Andrew Bower scrolled through old advertisements one day and realized something: some made him want to buy things at age ten, and others felt laughably out of touch. That observation sparked a career shift from social sciences to advertising and public relations at the University of Central Florida—one of several bold pivots Orlando's spring 2026 graduates made this season. Across three universities in the region, graduating students from UCF, Rollins College, and Valencia College arrived at the same hard-won wisdom: chase every opportunity that interests you, but slow down enough to appreciate the present moment.
Yzabella De Los Santos walked a similar path at UCF. She entered college planning to study engineering, drawn to the mathematical rigor, but found herself missing the creative work she'd loved in high school—film photography, yearbook design. When she discovered advertising and public relations offered both technical precision and imaginative strategy, she jumped. Both Bower and De Los Santos pursued minors beyond their major coursework: Bower studied anthropology and multicultural studies after spending a semester abroad in South Korea, while De Los Santos completed a minor in hospitality. Their engagement with the broader Orlando creative community—joining boards at organizations like Quotes and Ad 2 Orlando—paid off. At the Student American Advertising Awards, De Los Santos won ADvocate Intern of the Year, while Bower became a Student Scholarship Recipient. Their advice to peers feels earned: "Be open to every opportunity that comes your way, and don't feel like because you chose a major, you have to stick with that," De Los Santos said. But Bower added an equally important caution: "You're looking ahead too much. You got to look in the present."
At Rollins College, international students Sydney Eckstein and Richard Stoiberer brought their own threading of ambition and presence. Eckstein came from Bali, Indonesia, and Stoiberer from Austria—both drawn to Rollins partly by the chance to continue playing competitive tennis while earning degrees at a close-knit institution. Eckstein majored in computer science with a minor in data analytics. Stoiberer graduated with a double major in international business and computer science, along with minors in Spanish and data analytics. Both became captains of their respective tennis teams and were recognized by the Rollins athletics program at the Tommy Awards; Stoiberer graduated as an All-American athlete and Senior Scholar Athlete.
What struck both students most during their time at Rollins was the necessity of intentional time management. For Stoiberer, this meant being deliberate about how he spent moments with people and knowing when to step back and recalibrate. Eckstein learned to accept the rhythm of her own life—busy seasons felt overwhelming until she reframed them as temporary. "Acknowledging and accepting that, OK, it doesn't feel like that now, but I will work towards doing something in the future that'll balance it out a bit more, has given me comfort," Eckstein said. Neither student arrived at their major knowing exactly where it would lead, yet each found unexpected passion through clubs and coursework. Stoiberer's Spanish minor, pursued since his middle school days in Austria, anchored his broader curiosity about global business.
As these graduates move forward—De Los Santos hoping to work in hospitality, Bower aspiring to join an international company—their message rings clearer than the typical commencement advice. The opportunity to reinvent yourself, to sample different paths, to build skills and relationships across disciplines—that's real. But so is the danger of perpetually chasing the next milestone. The graduates of spring 2026 are asking their peers to do both: move forward with ambition, but do it with presence, with intention, with an occasional pause to appreciate where you actually are.