A Rollins Year in Photos

So much happened this past year. We welcomed President Brooke Barnett as the College’s 16th president, celebrated the opening of the new Tennis & Golf Center, and marked another unforgettable Fox Day. Our students continued to put their liberal arts education into action through immersive service, original research, and creative scholarship—from restoring ecosystems in the Everglades to bringing forgotten Rollins history to the stage. As we welcome the start of another exciting year, let’s check out some of our best moments from 2025-26.

Facilitated by the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement, the College’s 20th annual SPARC Day continued the tradition of service for all incoming first-year and transfer students. More than 800 students, faculty, and staff provided service to over 30 local nonprofits and community organizations, including Second Harvest Food Bank, the Ronald McDonald House, New Hope for Kids, and many more.

Guided by theatre professor Marianne DiQuattro, Conner Chaumley ’26, Yasmine Hudson ’27, and Max Payton ’27 spent a year immersed in archival research, fieldwork, and collaborative playwriting to create Let the People Sing, an original documentary drama inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s 1933 musical revue From Sun to Sun and her anthropological work in Central Florida.

Our alumni are defining what’s next for the theme-park entertainment industry that fuels Central Florida and delights the world, including SeaWorld senior aquarist Celena Diaz ’18, who says, “Rollins gave me the foundation of challenging myself and not giving up on my dreams. That push was exactly what I needed. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

On October 23, the Rollins community gathered to celebrate the official opening of the new Tennis & Golf Center, a cutting-edge facility that will elevate the student-athlete experience and honor the College’s legacy of athletic excellence.

Rollins’ men’s soccer team defeated Mississippi College 5-1 in the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals, ultimately securing a spot in the National Championship.

During an Immersion to Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Park, Rollins students worked alongside National Park Service staff to restore natural spaces, removing debris from island shorelines, maintaining park trails, and learning firsthand about the environmental stewardship required to protect one of the country’s most unique ecosystems.

Rollins raised a record-breaking $639,125 on Giving Day 2026, opening doors across student media, athletics, theatre, the Rollins Museum of Art, and more while empowering the next generation of students to pursue their dreams.

Computer science major Xandria Bramble ’25 ’26MBA shares how the 3/2 Accelerated Management Program (AMP) helped her build a venture and compete on a national stage, ultimately earning the 2025 NASA Patent Remix Challenge’s grand prize alongside her Crummer teammates.

On March 2, the Rollins chapter of Phi Beta Kappa—known as the Theta Chapter of Florida—inducted its fifth class of members, including theatre and anthropology double major Alessia Francesca Prenda ’26.

Biology and environmental studies double major Makenna Morrison Gary ’26 spent time researching the invasive Asian swamp eel in Central Florida and on Lake Virginia, specifically focusing on developing effective trapping methods while examining the live-food markets and religious release practices contributing to its spread. Gary earned a 2026–27 Fulbright Study/Research Award to study biodiversity at National Taiwan University.

Mathematics professor Zeynep Teymuroglu led a team of students—Ava Kopchak ’26, Christian Fontanez ’27, Manuel Alvarez Abreu ’29, and Mei Bao-He ’26—to model the most efficient deployment for United Against Poverty Orlando’s mobile prosperity program.

On April 18, Rollins celebrated the inauguration of the College’s 16th president, Brooke Barnett, whose inaugural address outlined a vision centered on students, faculty teaching and scholarship, and stronger community connections: “Our future-forward approach means together we will forge an inspiring vision based on what matters most for our students and the future of Rollins. Hope is not our strategy, but it is our ethos. The promise and possibility are palpable. We will not fall prey to exceptionalism, but we will know our own worth, elaborate on what makes us special, and adapt and change to remain relevant.”

In the early hours of Wednesday, April 15, the long-awaited Fox made his annual return to Tars Plaza. With this being President Brooke Barnett’s first Fox Day proclamation, anticipation was at an all-time high. There have been 14 Wednesday Fox Days—three of which have fallen on the exact same date: April 15 (1981, 2015, and 2026).

Fueled by electric school spirit and show-stopping performances, the highly anticipated Lip Sync event set Mills Lawn aglow as student organizations delivered a night of high-energy dance, music, and crowd-pleasing routines, culminating in Kappa Delta rising above dozens of competitors to claim the top spot.

On May 10, graduates of the College of Liberal Arts carried forward a cherished Rollins tradition, crossing the commencement stage on Mother’s Day to celebrate their accomplishments and embrace a promising future.

Alongside theatre professor Allison Crutchfield, theatre arts major Alex Collins ’29 spent the summer researching and recreating two costumes worn by actress Annie Russell, whose enduring legacy at Rollins includes teaching, performing in campus productions, and directing in the eponymous theater until her death in 1936.

This summer, biochemistry and molecular biology major Sylvie Reveley ’28 partnered with biology professor Paul Stephenson through Rollins’ Collaborative Research Fellowship Program to investigate whether certain Florida plant species possess antimicrobial properties that could inform future medical treatments.