Florida State University held its first Transfer Student Leadership Summit on October 20 at the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House. The event recognized the achievements of transfer students in research, leadership, and service as part of National Transfer Student Week.
Jai Vartikar, FSU First Lady, opened the summit with remarks about the importance of transfer student contributions to the university. She highlighted that transfer students often have less time than those who started at FSU but still make significant impacts.
Vartikar noted that FSU President Richard McCullough began his academic journey as a first-generation and transfer student. She encouraged students by saying: “Whether it’s research, leadership or service, all of these experiences are going to help you discover and develop your strengths and build confidence. Know whatever you decide to do, whatever you set your sights on, you can achieve it, and you can do it.”
Transfer students make up about a quarter of FSU’s undergraduate population. This year, the university reported that 80% of its transfer students graduated within three years—a record for both the institution and the state.
During the summit, students presented their research and leadership work through poster displays. Their projects spanned various fields including medicine, geography, biology, communications, and psychology.
Robbin Haggins, director of Transfer Student Services, commented on student participation: “The fact that transfer students are participating in this leadership summit shows that they have such a thirst for scholarly work. They want to be important contributors to the undergraduate experience.”
Nathan Sanborn, a history major who transferred from Seminole State College of Florida, presented his research from the Amazon rainforest about how deforestation increases disease risk in local communities. “Due to the increase of sunlight hitting the forest floor and lakes, it creates a mass breeding ground for mosquitos and snails that carry disease,” Sanborn said.
Gabriella Fanchette, an international affairs student who transferred from Chipola College, discussed her role running social media for the Southern Scholarship Foundation. She said: “It feels good to be highlighted. The untraditional route of a transfer student is just as valuable and academically challenging, so it is nice to have something dedicated to us.”
More information about Transfer Student Services is available at https://transferstudents.fsu.edu/.
