Eckerd College Newsroom

Call it a tag-team mission to help rescue the coral reefs that surround Florida. A group of students from Eckerd College is in the Florida Keys studying the Caribbean king crabs that graze on the coral reefs. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

The title of the course sounds like a classic oxymoron: Serious Comics. But it’s a perfect description of an Eckerd College  Autumn Term  course where students study serious cartooning, a popular but often overlooked art form where storytelling—and the complex relationship between words and images—is more valued than getting a laugh. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Olivia Knowles ’24 was accepted recently into the prestigious  Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program  and will live and work in Norway from September until next June. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Four Eckerd College students and  Associate Professor of Biology Jeff Goessling, Ph. D. , sat cross-legged in the sand in  Egmont Key State Park  recently, angling for what questionable shade a few nearby palms could offer. There wasn’t much idle chatter. They were working against the clock. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Grace Adler knew her Eckerd College summer internship project would be tricky. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Like Santa’s helpers in polo shirts, three members of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College walked into Eckerd’s West Lodge lounge on a recent Monday morning pulling carts filled with nonperishable food—cereal, mac and cheese, tuna pouches. The group had just arrived from Lewis House, where they had collected the food donated by ASPEC members and others during the previous week. Wr...

In mid-February, Eckerd College’s members of the  Florida Public Interest Research Group Students  participated in an item collection for  St. Vincent de Paul CARES , which works to find residences for the unhoused within a period of 30 days. The nonprofit organization is based in downtown St. Petersburg and operates initiatives aimed at assisting those in need. Written and read by Emmi Elmaleh &#...

Eckerd College’s Theatre Department  is back on-stage with its first production after its fall season was impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.  Firebringer , directed by sophomore Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre student Elle Lily, ran March 6–9, marking a major return for the Theatre Program. Written and read by Emmi Elmaleh '27

Eckerd College junior Clara Oxford grew up near a heavily wooded portion of northeast Pennsylvania, and thanks to her parents’ love of the outdoors, she always felt drawn to explore nature—especially the ocean. But there were hurdles. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '28

For the past three years, Eckerd College faculty have attended the annual  Gulf Scholars Conference  for the purpose of sharing ideas, learning, and building the Gulf Scholars community. The conference includes presentations and discussions from representatives of 24 colleges and universities in the Gulf region. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '28

It was just last January that Eckerd College senior Guadalupe Obayi relished meeting a Moroccan grandmother and her family for a cooking class during a  Winter Term study abroad program . In June, she’ll head back as a recipient of the  U.S. Department of State ’s Critical Language Scholarship. Written by Robbyn Hopewell, read by Brennan Coleman '28

Assistant  Dean of Faculty  Kat Robinson, Ph. D., kept her footsteps light as she paced through the wings and lobby of the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences on March 26. Tasked with informing the winners of the 18th Annual Eckerd College Research Symposium of their achievements, she naturally went with the surprise method. Written by Robbyn Hopewell and read by Brennan Coleman '28

Lily Schwartz, a senior  political science  student at Eckerd College, couldn’t quite process the Peace Corps acceptance email as she was leaving the dentist. Written by Robbyn Hopewell, read by Brennan Coleman '28

Eckerd College senior Haven Henry watched what Alzheimer’s did to her grandfather and then learned, just as she began her first year at Eckerd, that her aunt had been diagnosed with an early onset case of the same disease. Written by Robbyn Hopewell, read by Brennan Coleman '28

Politics can be overwhelming. Written and read by Madison DeVore '25

“I try to live out love” is the motto of Eckerd College alumna LaRuby May ’97, J.D. Written and read by Madison DeVore '25

“It’s been so invigorating to be here year after year, both with him and without him,” says  Avraham “Alan” Rosen , Ph. D., referring to Dr. Elie Wiesel. Written and read by Madison DeVore '25

Eckerd students and alumni alike are excited about the College’s new Bachelor of Science degree in  environmental studies , which places greater emphasis on natural sciences,  mathematics  and  computer science  than the Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies does. Written and read by Madison DeVore '25

Five Eckerd College students will be packing their bags and setting off to Boston for an internship at the  Center for Genomic Medicine  at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School this summer. Written and read by Madison DeVore '25

“The market for jobs in the AI sector has surged in the last two years, according to a recent analysis from the University of Maryland and job-tracking firm LinkUp—the latest in a slew of studies indicating AI skills are in high demand.” — Matthew Kaufman, CNN, Feb. 27, 2025 Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Eckerd College junior Carly Harshbarger couldn’t help but be impressed. Written by Robbyn Hopewell and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

The  St. Petersburg City Council passed an ordinance in 2018 that banned single-use plastic straws , starting in 2020. The ban remains in effect today, but one company was able to get around the rule by using a different type of plastic, one the company claims has been certified as biodegradable. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Brennan Coleman '27.

Empathetic. Activist. Open-minded. Written and read by Madison DeVore ’25.

Going elbow to elbow with people in the London marketplace and gaining a sense of the business community are now being filtered into one Eckerd College study abroad course in August. Written and read by Madison DeVore ’25.

With the temperature stuck around 38 degrees, Myrtle the babirusa reluctantly emerged from her barn and began to forage in her habitat at  ZooTampa at Lowry Park . A threatened species also known as a deer-pig, the babirusa is a member of the swine family and native to several decidedly warmer Indonesian islands. Written by Tom Zucco and read by Nicole Vogler '26.