College of Business Administration undergraduate students Amy Bonilla Torres, Casey Field and graduate student Joseph “Joey” Grant have been named as recipients of the university’s most prestigious student award— the Order of Pegasus. Bonilla Torres, Field and Grant were among 20 students selected from a pool of 80 nominations.
The Order of Pegasus Class of 2016 was inducted at a ceremony Monday, April 4, and their names and pictures have been added to the wall showcasing past and present Order of Pegasus recipients in the Pegasus Lounge located on the second floor of the Student Union. Inductees receive commemorative medals, scholarships from the Student Government Association and lifetime memberships to the UCF Alumni Association.
Undergraduate students are chosen for Order of Pegasus each year based on their outstanding achievement in the areas of academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service. Graduate students are selected based on the same merits as well as publication or research experiences. The Order of Pegasus is the highest student award that can be attained at the university.
Getting out of her comfort zone
Bonilla Torres is majoring in finance, with a minor in international business and leadership, and expects to graduate this spring. She has already put that education to work as a student coordinator for UCF’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, where she supervises a staff of 15. Bonilla Torres is a founding student ambassador for the College of Business Administration, and serves on the President’s Leadership Council.
“UCF has challenged my risk-taking comfort levels, empowered me with the knowledge and tools to own my tomorrow, and the zealot be a leader in my field that embodies the values of integrity, scholarship, community, creativity and excellence,” she states. Hear more from Bonilla Torres on her UCF experience.
Finding her voice
Field is majoring in finance and economics with an intended graduation of December 2016. She’s participated in the LEAD Scholars program and served on the President’s Leadership Council. She recently chaired the College of Business Ambassadors, implemented a student-run speaker series within the College of Business, and was accepted to the Clinton Global Initiative University. Field founded the SCARF Society, an organization that encourages women to become involved, mentor, share their stories and become agents of social change.
“The opportunities I have experienced have fostered cherished mentorships allowed me to find my voice and ignited my passion for the global economic empowerment of women,” Field states. “At UCF, students have the opportunity to shape history and innovate the future.” Hear more from Field on her UCF experience.
Giving back
The only former scholar-athlete of the group, Grant was a four-year starting letterman for the UCF football team, playing center on the offensive line and serving as team captain. He enrolled as a freshman with the goal of graduating with enough time to complete a master’s degree during his athletic career. He earned his baccalaureate degree in three years and was accepted into the DeVos Sport Business Management graduate program. Grant earned two graduate degrees in December: a Master of Business Administration and a master’s in sport business management. Grant served two years on both the student-athlete advisory committee and the Leadership Institute in Athletics.
“My most cherished moments will be the times I was given the platform as a student-athlete to make a difference in the community,” Grant states. “Through mission trips to New Orleans, hospital visits and primary school speaking engagements, I was able to give back to young people and to persons in need as a way to reciprocate my good fortune afforded to me by the University of Central Florida, my alma mater.”