Congratulations 2020 December Graduates
12/17/2020
FAU is going to hold a special place in my heart for teaching me who I was and showing me what I can be. Being a part of creating the #WinningInParadise standard is something I will never forget.Jake Jones
Herbst is one of 16 FAU student-athletes set to graduate in December 2020. Joining proud FAU alumni are:
| BJ Emmons | Football | Public Safety Administration - Law | ||
| Qu'ran Hafiz | Football | Management | ||
| Hannah Herbst | Cross Country and Track | Management Information Systems: Business Analytics | ||
| Jake Jones | Football | Public Safety Administration - Law | ||
| Mikaela Jonsson | Cross Country and Track | Graphic Design | ||
| Kara Lokeinsky | Softball | Elementary Education | ||
| Leighton McCarthy | Football | General Studies | ||
| Ashton McNeal | Football | Public Safety Administration - Law | ||
| Jake Miednik | Baseball | General Studies | ||
| Cristian Moreno | Cross Country | Biological Science | ||
| Brandon Robinson | Football | Communication Studies | ||
| Korel Smith | Football | General Studies | ||
| Marcel Southall | Football | Public Safety Administration - Law | ||
| Andru Summerall | Baseball | Health Science | ||
| Chris Tooley | Football | Public Safety Administration - Law | ||
| Brianna Waggoner | Women's Soccer | Chemistry and Criminal Justice |
*Featured
Gallery: December Graduation 2020
Hannah Herbst: Remember the Name
Close your eyes. Imagine an individual who is about to take over the world. This person never stops learning through research, created her own business at 18 years old and created a bandage to protect surgical patients from infection, among a list of other things. Now open your eyes. This rising star is Hannah Herbst.
At just 20 years old, Herbst has quite the résumé. Herbst, who is a member of the Florida Atlantic University cross country and track & field team, has been majoring in management information systems with a concentration in business analytics. She will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business this week.
Herbst is graduating much earlier than her peers, most of whom are in the midst of their sophomore year. As a dual-enrolled student at FAU High School, Herbst started collegiate classes in ninth grade and took college courses on campus a full-time as a high school sophomore. She may have been intimated at first to be in classes with others who were a bit older than her, but it was nothing Herbst could not handle.
“[The major] was a great combination of my interest in computer science and business,” said Herbst. “Originally, I was just going to do computer science, but I want to start a business eventually, so I chose to alter my route to get the most experience.”
Herbst’ love and aptitude for science and technology brewed in seventh grade when she attended an engineering camp at FAU.
“At first, I had no interest at all, but after probably one day, I was completely hooked on it,” said Herbst. “It made me realize what all is possible in science and I wanted to apply that to problem solving to see what all of the possibilities were.”
Herbst has been recognized by numerous organizations. We are talking about Forbes, the United Nations and the White House.
One of her first individual awards came in 2015 when she was named “America’s Top Young Scientist” at the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Following her reign as the top young scientist, Herbst was invited to the 2016 White House Science Fair, being granted the opportunity to discuss her research with President Barack Obama, Bill Nye (“the Science Guy”), Adam Savage from MythBusters and Maya Ajmera.
Herbst’s work continues to be recognized at a global scale, as she is a three-time finalist at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In 2019, Herbst was awarded first place and Best of Category in Translational Medical Sciences, among other accolades at the fair.
Most impressively, Herbst is coming off winning first-place honors and a $10,000 cash prize in Florida Venture Forum’s Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition. Herbst and her company Tiburon Technologies developed an antimicrobial shark-skin inspired bandage that protects post-operative surgical patients from infection. She was the first student to earn the award since 2014.
Herbst was named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 in the categories of Energy and Youngest, featured in WIRED Magazine as one of Obama’s favorite science projects, recognized by BBC as a teenage inventor changing the world and designated as one of 2016 Huffington Post’s 20 Under 20, among several other honors.
She also has delivered a number of keynote addresses, including at the United Nations, USA Science and Engineering Festival, Social Innovation Summit and World Science Fair.
Herbst may have a list full of awards, but she doesn’t care as much about the trophies and accolades. Herbst was inspired by her eighth grade science teacher Miss Suzette Milu and her mother while growing up. She now wants to be a light for others, especially young girls.
“For me, it is less about the awards themselves and more about the platform they provide in order to help other young people in science,” said Herbst. “I just want to be a good role model for little girls and that is the main opportunity I like about winning the awards.”
On top of her work in science and technology, Herbst was a three-sport athlete in high school, competing in cross country, track & field and soccer. Last season, Herbst joined the FAU cross country and track & field team, an opportunity she is grateful for.
“I love running and Coach Smolka gave me an opportunity to do so,” said Herbst. “Of course, I took advantage of it and got to have a great experience with the team. I was really upset about coronavirus, but it was great while it lasted.”
Head cross country and track and field coach Alexa Smolka could not say enough about Herbst, although her time on the team may have been cut short.
“One of the more overused words in the English language is the word unique,” said Smolka. “However, when thinking about all of the individuals who have been a part of the FAU women’s cross country and track and field team, Hannah Herbst is most definitely unique! Her academic achievements, young age, maturity, experience, etc., all make her unique. Although her time on the team was rather short, she will leave a lasting impression, and shoes which won’t be filled anytime soon.”
Herbst was only able to compete the 2020 indoor track & field season due to the outdoor slate being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. She opted out of the 2020 cross country season as both of her parents have cancer and due to both being treated, they are immunocompromised.
“I couldn’t really risk putting them at risk because I live at home,” said Herbst.
Through being granted six research grants by the school, having the opportunity to run and represent the Owls, and building friendships and connections that will last a lifetime, Herbst is forever grateful for FAU.
“FAU has provided me with great opportunities to be able to innovate and pursue my passions with running and research,” said Herbst. “It made the most sense to come to school here.”
Herbst plans to continue with her business, Tiburon Technologies, as it has taken up a lot of her time within the past semester. She sees pursuing her MBA as a big possibility in the future, but not right now, as coronavirus is still in the picture.
“I’m extremely excited to continue to follow her path through life, as she sets sail for her next big adventure,” said Smolka.