Theme: "Challenging What Is"

This theme seeks to bring about a change in conventional mindsets and encourage individuals to muster the courage to tread the path less walked. One of the most significant catalysts for social change consists of people challenging social institutions and societal beliefs. Challenging contemporary modes of thought or specific "truths" paves the way for academic discovery and is the very essence of moving from "what is" to "what is not." Are you ready to challenge what is?

USF Marshall Student Center Ballroom, MSC 2100ABC
4202 E. Fowler Avenue
Tampa, Florida, 33620
United States

Elias & Zion Phoenix

Child Music Prodigies

These fraternal twins from the Tampa Bay, Florida area are known by many as piano prodigies. Elias has won 1st place and top honors & awards at International competitions and has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall five times and four times on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Zion is a pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall and is a talented composer, dancer, and award winning artist. From a worldwide audition, Elias was cast to perform the young Mozart prodigy in the upcoming "Mozart: The Rock Opera" and Zion was cast as the understudy. When not performing for national audiences, the boys love to act, dance, sing and rap.

Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman

USF Faculty and Staff

“Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies at USF. She received her B.A from Cornell University and her M.A./Ph.D. in Sociology from Duke University in 2012. Dr. Hordge-Freeman’s first book, The Color of Love: Racial Features, Stigma, and Socialization in Black Brazilian Families is slated for publication in November 2015. She is motivated by her passion for exposing inequality, and with funding from a Fulbright grant and other sources, she is researching modern slavery and human trafficking in Brazil and the U.S.”

Marc Defant

USF Faculty and Staff

“Marc Defant is a professor of geochemistry at USF and studies volcanoes through various funding such as the NSF and National Geographic. He has published research in Nature and other journals and has written a book on the history of the universe, earth and life. He was the keynote speaker at a conference on granitic rocks in China and was one of the first American scientists to work on volcanoes in Kamchatka when it was part of the Soviet Union. He is currently focused on emphasizing the importance of science in society.”

Marquese McFerguson

USF Doctoral Student and Spoken Word Artist

“Marquese McFerguson is a writer, educator, researcher and founder of Art Can Change The World. The mission of Art Can Change The World is to use performing, literary, and visual art to educate individuals from diverse backgrounds about social and cultural issues. In 2015, Marquese conducted “The Creativity Across Cultures Tour,” which was a two week Civil Rights History performance and speaking tour throughout Europe. Marquese is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida in the Department of Communication.”

Phillip Wagner

USF

“Phillip Wagner is an educator and researcher who explores our notions of masculinity and femininity, especially as those labels relate to our identity and the way we perform it. Phillip is the Director of the Core Curriculum at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. His research explores the broad intersections of gender, identity, and health. Phillip is committed to social justice activism and is actively involved with domestic violence advocacy and service learning initiatives.”

Ryan Iacovacci

USF Alumni

“Ryan passionately believes in the power of food to bring communities together. From community organizing, to farm to table distribution, to permaculture farming, Ryan has experienced many of the challenges and hopes of an honest and just local food economy. Currently, he gardens at Freedom House Farm in New Port Richey, a small urban farm based on organic and permaculture principles growing, selling food, saving seeds and helping neighbors grow food.”

Sally Galloway

USF Staff Member

“Moved to study holistic health after her mother’s early death from cancer when Sally Galloway was 19, she finished her degrees in music and became a professional life and health coach, massage therapist, nutrition counselor, and a best-selling author. She combines her passions for health and harmony and has been teaching people how to nourish themselves since 1983, specializing in wellness coaching for high performers. Sally is currently an Administrative Specialist in the USF College of Nursing.”

Sara/Sam(ira) Crawley/Obeid

USF Faculty/USF Alum

Sara L. Crawley is Associate Professor of Sociology and an affiliate faculty in Women's and Gender Studies at USF. Dr. Crawley has researched and published in issues of gender, sexualities, social psychology, feminisms, and queer theory, including her book (co-authored with Lara Foley and Constance Shehan), Gendering Bodies. Sam(ira) Obeid is an activist with Equality Florida working on the intersectionality of identity and queer voices of color; she specializes in photography and video. Sam(ira) is also a spoken word poet tackling issues around sexuality, gender, citizenship and immigration

Terrell Foster

USF Undergraduate Student

“Terrell Foster is a senior in the USF College of Nursing, with a minor in public health, and currently volunteers by performing community outreach with Metro Tampa Bay. As the progeny of two Airmen, he witnessed firsthand the sacrifices that service members make on behalf of our nation and the incredible quality of care that military nurses provide. This was a powerful factor in his decision to join the US Air Force Reserves as a medic. After completing his BSN, he plans to earn his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and work as a nurse practitioner focusing on the needs of minority populations.”