Student Spotlight

It all started during idle conversation over a game of dominos.

RYAN SHARGO, A JUNIOR studying Biomedical Sciences, is currently conducting research for his Honors Thesis on water borne illnesses and culture-appropriate treatments in partnership with the Kerolle Initiative, which is led by Dr. Reginald Kerolle and located in the Dominican Republic. Ryan’s journey to this work began during his freshman year.

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Ryan was invited to participate in the Summer ACE program, which is an early summer start program for out-of-state students that links specific courses with short study abroad programs to encourage students to forge connections with USF and each other. That trip led him to participate in the Judy Genshaft Honors College Winter Break program to the Dominican Republic.

That’s where the dominos come in. While playing a game with his peers, Ryan reflected on the banana planting project they had just completed and wondered aloud about the merits of planting a garden on campus to provide fresh produce for the Feed-A-Bull food pantry. The group talked through the challenges of maintaining a garden on campus without dedicated facilities and consistent student engagement. The idea seemed to lose steam, but not for long.

Six months later, Meg Stowe, Honors Advisor and Living Learning Community (LLC) Coordinator, began talking about hosting a community garden as an LLC community-building service activity. As soon as she confirmed the location in the USF Botanical Gardens, Cayla Lanier, the Honors staff member who led the Dominican Republic trip, contacted Ryan and put him in touch with Meg.

Ryan had joined a fraternity on campus and assumed the role of Service and Philanthropy chair. Tasked with creating service opportunities for the membership, Ryan was looking for COVID-friendly locations that would allow members to meet their volunteer hour requirement and not compromise USF health protocols.

The rest, as they say, is history. Ryan rallied his fraternity brothers to repair and paint the fence of the community garden, as well as prepare several of the plots. They also volunteered at Feeding Tampa Bay to learn firsthand about the impacts of food insecurity in the local community.

But Ryan’s learning didn’t stop there. In Summer 2021, he “returned” to the Dominican Republic through a virtual internship where he learned about the impacts of water-borne illnesses in local communities of Haitian workers (‘bateyes’) and began distributing surveys to patients attending Dr. Kerolle’s pop-up medical clinics. Once the internship ended, Ryan continued researching culturally appropriate treatments and intervention options that allow patients to self-diagnose and treat symptoms using infographic materials and natural local food-based remedies.

“It all stems from that first trip to the D.R.,” Ryan says. “I learned that if I want to do something, it’s possible. My college experience has been my own. I created my own curriculum by engaging in experience-based opportunities outside of class.”

But he didn’t do it alone. By sharing his interests and ideas with peers and faculty mentors, Ryan has been introduced to people who can help make his dreams a reality by expanding his network, helping him refine his ideas, and recommending him for experiences that match his interests.

“The connections I’ve made here are a huge part of my success,” Ryan says. “My advice is to find something you like and use that interest to meet people who share your passions.”

After all, every good domino player needs a strong partner to win.

- Dr. Cayla Lanier