{"id":1421,"date":"2013-03-13T10:18:03","date_gmt":"2013-03-13T14:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/politicalscience.cos.ucf.edu\/?page_id=1421"},"modified":"2020-10-02T13:03:22","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T17:03:22","slug":"distinguished-alumni","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/alumni\/distinguished-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"Distinguished Alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\" style=\"text-align: left\">The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs is proud of our distinguished alumni, whose accomplishments and contributions have been recognized by the University of Central Florida with the Jefferson Award, the 30 Under 30 Award and others. The College of Sciences honors an alumnus every year with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Congratulations to all our Distinguished Alumni!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-underline\">Pulitzer Prize Winners<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\" col-12 col-sm-6\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n<h4>Michael Schwirtz \u201903<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-grad-earns-pulitzer-prize\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"img-fluid size-full wp-image-8148 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/Michael-Schwirtz-03.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Schwirtz 03\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/Michael-Schwirtz-03.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/Michael-Schwirtz-03-300x200.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/400;\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\" col-12 col-sm-6\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n<h4>John Bersia<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/global-perspectives-john-bersia-pushed-international-awareness\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"img-fluid size-full wp-image-8147 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/John-Bersia.jpg\" alt=\"John Bersia\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/John-Bersia.jpg 600w, https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/John-Bersia-300x200.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/400;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-underline\">COS Distinguished Alumni AWARD Winners<\/h2>\n\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news modern modern-card\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/college-of-sciences-hosts-2025-distinguished-alumknight-awards\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2025\/04\/IMG_5085-150x150.png\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"A mascot in a knight costume poses with flexed arms in front of a backdrop with \"UCF\" and \"Knights\" logos.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">College of Sciences Hosts 2025 Distinguished AlumKnight Awards\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">Notable Alumni are honored for their outstanding career achievements.\u00a0 By Emily Dougherty | April 3, 2025\u00a0 The evening of March 27th was filled with joy,&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/lifelong-impact-of-professor-inspires-scholarship-fund\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/10\/DistinguishedAlumniAwards_FA18-18-e1570644067579-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Three people posing with an award at a ucf alumni event, flanked by banners featuring the university's logo.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">Lifelong Impact of Professor Inspires Scholarship Fund<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">In a hectic world, it pays to pause and say \u201cthank you.\u201d That\u2019s the philosophy of Chris Lombardo, who was struck not too long ago&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/alumni-celebrated-at-2019-distinguished-alumni-awards\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/09\/SAP0391-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Eight professionals in formal attire holding awards on a stage, posing for a group photo at an evening event.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">Achievements Celebrated at 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">The College of Sciences recognized 10 alumni for their achievements Thursday at the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Awards. The annual event brings together outstanding alumni from&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/cos-alumni-recognized-for-career-achievements\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2018\/11\/DistinguishedAlumniAwards_FA18-22-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Group of ten people holding awards at a ucf alumni event, standing in front of a banner with ucf alumni logos.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winners 2018<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">Ten College of Sciences alumni were recognized Thursday for their career achievements at the 2018-19 Distinguished Alumni Awards. \u201cTonight\u2019s awardees were selected based on their&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/alumnus-takes-legal-action-for-minority-community\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2018\/06\/DSC_5571-1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Two individuals smiling while one of them hands a trophy to the other at an awards ceremony.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2018: Rishi Bagga<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">For alumnus Rishi Bagga, attending UCF was a last minute choice after visiting the campus with his older sister. However, majoring in political science was&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/outstanding-alumknight-believes-public-service\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2017\/09\/Alan-Florez-\u201998-e1594651416601-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Alan Florez \u201998\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2017: Alan Florez<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">Receiving an education at the University of Central Florida can open many doors for a student. Our renowned faculty and staff pour their resources into&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/category\/distinguished-alumni\/\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\tRead More Distinguished Alumni Stories\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-underline\">University Alumni Awards<\/h2>\n\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news modern modern-card\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/meet-the-college-of-sciences-30-under-30-awardees\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2025\/03\/30-Under-30-featured-1-150x150.png\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Illuminated dolphin and waves logo on a wall at dusk.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">Meet the College of Sciences 30 Under 30 Awardees\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">COS alumni \u201cReach for the Stars\u201d, making lasting impacts through their careers and service to the community\u00a0 By Emily Dougherty | March 26, 2025\u00a0 The&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-announces-2025s-30-under-30-alumni-award-recipients\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2025\/02\/30Under30-150x150.avif\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image\" alt=\"Rows of clear, gold-accented trophies are displayed on a black tablecloth, each engraved with \"30 Under 30\" and the year 2023.\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">UCF Announces 2025\u2019s 30 Under 30 Alumni Award Recipients<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">UCF Alumni is proud to unveil the extraordinary honorees of the 2025 Class of 30 Under 30. These visionary alumni, driven by unwavering dedication and&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-announces-2020-alumni-award-winners\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/09\/UCF-Alumni-Award-2020-7-Pj508l-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"A woman with long dark hair and a black jacket smiles at the camera, with a blurred conference background.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">UCF Announces 2020 Alumni Award Winners<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">UCF Alumni announced its slate of its Shining Knights award winners for 2020 \u2014\u00a0 seven individuals recognized for their commitment to the university in the&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/degrees-launch-career-of-service-for-30-under-30-winners\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/06\/Fair-and-Merritt-150x150.png\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Side-by-side portraits of a woman in a black dress and pearls next to a palm plant, and a man in a blue suit and striped tie with a cityscape background.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">Degrees Launch Career of Service for 30 Under 30 Winners<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">Two alumni from the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs are recipients of the UCF 30 Under 30 Class of 2020 award. Kristina Merritt&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/2015-political-science-department-30-under-30-awardee\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/03\/30-under-30-awardees-e1448311418691-150x150.jpg\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Group of people posing with awards in a hall under a banner that reads \"golden gatekeeper.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">2015 Political Science Department 30 Under 30 Awardee<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">The UCF Alumni Association was proud to host its inaugural 30 under 30 awards dinner Friday, Nov. 20, honoring the outstanding achievements of 30 successful&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item col-sm-4\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/30-under-30-awardee-sara-singer-10\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/03\/sara-singer-150x150.png\" class=\"ucf-news-thumbnail-image lazyload\" alt=\"Two women smiling on stage, one holding an award; both dressed in formal attire, in front of a dark curtain.\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ucf-news-section-title\">30 Under 30 - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ucf-news-item-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-title\">30 Under 30 Awardee Sara Singer &#8217;10<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"ucf-news-item-excerpt\">After obtaining her bachelor\u2019s degree from UCF, Sara Singer attended the University of Miami Law School and became an assistant public defender. She practiced criminal&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/category\/30under30\/\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\tRead More University Alumni Awards Stories\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs is proud of our distinguished alumni, whose accomplishments and contributions have been recognized by the University of Central Florida with the Jefferson Award, the 30 Under 30 Award and others. The College of Sciences honors an alumnus every year with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Congratulations to all [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":1324,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-1421","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Distinguished Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/alumni\/distinguished-alumni\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Distinguished Alumni - School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs is proud of our distinguished alumni, whose accomplishments and contributions have been recognized by the University of Central Florida with the Jefferson Award, the 30 Under 30 Award and others. 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