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USF Electronic Theses & Dissertations within Digital Commons

• Grace Allen Scholars Theses Online access to select honors college theses.
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• Last Updated: Aug 23, 2023 3:55 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.usf.edu/theses

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > English > Theses and Dissertations

English Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Of Mētis and Cuttlefish: Employing Collective Mētis as a Theoretical Framework for Marginalized Communities , Justiss Wilder Burry

What on earth are we doing (?): A Field-Wide Exploration of Design Courses in TPC , Jessica L. Griffith

Organizations Ensuring Resilience: A Case Study of Cortez, Florida , Karla Ariel Maddox

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Using Movie Clips to Understand Vivid-Phrasal Idioms’ Meanings , Rasha Salem S. Alghamdi

An Exercise in Exceptions: Personhood, Divergency, and Ableism in the STAR TREK Franchise , Jessica A. Blackman

Vulnerable Resistance in Victorian Women’s Writing , Stephanie A. Harper

Curricular Assemblages: Understanding Student Writing Knowledge (Re)circulation Across Genres , Adam Phillips

PAD Beyond the Classroom: Integrating PAD in the Scrum Workplace , Jade S. Weiss

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Social Cues in Animated Pedagogical Agents for Second Language Learners: the Application of The Embodiment Principle in Video Design , Sahar M. Alyahya

A Field-Wide Examination of Cross-Listed Courses in Technical Professional Communication , Carolyn M. Gubala

Labor-Based Grading Contracts in the Multilingual FYC Classroom: Unpacking the Variables , Kara Kristina Larson

Land Goddesses, Divine Pigs, and Royal Tricksters: Subversive Mythologies and Imperialist Land Ownership Dispossession in Twentieth Century Irish and American Literature , Elizabeth Ricketts

Oppression, Resistance, and Empowerment: The Power Dynamics of Naming and Un-naming in African American Literature, 1794 to 2019 , Melissa "Maggie" Romigh

Generic Expectations in First Year Writing: Teaching Metadiscoursal Reflection and Revision Strategies for Increased Generic Uptake of Academic Writing , Kaelah Rose Scheff

Reframing the Gothic: Race, Gender, & Disability in Multiethnic Literature , Ashely B. Tisdale

Intersections of Race and Place in Short Fiction by New Orleans Gens de Couleur Libres , Adrienne D. Vivian

Mental Illness Diagnosis and the Construction of Stigma , Katie Lynn Walkup

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Rhetorical Roundhouse Kicks: Tae Kwon Do Pumsae Practice and Non-Western Embodied Topoi , Spencer Todd Bennington

9/11 Then and Now: How the Performance of Memorial Rhetoric by Presidents Changes to Construct Heroes , Kristen M. Grafton

Kinesthetically Speaking: Human and Animal Communication in British Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century , Dana Jolene Laitinen

Exploring Refugee Students’ Second Language (L2) Motivational Selves through Digital Visual Representations , Nhu Le

Glamour in Contemporary American Cinema , Shauna A. Maragh

Instrumentalization Theory: An Analytical Heuristic for a Heightened Social Awareness of Machine Learning Algorithms in Social Media , Andrew R. Miller

Intercessory Power: A Literary Analysis of Ethics and Care in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon , Alice Walker’s Meridian , and Toni Cade Bambara’s Those Bones Are Not My Child , Kelly Mills

The Power of Non-Compliant Logos: A New Materialist Approach to Comic Studies , Stephanie N. Phillips

Female Identity and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesian Novels , Zita Rarastesa

"The Fiery Furnaces of Hell": Rhetorical Dynamism in Youngstown, OH , Joshua M. Rea

“We developed solidarity”: Family, Race, Identity, and Space-Time in Recent Multiethnic U.S. American Fiction , Kimber L. Wiggs

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Remembrance of a Wound: Ethical Mourning in the Works of Ana Menéndez, Elías Miguel Muñoz, and Junot Díaz , José Aparicio

Taking an “Ecological Turn” in the Evaluation of Rhetorical Interventions , Peter Cannon

New GTA’s and the Pre-Semester Orientation: The Need for Informed Refinement , Jessica L. Griffith

Reading Rape and Answering with Empathy: A New Approach to Sexual Assault Education for College Students , Brianna Jerman

The Karoo , The Veld , and the Co-Op: The Farm as Microcosm and Place for Change in Schreiner, Lessing, and Head , Elana D. Karshmer

"The weak are meat, and the strong do eat"; Representations of the Slaughterhouse in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature , Stephanie Lance

Language of Carnival: How Language and the Carnivalesque Challenge Hegemony , Yulia O. Nekrashevich

Queer Authority in Old and Middle English Literature , Elan J. Pavlinich

Because My Garmin Told Me To: A New Materialist Study of Agency and Wearable Technology , Michael Repici

No One Wants to Read What You Write: A Contextualized Analysis of Service Course Assignments , Tanya P. Zarlengo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Beauty and the Beasts: Making Places with Literary Animals of Florida , Haili A. Alcorn

The Medievalizing Process: Religious Medievalism in Romantic and Victorian Literature , Timothy M. Curran

Seeing Trauma: The Known and the Hidden in Nineteenth-Century Literature , Alisa M. DeBorde

Analysis of User Interfaces in the Sharing Economy , Taylor B. Johnson

Border-Crossing Travels Across Literary Worlds: My Shamanic Conscientization , Scott Neumeister

The Spectacle of The Bomb: Rhetorical Analysis of Risk of The Nevada Test Site in Technical Communication, Popular Press, and Pop Culture , Tiffany Wilgar

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Traveling Women and Consuming Place in Eighteenth-Century Travel Letters and Journals , Cassie Patricia Childs

“The Nations of the Field and Wood”: The Uncertain Ontology of Animals in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , J. Kevin Jordan

Modern Mythologies: The Epic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature , Sucheta Kanjilal

Science in the Sun: How Science is Performed as a Spatial Practice , Natalie Kass

Body as Text: Physiognomy on the Early English Stage , Curtis Le Van

Tensions Between Democracy and Expertise in the Florida Keys , Elizabeth A. Loyer

Institutional Review Boards and Writing Studies Research: A Justice-Oriented Study , Johanna Phelps-Hillen

The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature , Tangela La'Chelle Serls

Aphra Behn on the Contemporary Stage: Behn's Feminist Legacy and Woman-Directed Revivals of The Rover , Nicole Elizabeth Stodard

(Age)ncy in Composition Studies , Alaina Tackitt

Constructing Health Narratives: Patient Feedback in Online Communities , Katie Lynn Walkup

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Rupturing the World of Elite Athletics: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of the Suspension of the 2011 IAAF Regulations on Hyperandrogenism , Ella Browning

Shaping Climate Citizenship: The Ethics of Inclusion in Climate Change Communication and Policy , Lauren E. Cagle

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Analyzing FEMA's Risk Communication through Visual Rhetoric , Samantha Jo Cosgrove

Material Expertise: Applying Object-oriented Rhetoric in Marine Policy , Zachary Parke Dixon

The Non-Identical Anglophone Bildungsroman : From the Categorical to the De-Centering Literary Subject in the Black Atlantic , Jarad Heath Fennell

Instattack: Instagram and Visual Ad Hominem Political Arguments , Sophia Evangeline Gourgiotis

Hospitable Climates: Representations of the West Indies in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , Marisa Carmen Iglesias

Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe , Jessica Trant Labossiere

Science, Policy, and Decision Making: A Case Study of Deliberative Rhetoric and Policymaking for Coastal Adaptation in Southeast Florida , Karen Patricia Langbehn

A New Materialist Approach to Visual Rhetoric in PhotoShopBattles , Jonathan Paul Ray

Tracing the Material: Spaces and Objects in British and Irish Modernist Novels , Mary Allison Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Representations of Gatsby: Ninety Years of Retrospective , Christine Anne Auger

Robust, Low Power, Discrete Gate Sizing , Anthony Joseph Casagrande

Wrestling with Angels: Postsecular Contemporary American Poetry , Paul T. Corrigan

#networkedglobe: Making the Connection between Social Media and Intercultural Technical Communication , Laura Anne Ewing

Evidence of Things Not Seen: A Semi-Automated Descriptive Phrase and Frame Analysis of Texts about the Herbicide Agent Orange , Sarah Beth Hopton

'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home , Rondrea Danielle Mathis

Relational Agency, Networked Technology, and the Social Media Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing , Megan M. Mcintyre

Now, We Hear Through a Voice Darkly: New Media and Narratology in Cinematic Art , James Anthony Ricci

Navigating Collective Activity Systems: An Approach Towards Rhetorical Inquiry , Katherine Jesse Royce

Women's Narratives of Confinement: Domestic Chores as Threads of Resistance and Healing , Jacqueline Marie Smith

Domestic Spaces in Transition: Modern Representations of Dwelling in the Texts of Elizabeth Bowen , Shannon Tivnan

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Paradise Always Already Lost: Myth, Memory, and Matter in English Literature , Elizabeth Stuart Angello

Overcoming the 5th-Century BCE Epistemological Tragedy: A Productive Reading of Protagoras of Abdera , Ryan Alan Blank

Acts of Rebellion: The Rhetoric of Rogue Cinema , Adam Breckenridge

Material and Textual Spaces in the Poetry of Montagu, Leapor, Barbauld, and Robinson , Jessica Lauren Cook

Decolonizing Shakespeare: Race, Gender, and Colonialism in Three Adaptations of Three Plays by William Shakespeare , Angela Eward-Mangione

Risk of Compliance: Tracing Safety and Efficacy in Mef-Lariam's Licensure , Julie Marie Gerdes

Beyond Performance: Rhetoric, Collective Memory, and the Motive of Imprinting Identity , Brenda M. Grau

Subversive Beauty - Victorian Bodies of Expression , Lisa Michelle Hoffman-Reyes

Integrating Reading and Writing For Florida's ESOL Program , George Douglas Mcarthur

Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley , Katherine Marie McGee

Ghosts, Orphans, and Outlaws: History, Family, and the Law in Toni Morrison's Fiction , Jessica Mckee

The "Defective" Generation: Disability in Modernist Literature , Deborah Susan Mcleod

Science Fiction/Fantasy and the Representation of Ethnic Futurity , Joy Ann Sanchez-Taylor

Hermes, Technical Communicator of the Gods: The Theory, Design, and Creation of a Persuasive Game for Technical Communication , Eric Walsh

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Rhetorical Spirits: Spirituality as Rhetorical Device in New Age Womanist of Color Texts , Ronisha Witlee Browdy

Disciplinarity, Crisis, and Opportunity in Technical Communication , Jason Robert Carabelli

The Terror of Possibility: A Re-evaluation and Reconception of the Sublime Aesthetic , Kurt Fawver

Unbearable Weight, Unbearable Witness: The (Im)possibility of Witnessing Eating Disorders in Cyberspace , Kristen Nicole Gay

the post- 9/11 aesthetic: repositioning the zombie film in the horror genre , Alan Edward Green, Jr.

An(other) Rhetoric: Rhetoric, Ethics, and the Rhetorical Tradition , Kathleen Sandell Hardesty

Mapping Dissertation Genre Ecology , Kate Lisbeth Pantelides

Dead Man's Switch: Disaster Rhetorics in a Posthuman Age , Daniel Patrick Richards

"Of That Transfigured World" : Realism and Fantasy in Victorian Literature , Benjamin Jude Wright

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USF launches free online certificate program in fintech

• April 1, 2024

Campus News , Research and Innovation

By Matthew Cimitile , University Communications and Marketing

A new online certificate program from the University of South Florida will teach students, entrepreneurs and working professionals about the dynamic and disruptive world of financial technology, also known as fintech.

Developed by the Muma College of Business, the eight-week program provides a non-technical, foundational understanding of fintech and its impact on the future of business. 

The first module for “ The Impact of Fintech: AI, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and the Future of Business ” launches today, with a new module being released each week thereafter. The certificate is being offered free for a limited time via the Muma College of Business website, and those completing the program will receive a digital certificate. 

“Anyone taking this program will acquire a solid grounding in the world of fintech,” said Michael Wiemer, director of USF’s Fintech Center at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance. “They will learn the ins and outs of fintech technology, its ever-expanding capacity and future potential that can assist both students going into the job market to mid-career professionals working in industries that are adopting fintech technology.”

A team of world-class faculty and industry experts designed the self-paced course for those who wish to gain an edge in understanding this increasingly vital topic. The course content covers how technology like blockchain and cryptocurrency are transforming businesses and the confluence between artificial intelligence and fintech.

The certificate program also features perspectives and use cases from business leaders in how fintech is disrupting their industries and real-world examples on how they are utilizing the emerging technology. 

Featured industry experts and examples include:

• Kemal Kvakic, vice president and IT head of innovation with Raymond James Financial , on fintech innovations and the future of the industry;
• Samuel Armes, president of the Florida Blockchain Business Association , discussing the emerging legal and regulatory environment around fintech; and
• Soumya Ghoshal, partner & associate director of the Boston Consulting Group , highlighting the role of blockchain in banking and other sectors of the economy.

“Fintech is one of the most positively disruptive and transformative forces in business today. This certificate program demonstrates our commitment to preparing our students for the future and supporting business leaders with the latest advances in business,” said GJ de Vreede, interim dean of the Muma College of Business.

The fintech certificate adds to USF’s efforts in advancing research and teaching while collaborating with the business community in supporting startups and a talent pipeline for the industry. 

Over the last two years, USF has partnered with Tampa Bay Wave on a Fintech|X Accelerator program that assists high-potential startups with the goal of transitioning them to sustainable and profitable fintech businesses. More than 30 startups from around the world have taken part in the accelerator.

The Fintech Center is currently hiring new faculty, creating additional online certificate programs and developing both an undergraduate and master’s degree in fintech that will be available for students in the coming years.

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Business , Finance , Matthew Cimitile

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WEATHER ALERT

A rip current statement in effect for Coastal Broward and Coastal Miami Dade Regions

South floridians enjoy partial view of solar eclipse.

Amanda Batchelor , Digital Executive Producer

Christina Vazquez , Reporter

Saira Anwer , Reporter

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada witnessed Monday’s total eclipse, and those in South Florida saw a partial eclipse.

Local 10 News reporter Andrew Perez is in Dallas, Texas, where the moon started to cover the sun at 1:23 p.m. EST, with total coverage beginning at 2:40 p.m. for four around minutes.

In South Florida, we began seeing a partial eclipse at 1:47 p.m. with a mid-eclipse peaking at 3:02 p.m. The sun was be back in full view by 4:02 p.m.

WATCH A STREAM OF THE ECLIPSE BELOW:

Local 10 News reporter Christina Vazquez was outside Zoo Miami Monday morning, where Southern Cross Astronomers will have professional solar equipment arranged in front of the ticket office where people can view the eclipse.

“I wanna see how the animals react because that would be kind of interesting,” Anne-Marie Tomlinson, who is visiting from England said. “Because we’ve seen it in England before – the solar eclipse – and it freaks out the birds.”

Zoo Miami spokesman and wildlife expert Ron Magill spoke about the eclipse’s effect on animals on Good Morning America, saying animals indeed may react differently during the eclipse.

“They’ve seen some changes in the past,” he said. “For instance, birds might stop flying and they might stop singing. On the flip side, you might have an owl start going ‘coo-coooo, coo-coooo.’ You hear, maybe, crickets start calling, fireflies might just start to light up. Remember, the sun is the clock for animals, so that’s what gets them going, but it’s such a short amount of time.”

Local 10′s Saira Anwer, meanwhile, was at the Fox Observatory at Markham Park in Sunrise where four $20,000 telescopes with special filters have been set up for the public to view the eclipse.

She said people will probably only get 10 seconds at each telescope since the lines are expected to be long.

Eclipse glasses won’t be available at the park, so people are encouraged to bring theirs if possible.

Local 10 will livestream the partial eclipse in South Florida, which will be able to be viewed at the top of this page or on Facebook or YouTube.

The best weather Monday is expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

It promised to be North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path and the lure of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other choice spots. Almost everyone in North America is guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.

Share your photos of the eclipse with us by clicking here! They may even be featured on air!

South Florida eclipse viewing events:

Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science:

Frost Science invites guests to celebrate the partial solar eclipse, beginning at noon Monday with special programming in the Frost Planetarium and across the museum to learn about the science and history of eclipses.

Solar eclipse glasses will be available for purchase in the Science Store.

Museum entrance prices range from $22.95 for children 4-11, to $29.95 for adults.

Florida International University:

A public viewing event at FIU’s Stocker AstroScience Center will be held from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. The Center is located at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

Southern Cross Astronomers will have professional solar equipment arranged in front of the Zoo Miami ticket office. Certified solar glasses will be available. While this viewing is on Zoo Miami property, it is not sponsored or hosted by the zoo.

Museum of Discovery and Science:

The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Fort Lauderdale will be serving as an eclipse viewing site. Free eclipse glasses will be available (while supplies last) or they can be purchased in the museum’s Explore Store. Museum entrance fees range from $22 for children between 2-12 to $27 for adults.

Fox Observatory at Markham Park:

The South Florida Amateur Astronomers group is hosting a free eclipse viewing event at Fox Observatory. Fox Observatory will have several telescopes with the proper equipment to safely view the eclipse so that the public can get an up close view of this rare event.

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

About the Authors

Amanda batchelor.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Christina Vazquez

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

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Total solar eclipse wows north america. clouds part just in time for most, solar eclipse coverage: tourists take a chance in dallas despite cloudy forecast, weather is the hot topic as eclipse spectators stake out their spots in us, mexico and canada, local 10 news @ 11pm : apr 08, 2024, local 10 news @ 6pm : apr 08, 2024, local 10 news @ 5pm : apr 08, 2024, local 10 news @ 4pm : apr 08, 2024, local 10 news @ noon : apr 08, 2024.

Ron DeSantis hosts donors at South Florida casino with an eye toward what's next

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gathered about 100 top supporters and donors over the weekend at South Florida’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to say “thank you” — and to foreshadow what might be next.

DeSantis’ 2024 presidential aspirations quickly fell apart , but there is already a sense inside the network he built for his campaign that he is eyeing another run in 2028, when former President Donald Trump likely will not be running again.

Since returning to Tallahassee full-time, DeSantis has stayed in contact with his top political donors, maintained a focus on immigration beyond Florida (including sending more National Guardsmen to the southern border ), pushed the idea of federal constitutional amendments creating congressional term limits, and vocally supported the type of culture-war proposals that first made him a national star among Republicans.

DeSantis supporters see those moves, along with the weekend event at the Hard Rock, as clear signs the Florida governor is once again eyeing a White House bid. He is facing term limits and can't run again for governor. And DeSantis did note in a February thank-you call with supporters that he hadn't "ruled anything out" in terms of a future run, though he noted then it'd be "presumptuous to say" at the current time.

“I think you can absolutely read between the lines,” said a DeSantis’ supporter who attended this weekend’s events. “He has done nothing to try and downplay the idea, nor should he. 

DeSantis did not directly discuss running for president again during the weekend’s events, according to three people who attended. But he told those gathered that he believed two closely watched Florida ballot measures — on placing abortion protections in state constitution and another on legalizing recreational marijuana — would fail this fall. He also talked about the conservative-fueled transformations and the state level since he took office, comparing them to what was happening at the federal level.

The main event Saturday evening featured DeSantis speaking with Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who were among the few members of Congress who backed DeSantis’ presidential campaign. Both joined him on the road before he even announced his bid for president, at events where DeSantis outlined his “blueprint” for various policies he would later run on.

"Chip Roy really got into how f----- up the federal government is, and how it looks like the current speaker is going to be taken out,” said another attendee. “It was pretty much the DeSantis-Massey-Chip Roy show that they did throughout the campaign. Very familiar to when he was rolling out the blueprint stuff.”

The event was hosted by pro-DeSantis super PAC Fight Right, which emerged towards the end of his campaign for president. It was stocks with some of DeSantis’ closest allies and seen as the byproduct of continued tension with Never Back Down, which initially served as the main pro-DeSantis super PAC.

Despite being hosted by a super PAC, the event was not a fundraiser and money was not raised as part of the event. It was billed as a “thank you” to donors.

“No money was raised,” said another attendee. “This was just a move to kind of get everyone in the same room.”

It is the latest instance of attention to donor maintenance, an area that was once seen as a weakness of DeSantis'. Shortly after getting off the campaign trail, DeSantis also held a call with donors and supporters, including delegates who had pledged to support him at the Republican National Convention. 

On that call, DeSantis continued to be crucial of Trump, saying the former president was “looking more in identity politics,” comments that kept alive what had been an openly hostile relationship between the two men.

At the recent event at the Hard Rock, though, Trump did not come up, at times by design.

“He is now being respectful towards Trump. He’s not trying to steal his thunder right now,” said one attendee. “Some on the Trump side quietly say DeSantis is not doing enough, but Florida is a Republican state that Trump will win. What more can they want?”

The person said that there is likely not going to be a moment when DeSantis is any sort of surrogate or prominent voice helping Trump, but he will signal support when asked.

The main focus, the person suggested, should be on trying to repair any damage DeSantis did to his political brand with GOP voters during a brutal primary campaign.

“I think there is certainly a need for reformation. He needs to repair his image nationally,” said one of the attendees. “I don’t know anyone is going to be like sending him to Pennsylvania right now, and I don’t know that that would do any good.”

Matt Dixon is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News, based in Florida.

USF scoring leader Chris Youngblood entering NCAA transfer portal

• Joey Knight Times staff

Veteran guard Chris Youngblood, the top scorer for USF during its historic season, has entered the NCAA transfer portal, potentially shattering any roster stability the Bulls hoped to maintain from their 25-8 team.

Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening that Youngblood — the reigning American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year — had entered the portal. The news comes three days after Bulls guard Selton Miguel — the AAC Sixth Man of the Year — announced he’s declaring for the NBA draft and also entering the portal.

“We operate in a different day & time in collegiate sports,” Abdur-Rahim posted. “Wish (Youngblood and Miguel) the best on their next step.”

So Grateful & Thankful 4 the Hard Work, Trust, & Effort these 2 Gave Us. We Operate In A Different Day & Time In Collegiate Sports. Wish @Youngbloo2Chris & @selton_miguel The Best On Their Next Step. If You’re Going 2 Call Them Anything, Call Them CHAMPS. 💍 #EDGE #ToGodBeTheGlory pic.twitter.com/zxiZmjaQex — Amir Abdur-Rahim (@sunsetAMIR) April 8, 2024

Youngblood’s departure means the Bulls likely will have to replace their top three scorers — and five of their top eight — from the team that won the program’s first regular-season conference crown and reached the second round of the NIT. Six-foot-10 junior Kasean Pryor could have some pro options, Abdur-Rahim said following the season finale.

The upheaval — and possible roster rebuild — ultimately could influence the college decision of five-star prospect Karter Knox, a onetime Kentucky pledge who re-opened his recruiting Monday when Wildcats coach John Calipari departed for Arkansas.

A former Tampa Catholic standout, Knox originally had USF among his four finalists, when the roster remained intact. Now, his older brother Kobe shapes up as USF’s top returning scorer (8.4 points per game).

Youngblood’s exit is by far the most stunning of the recent moves. Recruited by Abdur-Rahim to Kennesaw State in 2020, he played three seasons for the Owls before following Abdur-Rahim — with Kennesaw teammates Brandon Stroud and Kasen Jennings — to Tampa.

This past season, he averaged 15.3 points and 2.1 assists, shooting 41.6% from 3-point range (69 of 166) and sparkling in some of the Bulls’ biggest wins. He totaled 40 points in late-season triumphs against FAU and Charlotte, going 10 of 17 from long range. In a season-ending loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the NIT , Youngblood finished with 28 points, six rebounds and two assists.

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Joey Knight is a sports reporter who helps cover all sports teams in Tampa Bay, from high school athletes to professionals. Reach him at [email protected].

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M.A. Thesis Defense: Lauren Elyse Elyaman

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Elyse Elyaman will defend her M.A. thesis, "Republican Nuns: Conventual Reform in Chile, 1840-1891," in conference with her graduate advisory committee. The Major Professor is Dr. Cassia Roth.

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A Florida Uber driver who makes $3,000 a month to supplement her healing business said driving is fulfilling but a headache: 'I'm flying by the seat of the algorithm'

• Hiedi Handford, a medical consultant, supplements her income by driving for Uber in South Florida.
• Handford found strategic ways to maximize her earnings, though she only pulls in about $3,000 a month.
• Handford also drives for Jeevz, allowing her to drive luxury cars and get higher tips from riders.

Hiedi Handford, 57, has driven long distances for as long as she can remember. She drove 120 miles round trip over a mountain pass to get to and from work in Montana from her home in the same town where the Unabomber lived.

When Handford, a mother of three who moved to Colorado and then South Florida for her medical consulting business, discovered she could get paid to drive, she started with Uber four years ago. It helps her supplement earnings from her business, but she's been increasingly frustrated by some aspects of the driving experience.

"What's frustrating about it is, as drivers, we have all the risks, all the responsibility," Handford said. "We are the face of these apps, and they're not paying us to be that."

Handford is one of nearly two dozen South Florida drivers with whom BI spoke during spring break . Many echoed that driving has been fulfilling and profitable during certain points of the year, though many drivers have increasingly turned their attention toward private rides , alternative driving platforms, or rides in less populated areas. Some have turned away from driving full-time and have looked toward other income sources.

"I don't know how these guys pay rent around here if they're doing this full-time," she said.

Driving for Uber in South Florida

Handford spent the first four decades of her life in Montana, where she lived in a town of 1,000 people. There weren't many jobs in her area, so she took a government job 60 miles away on mountainous roads.

She eventually started in the medical consulting field as a holistic healer. She spent a few years in Colorado, where she was an activist in the cannabis space, and she trained in how to work with cancer patients.

She moved to South Florida 10 years ago, moving to Fort Lauderdale . Given that her patients were scattered across South Florida , she figured that she could make money driving passengers en route to appointments.

"Uber was much more lucrative than it is now," Handford said. "Four years ago, I could go out and make $350 in a day in eight or nine hours. That's not even possible now on a full 12-hour run grinding. It doesn't happen because they're taking so much. I had a ride from the airport up to Boynton Beach. He paid $62 for that trip, and I was paid $26."

Now, she estimates she's driving about six hours a day between client visits, making $20 to $25 an hour. It helps her supplement her medical consulting appointments, for which she charges $125 an hour. She sometimes uses destination filters to get rides convenient with where she's heading to, though she said they often don't work during peak times. On weekends, she often drives full days.

"I really consider myself a daytime driver, so a lot of what I do are doctor's offices. Health insurance pays for transportation, and so a lot of these doctor's offices are sending cars to get people, and then they do the billing on it," she said. "Any day, you can go out and make money. It's just a matter of knowing where to drive and not being so picky. If you're cherry-picking every ride, then you're not going to make any money."

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While she has considered taking private rides, which can pay much more than random Uber and Lyft rides , she said she'd rather avoid the added risk and responsibility.

"Insurance-wise, I would never recommend anybody ever do private rides with anybody because somewhere, somehow, something's going to happen," Handford said. "You're in South Florida. You can be the greatest driver in the world, but you're trusting everybody else out there, and they're going to drive into you one of these days."

Instead, she has prioritized driving for Jeevz , which allows her to drive luxury cars. She makes a consistent $17 an hour on the platform, though she gets significantly more tips from wealthier riders. She also drives in her passengers' personal vehicles, which avoids costs associated with maintenance and depreciation, and she said she feels safer driving as the passenger vetting process is much stricter. She has a few clients with whom she's built a strong rapport, and she takes about three to four Jeevz rides a week.

"It really strokes my happy bone because I am a car nut," Handford said. "I've always wanted to try these other cars because I like horsepower and all of that."

Strategies for driving part-time

She said she used to drive in Miami — about 45 minutes south — all the time, using Google Translate particularly for her Spanish-speaking passengers, though the language barrier has led to some mixups.

She said she's been frustrated by the toll road reimbursement process, given her area has begun putting in new toll roads that aren't all reflected on the Uber and Lyft apps. She said it sometimes takes weeks to get reimbursed, and sometimes her requests get denied even when she provides proof.

It also took her a while to learn how to navigate the area's drawbridges, which can often cause delays and has led passengers to cancel rides on her. "We have cars, not hovercrafts," she said.

Handford said she didn't prioritize spring break rides as much this year as she figured out more profitable driving strategies. She's focused on airport runs for tourists since she typically stays away from the beaches, where she can sit in traffic for over an hour. Still, navigating Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where the ride-hailing staging area is nearly three miles from the congested terminals, is sometimes not worth it.

She's also noticed fewer incentives during peak times, and she's found driving in touristy areas can be hit or miss for earnings.

Driving around Fort Lauderdale during peak vacation times has its headaches and frustrations, though she said she loves acting as a tour guide and also a "mom." She advises riders on how to remain alert and safe while still enjoying themselves, which has also helped her increase her tips.

"I like spring break because I get to share my community and where I live, and I'm really glad we have more of them in Fort Lauderdale because then I don't have to go so far to do that because I enjoy engaging with them," Handford said. "I really don't believe that the problems they had on South Beach were from the kids coming in for spring break. They want to come here, have a great time, usually get hammered, and fall face first in the sand."

Driving is especially fulfilling when she gets rewarded for going the extra mile to ensure her passengers' safety. She said many drivers in her area will let passengers off anywhere without thinking about their safety, and she's found joy in being a resource for members of her community, particularly medical patients.

Still, the $2,400 to $3,400 a month she makes from driving may not be the most economical going forward.

"With Uber, I average $20 to $25, and if I'm not averaging that, I turn it off and go home," Handford said. "I'm flying by the seat of the algorithm."

Are you a ride-hailing driver who's struggling to pay bills or has had recent success? If you'd like to share your story, reach out to  [email protected] .

Watch: How truck driving became one of the worst jobs in the US

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