Awards, where Stoiberer won Senior Scholar Athlete, an honor Eckstein was also nominated for. (NICK GEORGOUDIOU).
Eckstein and Stoiberer credit the various clubs the college offers for helping not only them but also the student population as a whole to stand out.
“Get involved with different things,” Stoiberer said. “[There’s] so many different activities that you can be involved in on campus, and there are so many different people on campus, so you can always find people that share the same mindset as you.”
Eckstein expanded on how this may create opportunities.
“By putting yourself out there, you can meet people that you never would have expected to meet,” Eckstein said. “That can lead to so many beautiful things — or maybe it won’t — [but] you never know.”
Now, Eckstein’s former internship has turned into a full-time job, so she will work in Orlando as a global private bank analyst for J.P. Morgan. Stoiberer, on the other hand, will travel again, this time to the U.K., where he will attend the London School of Economics to pursue a master’s degree in data science.
As Eckstein and Stoiberer embark on their next chapters, they hope to remain involved with tennis. Additionally, they both strive to eventually complete master’s degree programs and work closer to their home countries.
“I would like to have the same relationship to athletics and to sports that I have, [and] I [hope to] always continue competing,” Stoiberer said. “I think there would be something big missing inside of me if I could not compete anymore on the tennis court.”
And finally, our Valencia graduates: Carter Aide’s and Angelia Ramsay Mckay’s stories couldn’t be more different. Aide, a traditional college student, completed his culinary management degree this spring. Mckay, 64, the oldest graduate during Valencia’s spring commencement, received her bachelor of science in nursing degree. However, both of their journeys were heavily influenced by their families and mentors.
In high school, Aide’s parents encouraged him to pursue engineering, but he realized he didn’t like traditional schooling and would rather work with his hands. So, he spent his senior year of high school in the kitchen at culinary school, instead of in the classroom. Once he came to Valencia and saw how his classes impacted him personally, he fell in love with the program.
“I realized that when I was cooking for myself at home, that I really can make things happen, and that I could actually cook,” Aide said. “So I saw the results, and it made me a lot more passionate about what I was doing.”
About a year ago, as Aide considered life after college, his mother suggested studying abroad. After briefly mentioning wanting to travel to Japan, Aide’s mom had already looked into a school that Aide decided to apply to and later got into.
“They’ve been supportive, so even when I was veering away from the path they wanted for me in the first place, they still were very accepting,” Aide said of his parents. “Without them, I couldn’t have done anything.”
The same could be said about Aide’s professors at Valencia.
“They supported me throughout the whole way,” Aide said. “They were there to teach. They wanted knowledge that they knew shared to us … and being able to have someone close as a teacher really helped me excel.”
During his time at Valencia, Carter Aide recognized the power of food. “Cooking is just a way for me to give people something they like, you know? You can have a bad day, but if you eat a good meal, it might get a little better,” Aide said. “It’s not just feeding somebody and not being hungry. It’s happiness. You can give somebody happiness. And you can make it cheap, or you can make it expensive, and I definitely want to give happiness to who I can.”
(COURTESY OF VALENCIA COLLEGE).
Aide shared thoughts about the future with his fellow students.
“It’s definitely something to keep mindful, … but I think people should not be worried. You should be present in the moment,” Aide said. “The time we spend worrying could be spent enjoying or learning or just seeing what’s there, because once it happens, it’s done, and it’s not going to happen again … especially with school; it’s not like you’re gonna go back, so really enjoy yourself. Enjoy what you do, and figure out what you want.”
For now, Aide looks forward to starting his study abroad trip in Japan. Afterward, he hopes to find a job and travel more, around the country and the world. Although unsure of what that may look like, one day, Aide aspires to open his own restaurant.
“I definitely just want to get more experience,” Aide said. “I don’t want to stay in the same place; I don’t want to do the same thing all the time. I really need to expand my knowledge of not just Florida, just the whole world in general.”
Mckay first graduated from college in Jamaica in 1981 with a degree in business administration, despite wanting to become a nurse. She later immigrated to Florida and was finally able to pursue a nursing program. In 1996, she graduated from Valencia with her associate’s degree in nursing and became a registered nurse. However, before she completed her last prerequisites to finish her bachelor’s at UCF, she experienced pregnancy complications and had to drop out of the program.
“I was hospitalized for several months,” Mckay said. “So, once my daughter was born, my focus was to take care of her, just making sure our family had financial stability.”
In December 2024, her daughter graduated from Valencia with an associate’s degree in nursing, inspiring Mckay to complete her own degree.
“While my daughter was in nursing school, something changed in me, and I realized it was finally time for me to focus on myself and finish what I had started,” Mckay said. “I wanted to show my daughter that no matter what obstacles life brings, she should never give up on her dreams, and that challenges should be used as motivation to keep on going.”
However, it didn’t come without difficulties, such as balancing work and family life with school and learning how to navigate new technology. Still, McKay knew returning to school was the right move.
“For many years, I would frequently dream that I would be sitting in the back of the classroom, behind everyone else, and while they finished their exams and would leave the room, I would be just sitting there, finishing,” Mckay said. “I really, truly believe that my subconscious was telling me that I needed more for myself.”
Still a registered nurse, Mckay gained experience in various healthcare settings and specialties between 1996 and now, while also ensuring enough flexibility in her schedule to take care of her family.
How Mckay got into nursing was inspired by her family as well. When she was about 12 years old, her aunt died from ovarian cancer.
“At that point, I said, ‘I want to be a nurse. I want to make a difference,’” Mckay said. “And maybe that’s why I did, over 13 years of hospice care, that was very fulfilling to me. It really made me look at life in a different way, not focusing on the materialistic things of life, but focusing on others because life is fragile.”
Mckay also received a lot of support from her mentors. A former manager from Jamaica constantly encouraged her to go back to school, and now that she has, Mckay gave the same advice to other students.
Angelia Ramsay Mckay didn’t have the words to explain the feeling of graduating from Valencia this spring. Walking on the same stage that her daughter did in 2024, and hearing her cheering in the crowd, Mckay graduated with pride and tears in her eyes. Mckay’s daughter works as a registered nurse for Orlando Health, while Mckay herself works for the Orlando VA Healthcare System. (COURTESY OF VALENCIA COLLEGE).
“Never give up on yourself. Life may delay your dreams, your goals, but it does not mean that your dreams are over, no matter your age,” Mckay said. “I’m just hoping my story encourages someone else to take the first step and realize that it is not too late.”
While Mckay encourages students to only take one class at a time if they must, something she had to do at times, she also emphasized taking advantage of this time.
“Do something. Don’t just sit back, because time waits on no man,” Mckay said. “It took me 30 years to complete my BSN, and you know what? It’s a good feeling.”
Mckay looks forward to taking a small break before getting her master’s in nursing and potentially teaching. She also hopes to financially support others who would like to pursue nursing.
But most importantly, after working in healthcare for three decades, Mckay leaves college students and readers with one final note:
“Take time to smell the roses as you go along every day,” Makay said, emphasizing the preciousness of life. “Because not everybody’s going to get to the garden bed.”
After all, while it is never too late to start, we only have one chance at life. One chance to pursue our dreams, with the people we care about at our sides.