This spring, we’re celebrating five incredible students who are graduating as the first-ever recipients of the UF Gulf Scholars Medallion. Through Gulf-focused coursework, cohort meetings, and experiential learning, they have deepened their understanding of the region.
To earn their medallion, each of them designed and completed a Gulf Impact Project that not only ties together what they’ve learned, but has a real impact on the communities they’ve worked with. The projects range from marine science and coastal planning to oral history and science communication.
We’re so proud to highlight their work here.
Kamila Koralasbayev
Marine Sciences & Extension Education major
Kamila’s project, Preventing Seagrass Scarring, focused on protecting critical seagrass habitats along Florida’s Nature Coast. Kamila specifically helped analyze interviews with agency managers, law enforcement officers, and recreational boaters to identify best practices for preventing damage to seagrass beds from propeller scarring. By centering stakeholder experiences and recommendations, the project supports more effective, community-informed conservation efforts in one of Florida’s most ecologically valuable coastal regions.
Beckett Price
History major
As a storyteller and historian, Beckett helped lead the Pensacola Environmental History Project, an ongoing oral history initiative through the UF Samuel Proctor Oral History Program that preserves and shares community memories related to the legacy of industrial pollution in the area. Beckett conducted interviews, curated digital content, and helped build a public-facing platform that connects past and present in one of Florida’s most environmentally vulnerable coastal cities.
Dylan Pace
Agricultural Education and Communication major
Dylan’s project, Understanding Perceptions About Florida Red Tide, explored how the public interprets and responds to red tide events. Through interviews, communication strategy analysis, and educational outreach, Dylan worked to improve messaging around harmful algal blooms—an issue that has wide-ranging effects on public health, tourism, and marine life.
Jia Johnson
Marine Science & Computer Science majors
Jia bridged science and technology in her Gulf Impact Project, Tracking Change in Florida’s Commercial Fisheries. Using data science methods, Jia analyzed trends in fisheries over time to better understand how climate change and policy shifts are reshaping one of the Gulf’s most vital industries. Her interdisciplinary approach highlights the value of combining field research with digital tools.
Emily Garnica
Architecture major
For her project, Planning for Sea Level Rise, Emily developed a comprehensive house relocation guide tailored to the needs of Pinellas County, Florida. House relocation, which involves moving or elevating existing residential structures, is one such strategy for responding to sea level rise, but until now, no consolidated public guide has existed for homeowners in Florida.
These five students asked big questions, leaned into hard problems, and stayed grounded in place. They didn’t just complete projects—they built relationships, uncovered stories, and sparked new conversations about what resilience means in a changing world. We can’t wait to see what they do next!