![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Savage-Alycia-2.1.jpg\")
Alycia Savage is graduating with a doctoral degree from the College of Medicine. <\/p>\n
Originally from Minnesota, Savage served in the military as a Marine Corps pilot before starting medical\u00a0school. At FSU,\u00a0she\u00a0built\u00a0on her foundation of leadership,\u00a0teamwork\u00a0and\u00a0decision\u00a0making\u00a0under pressure \u2014 skills she developed in the military \u2014 through her work in the Leadership in Medicine program and her service as class president, where she contributed to curriculum improvements.<\/p>\n
She is also proud of her work in research and quality improvement, particularly\u00a0efforts to improve\u00a0medical education and\u00a0time to treatment in oncology care.<\/p>\n
Savage chose FSU for its mission-driven focus on serving underserved\u00a0communities,\u00a0along\u00a0with\u00a0its community-based training model and strong faculty mentorship. At FSU, Savage found\u00a0a strong sense\u00a0of community among\u00a0faculty and peers. She credits the collaborative and supportive environment\u00a0with\u00a0shaping her medical education experience and says she will miss the close mentorship and daily learning alongside classmates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWalking at commencement represents the culmination of a long and nontraditional journey,\u201d Savage said. \u201cThere were moments along the way where the path forward was uncertain, and this milestone reflects perseverance, adaptability and trust in the process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After graduating, Savage will continue her medical training in general surgery with the FSU College of Medicine at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Her goal is to become a surgeon committed to improving patient safety, access to care and outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n
Rebekka Friborg, a graduating master\u2019s student, has spent the\u00a0past\u00a0six years\u00a0engaged\u00a0in\u00a0the Florida State University community.\u00a0She will\u00a0graduate\u00a0with an\u00a0M.S.\/Ed.S. in\u00a0Clinical Mental Health Counseling<\/a>, marking the end of a journey that began when she first stepped onto FSU\u2019s campus as an undergraduate.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Clinical Mental Health Counseling<\/a> program at FSU prepares students for therapeutic work through a blend of academic theory and hands-on clinical experience. During her time in the program, Friborg\u00a0specialized in trauma-informed care, completing her internship at Mosaic Creative Counseling and beginning her\u00a0Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) basic training\u00a0to better support individuals\u00a0through recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to her clinical work, Friborg has\u00a0made an impact\u00a0as a leader and mentor. As an undergraduate, she served as the director of programming for\u00a0Realizing Everyone\u2019s Need for Emotional Wellness\u00a0(RENEW)<\/a>, an experience she credits with sparking her passion for mental health advocacy. More recently, she served as a Graduate Assistant for the\u00a0Noles Everywhere<\/a>\u00a0program, where she worked to connect out-of-state and off-campus students. Under her leadership, the program was nationally recognized with the 2025 NODA Innovative Retention Program Award.<\/p>\n \u201cFSU became more than just a place to study; it became a place where I built meaningful relationships and discovered the path I wanted to pursue professionally,\u201d Friborg said. \u201cWalking across the stage is not just about finishing the degrees; it\u2019s about honoring the experiences, relationships, and hard work that made this milestone possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Originally from Denmark, Friborg moved to South Florida as a child and chose FSU for its beauty and\u00a0strong sense\u00a0of community. She credits her supervisors and mentors\u00a0with\u00a0providing the support to excel both as a student and a professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n After graduation, Friborg plans to work as a full-time therapist,\u00a0with a focus on\u00a0holistic and creative\u00a0approaches\u00a0to\u00a0trauma counseling. While she has called Tallahassee home for over half a decade, her long-term goals include returning to Denmark to continue her career.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to create a supportive space for clients to process trauma, build resilience and feel empowered in their own lives,\u201d Friborg said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to carry that work forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Madison Kellenberger\u00a0will graduate this semester with a doctorate\u00a0in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in special education, from Florida State University\u2019s\u00a0Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n An Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Predoctoral Training Fellow at the\u00a0Florida Center for Reading Research<\/a>, Kellenberger studies how children develop word reading and spelling skills and how targeted instruction can accelerate learning for students at risk for or identified with dyslexia. Before coming to FSU, she\u00a0taught in\u00a0Florida public schools in both special and general education settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Originally from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Kellenberger chose FSU for the opportunity to work alongside faculty at the Florida Center for Reading Research and contribute to work she once relied on in her own classroom. She was also drawn to the program\u2019s interdisciplinary approach and its focus on developing strong research skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis milestone is deeply meaningful to me,\u201d Kellenberger said. \u201cMy grandmother immigrated from Nicaragua so that her children and grandchildren would have greater opportunities, and this journey\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0have been possible without the challenges she faced and her unwavering belief in me. I am proud to be the first in my family to devote my career to education, with a deep commitment to improving reading instruction and reading development for students with the highest needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At FSU, Kellenberger has led research projects and mentored undergraduate students through data collection in local elementary schools. She is especially proud of her growth as a mentor and the way her students\u00a0took\u00a0on more responsibility over time. She was nominated for\u00a0FSU\u2019s\u00a0Undergraduate Research Graduate Mentor Award and received a Dissertation Award from Anne\u2019s College.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kellenberger said she will miss FSU\u2019s\u00a0strong sense\u00a0of community, especially springtime in Tallahassee, working with colleagues and friends,\u00a0and living with her sister.\u00a0<\/p>\n After graduation, she will join the College of William & Mary as an assistant professor of literacy. Her work will focus on using advanced quantitative methods and research-practice partnerships to better understand how students learn to read and to design instruction that improves outcomes for students with reading difficulties and those from historically underserved communities.<\/p>\n Lia O\u2019Malley\u00a0is graduating this semester from Florida State University with her master\u2019s and education specialist degrees in\u00a0Clinical\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Counseling<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Originally from Atlanta, O\u2019Malley first fell in love with FSU\u2019s campus, community and vibrant environment while visiting her best friend during\u00a0her\u00a0undergraduate years. When it came time to choose a graduate program, FSU stood out as the ideal place to grow both personally and professionally in the counseling field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout her time\u00a0at FSU, O\u2019Malley focused on sharpening her clinical skills and gaining extensive hands-on experience. She served as a Graduate Assistant and\u00a0Academic Success Mentor<\/a>\u00a0with the\u00a0Proactive Referral and Engagement Program<\/a>, supporting student success and mental health on campus. She is especially proud of completing over 700 clinical hours across two internship sites: the Center for Couple and Family Therapy and the North Florida Treatment and Evaluation Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWalking in commencement represents a meaningful milestone in my academic and professional journey,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cIt reflects years of hard work, growth and commitment to becoming a counselor, and it\u2019s also a celebration of the mentors, supervisors and peers who supported me along the way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking ahead, O\u2019Malley\u2019s long-term goal\u00a0is to pursue a\u00a0doctorate\u00a0and become a licensed psychologist specializing in psychological assessment, with a particular focus on ADD and ADHD. She is passionate about improving\u00a0accurate\u00a0diagnosis and increasing access to quality assessment services so individuals can receive the tailored support and treatment they need.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI hope to use assessment to better understand people\u2019s unique needs and help guide effective, personalized care,\u201d she said. \u201cUltimately, I want to make a meaningful impact by expanding access to these vital services in the mental health field.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Rebekka-Friborg-2.1.jpg\")
Rebekka Friborg will graduate with an M.S.\/Ed.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/M.Kellenberger_1.1.jpg\")
Madison Kellenberger\u00a0will graduate this semester with a doctorate\u00a0in Curriculum and Instruction from Anne\u2019s College. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Lia-1.1.jpg\")
Lia O\u2019Malley will graduate with a master\u2019s and education specialist degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. <\/p>\n