She is considering a career in medicine or veterinary science. For the complete South Florida Sun-Sentinel story, click here.

Hanus attended the Celebrate The Children 2012 Dinner & Auction and placed the winning bid for a seat in the UCF Executive MBA Program. His bid of $27,000 reserves a space for him, based upon his acceptance into the program. The entire amount of the auction item goes directly to Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.

He chuckles that it was the most “expensive dinner ever with my wife,” but understands the long-term benefits he will receive by earning his degree.

“I reached out to my father who has always encouraged me to do everything I can to further my education, and with his help, was able to place the winning bid. It was one of those opportunities that just could not be passed up. My thought was not only would I get to help a great cause like Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, but I would end up helping myself by achieving my MBA,” he said.

“It is an amazing feeling to think that I will be able to save money completing my education, while youth in Central Florida will have an opportunity to enhance their futures with Boys & Girls Clubs Programs,” he added.

Once admitted to the EMBA program, Hanus will spend 20 months taking classes and networking with other professionals in the cohort. The program prepares executives and managers for the challenges they face as they advance in their careers. Courses are taught by distinguished business faculty members and the curriculum includes a global focus and an international residency. Read more about the EMBA program on their website.

As the head of the local tourism agency, Sain helped Orlando become the first U.S. destination to reach 50 million visitors. Sain was also involved among local charities and served as an advocate of hospitality management education and research at UCF’s Rosen College. The 61-year-old tourism leader, who tragically passed away from a heart attack on May 4, will be inducted posthumously into the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame during the College’s 2012 Grand Tour Gala, held on Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando.

“Gary was a beloved father and husband, a talented industry professional and a leader in the community,” said Dr. Abraham Pizam, Dean of UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “But he was also an educator at heart. Gary happily lent his expertise to the College as a member of our Advisory Board, and would frequently serve as a guest lecturer to our students. For all that he has done and accomplished for our community, Gary’s legacy deserves to live on through the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame.”

The Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Grand Tour Gala will include a special presentation, highlighting the life and accomplishments of Gary C. Sain. Dean Pizam will also present Sain’s wife, Pamela, with a Steuben crystal pineapple award, the symbol of the hospitality industry. Sain will also be pictured with a plaque on the Hall of Fame, located on the UCF’s Rosen College campus.

Sain started with Visit Orlando in February 2007 as the leader of the organization that markets and sells the Orlando area as the No. 1 family leisure destination in the world, and one of the top meetings and convention destinations in America. Known in the industry as a marketing and branding expert, Sain leveraged these strengths while at Visit Orlando to develop several leisure advertising programs for the destination. These initiatives include the Orlando Makes Me Smile branding, the 2nd Summer and Be the First leisure marketing campaigns, as well as the Inspiration and Influencer campaigns for the business travel market.

Sain will be inducted at this year’s ceremony, along with the Peabody Orlando’s Alan C. Villaverde, Panera Bread Pioneer Albert Covelli, Walt Disney Company’s Al Weiss, and Thomas L. Williams of Universal Parks & Resorts. Prior inductees include Carolyn Fennell, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and Mark McHugh, Gatorland, (2010); Jim D. Atchison, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, and Harris Rosen, Rosen Hotels & Resorts (2009); Patricia J. Engfer, Hyatt Orlando, and Richard A. Nunis, Walt Disney Attractions (2008); and Richard J. Walsh, Darden Restaurants, and William C. Peeper, Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau (2007).

For more information on the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, please visit www.grandtourgala.com.

Since 2007, The Grand Tour Gala has been celebrating the world of hospitality and has inducted 8 hospitality leaders into the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame.  Additionally, the gala benefits students and educational programs for the hospitality industry.  The 2012 Grand Tour Gala, produced by the Orlando Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives, will journey to India where guests will experience a celebrity-hosted evening of festivities filled with exquisite foods, Broadway-style entertainment, and concierge-level service provided by the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management students.  The event is being hosted by the Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando on Saturday, October 20, 2012.  For tickets and sponsorship information please visit www.grandtourgala.com

UCF Professor Linda Walters started the Oyster Reef Restoration Project in 2005. The oyster mats, constructed from mesh and oyster shells, are placed in the water to provide a natural substrate for oyster larvae to settle. Each mat is made up of 36 oyster shells recycled from local restaurants, hand drilled and attached with zip ties. The mats are then transported to each location where they are attached to each other, forming a large quilt-like structure where the new oysters settle and grow. Volunteers worked on the project’s 51st reef, which has been named “UKnighted.”

Research has shown that the oyster mat restoration technique is very successful. After one year in the water, more than 75 new oysters can settle on each mat. Once the oyster population becomes stabilized, it will equate to cleaner, clearer and less eroded estuaries that will help sustain an abundance of habitats for approximately 149 species.

This project is heavily based on community support. It relies on volunteers to help construct the mats and even more to help place them in the lagoons. To date, more than 28,000 mats have been constructed thanks to the help of more than 25,000 volunteers.

Interested in giving back to the Central Florida community by volunteering on projects like this? Visit the UCF Community Volunteers Alumni Chapter’s website or Facebook page to learn more.

According to POMP’s director, academic services coordinator Vanessa Cogswell, “at its core, the success of the Program is rooted in the relationships of the mentors and mentees. Students have an easier time applying the advice of their peers, as opposed to a professor, parent or an advisor, because they have taken the same classes and/or faced similar challenges, and can therefore better relate to their common experiences.”

Through the Program’s bi-weekly meetings, hosted during the fall & spring semesters, struggling students can interact with their peer mentors to discuss different academic and social topics, such as test-taking strategies and stress management tips.

Mentors must not only meet the minimum academic standards of a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better, but must also successfully interview with Cogswell to ensure advising capabilities.  Cogswell is also planning to implement “training” modules for the Fall 2012 term to add more substance to the Program’s orientation session.

“POMP is a support system for students who need a little extra encouragement, direction or advice,” said Cogswell. “Our peer mentors must not only be able to help their mentees academically, but must also be able to empathize with them. That balance offers the support that our members need to succeed.”

In its brief two-term history, POMP has helped remove more than half of its total membership from academic probation, and recently helped 10 mentees to finish the spring semester with a 3.0 term GPA or better.

“The Program has been so successful that Dean Pizam wants to help recognize POMP’s accomplishments with a ceremony and certificates,” said Cogswell. “He would also like to honor a Mentor of the Year with an award presented to the winner at the ceremony.”

In addition to the acknowledgement from the Dean of UCF’s Rosen College, the Program’s success was also recognized by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

“I submitted a proposal to NACADA about POMP to present at their National Conference in Nashville, TN this October,” said Cogswell. “My proposal, titled Peer Outreach Mentoring Program – Building Empowerment through a Coaching Framework in the Era of the ‘Millennial Student’, was accepted out of thousands of proposals from advisors employed by colleges & universities across the nation.”

This summer, Cogswell will meet with members to discuss the future plans of POMP, including ways to help the Program become a funded organization or association.

POMP will resume its regular bi-weekly meeting at the beginning of the Fall 2012 term.

Students, who wish to enroll in the Program as a mentee or mentor, should contact Vanessa Cogswell at Vanessa.Cogswell@ucf.edu.

Then, as Brad makes his way down the fairway and follows drives that often travel 290 yards or more, the UCF senior’s cover is immediately blown. How could it be, Jim Schneider wonders to himself, that Brad’s form over the golf ball is so natural and his swing is so beautiful, but simply walking sometimes looks awkward and painful?

Considering all that he’s been through, it’s a minor miracle that Brad Schneider is even here leading UCF to its fourth consecutive NCAA Regional tournament. Despite suffering a horrific injury years ago that would have crippled many and one that forces him to limp today, Schneider’s golf swing still looks as if it belongs on an instructional DVD.

“If you watch Brad walk, he actually plays golf better than he walks,” Jim Schneider said with amazement. “Even to this day, I can’t believe that there’s not an effect on his golf game. But Brad’s swing trainer, Todd Anderson, said the other day, `If (Brad) didn’t have shorts on you’d never know he had a bad ankle.’ Brad’s been able to overcome everything pretty well.”

By everything Jim Schneider is referring to a nightmarish series of events that not only nearly took away Brad’s ability to play golf, but to walk again. Brad’s story is one of pain and perseverance, labor and loyalty and ultimately hope for the future.

Five years ago — and just a couple of months after Schneider had accepted a scholarship to play golf at UCF — a pick-up football game left him with a broken femur in his right leg. As if that weren’t bad enough for the aspiring golfer, Schneider suffered major nerve damage in both legs, and he had to endure several surgeries, four months in a hospital bed and not being able to walk without assistance for six months. Compartment Syndrome and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy developed in his left leg, causing most of the discomfort that persists today. But you’d never be able to tell by watching Brad’s sweet swing on the golf course.

There were dozens of dark days along the road to recovery, but as the most recent winner of the David Toms Award — which is given to the men’s collegiate golfer who has overcome adversity — Schneider feels fortunate to still be able to enjoy the game he loves so much.

“When the accident happened, all of those thoughts were floating through my head … `What’s going to happen? … How long will it take for me to come back?’” he remembers. “There were times when I was completely down in the dumps and questioning everything and wondering why this happened to me. I was wondering what I was going to do the rest of my life. I had those points, but fortunately I didn’t spend a lot of time alone. That kept me going and kept my drive and it helped me get back on the golf course.”

“The accident”
To this day, Schneider still refers to what happened on that November day in 2006 that changed his life forever as “the accident.”

Schneider had a big group of friends, ones with whom he regularly played baseball and golf while growing up in Valrico, outside of Tampa. Two months after agreeing to play college golf at UCF, Schneider rounded up 11 to 13 other friends for a game of boys-being-boys, roughhouse football the day before Thanksgiving.

After catching a pass and running for what he thought would be a touchdown, the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Schneider was pulled backward by his shoulders. His right leg was pinned underneath him as he fell back and the snapping of his femur was so grotesque and loud that it was heard by several of his buddies.

“My leg got caught back behind me really awkwardly, and I heard a snap and felt a lot of pain,” Schneider remembers. “It was the upper part of my leg, but I really didn’t know if it was my knee, my hip or my femur until the ambulance got there. There was just so much pain.”

He was rushed to the same Brandon hospital where his mother, Becky, worked as a nurse. Surgery followed on Thanksgiving Day to repair the fractured right femur, but it was actually just the start of Schneider’s medical issues.

Because he suffered such immense trauma, nerve damage hit his left leg the next day. Schneider ultimately developed compartment syndrome, a serious condition that involves increased pressure in a muscle compartment that can lead to muscle and nerve damage and blood flow problems.

Schneider said he doesn’t even remember what came next – and that’s probably a good thing. Over the next six days, he needed four more surgeries on his left leg. Doctors estimate that Brad lost 90 percent of the muscle and fascia tissue in his left leg because of the trauma. Later, he needed two more surgeries to block the nerves shooting down into his feet.

At that point, playing golf again was the furthest thing from the thoughts of the Schneider family. They simply hoped that their son’s pain would dissipate and he’d be able to walk again.

“We were in constant contact with the doctors about the prognosis. Our first worry, naturally, was walking and getting back to a normal life because at the time we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Jim Schneider said. “It was tough to watch.”

One thing that helped throughout the troubling time was the support of then-UCF golf coach Nick Clinard, now a coach at Auburn. Clinard phoned Schneider on the day of the accident and promised that the spot on the UCF golf team would still be there waiting for him after he recovered.

For a teenager just hoping to walk again, UCF’s undying support meant everything.

“Coach Clinard he never lost confidence in me. He told me to get well and that he was still looking for me to come to UCF,” Brad said. “All of the support from everyone at UCF has been huge for me, allowing me to come back and play again. I don’t know what would have happened at any other school. It was huge for Coach Clinard to stand by me and give me another chance. I had to get back and I think I surprised him.”

Back on course
Brad spent four months in a hospital bed, but was able to go home early because his mother was a nurse and could care for him. And even though it was six months before he walked for the first time without assistance, Brad was back around the golf course chipping and putting eight weeks later.

Schneider’s love for golf was passed down from three generations. For years, there were pictures in his grandfather’s Sun City home of a tiny Brad holding toy golf clubs in his hands.

Not long after that, he began to show an immense promise of someone well beyond his years on the golf course. Despite being small compared to others, Brad could crank drives longer than his friends and even started whipping his grandpa and father on the golf course at a young age.

“By 9 or 10 years old, I started playing a lot and started shooting some scores. I started breaking 80 and then I broke 70 the first time when I was 13,” Brad said in a matter-of-fact manner.

Remarkably, it wasn’t long after learning to walk that Schneider was shooting similar under-par scores with the assistance of a brace on his left leg and ankle. Working daily with golf trainer Randy Meyers and later testing out a variety of braces that would allow him to incorporate the golf swing on wobbly legs, Brad started chipping and putting, worked his way to his mid irons and in a matter of weeks began driving the ball once again.

Getting back on the golf course was the fuel for his inner engine. It made him singularly focused, much the way he is now when he pounds balls for hours on the driving range on off days.

“The first time I stepped foot back on a golf course I was just chipping and putting because it was the easiest thing to do. But really I didn’t know how I was ever going to swing a golf club again,” Brad admitted. “I just had to find the right brace appropriate for the golf swing and walking the course. Gaining my strength back through all of the physical therapy and strength training was huge for me. Every day I’d work at it 2-to-3 hours a day on weight training, physical therapy and stretching on top of practicing so that I could hit the ball like I did before the injury.”

Not a chance, Jim Schneider thought originally. “I knew he’d find a way to play golf again someday, but to get back to competitive golf in college is just amazing.”

Brad Schneider even amazed himself during his first full round in 2007, not long after coming to UCF for his redshirt freshman season.

“The first time I played 18 holes, I played in a cart at (Rio Pinar) and shot two-under,” he said. “After that, playing more and walking more, I knew I could still do it. And all of my teammates were so supportive of everything that I was doing. I knew then, starting to hit the ball the way that I wanted and getting my strength back, it was very good for me.”

Leaving a legacy at UCF
Schneider isn’t just one of the most inspiring athletes in the history of athletics at UCF; he is also one of the most successful.

As a freshman, he helped UCF win the first of three straight Conference USA titles. And he saved his best golf for the NCAA Regional when he fired a final round 62 and finished with a three-day total of 13-under 200 that vaulted the Knights into the NCAA Championships.

Remarkable stuff considering that Schneider had to walk 18, and sometimes 36 holes, a day on legs still trying to recover from “the accident” and the surgeries that followed. And in college golf there are no caddies, so forays up the fairways are done with the loop of the golf bag thrown over his shoulder.

C-USA titles followed in 2010 and 2011, as Schneider emerged as UCF’s best golfer. And this past season was his finest as a Knight as he took medalist honors at the Northern Intercollegiate, shot 13 rounds at par-or-better and finished in the top five of events five times. Accomplishing so much while also overcoming such great odds helped him with the David Toms Award.

“I can’t really sum it up without getting emotional. Seeing all of the work that Brad did, I called him the other day and told him that he really deserved it all,” said Jim, who is a fixture at all of Brad’s tournaments. “To handle it the way that he did, he’s always been an inspiration to a lot of people around him. There are still times when I look at him out there and my stomach still gets in knots and my heart drops because of all that he went through. I’m the one who sometimes wonders, `Why him?’ But with Brad, I’ve never seen him like that. I’m just amazed at how he’s been able to handle it all.”

Starting on Thursday, Schneider will step to the tee box in a NCAA Regional for the fourth straight year. UCF is one of 13 squads that will compete in the Stanford Regional in California. Coach Bryce Wallor’s team, which won three tournament titles and once rose to as high as No. 6 in the national rankings, will be looking to finish in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championship (May 29-June 3 in Pacific Palisades, Calif.).

Regardless of what happens later this week, Brad feels like he’s already won. He’s back doing what he loves and back hitting the ball 270 yards in the air and 290 yards with the roll.

Shocking stuff, indeed, for someone barely 150 pounds. And even more shocking when playing partners hear stories of all that Brad has had to overcome. They see signs of it in his limp down the fairway, but not in a picture-perfect golf swing that doesn’t seem a bit bothered by all of the trauma suffered five years ago.

“Actually, my legs are as good now as they were in junior golf,” Brad said with a snicker, still somewhat amazed himself. “Walking 18 holes and walking 36 holes, I can do it and it’s not a problem at all. There are certain pains that come up on certain days, but they are something that everyone has. I knew I had to get better physically to play good golf. I did it and I’m able to do something I love again.”

Ready, set, sink! The Recreation and Wellness Center hosted RecFest XXII, an event in which 48 three-member co-ed teams competed in field-day  related games.

The signature event was Battleship, an event held in the RWC lap pool where each team was given a canoe, a bucket, and water guns to splash and sink the other canoes. Other fun games included Melonball, Tug-of-war and Lord of the Rings.

Senior Dana Santoro couldn’t wait for the games to start. “This was my second year participating in RecFest. I think it’s a great opportunity for friendly competition with your peers and the games are always innovative.”

The top 12 teams walked away with prizes from sponsors including Qdoba, Crepe Royale, Orlando City Soccer, Publix, PowerAde and Amway Center. This year’s winning team was “You Mad?” comprised of UCF students: John Boyle, Brandon Baroody and Andie Weston.

“RecFest is the RWC’s longest running special event, starting in 1989,” said Gary Cahen, assistant director, intramural sports. “Dubbed ‘UCF’s Greatest Day of Play’ by the staff that created the event, RecFest offers a great mixture of competitive sports events as well as goofy recreational contests and relays. What makes the event great is that teams are paired up with random students throughout the event to ensure plenty of social interaction”

RWC is a department in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services. For more information, visit: rwc.sdes.ucf.edu.

The International Fashion Show, a traditional UCF campus event, was held on April 11 in the Pegasus Ballroom. The event, first organized by the International Student Association in 1997, came back in style and full force after a four-year interruption.

International and domestic students proudly modeled traditional and modern clothing from countries such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Philippines, India, Iran, France, Lebanon, Haiti, Ukraine, Nigeria and Scotland. Performers took the audience into the world of belly dancing, flamenco, and Caribbean Islands. Attendees sampled an array of foods from around the world, from empanadas to wheat salad, spinach pie, chicken tikka, crepes, baklava and cheese blintzes, to name a few items.

The event was attended by about 350 students along with administrators and staff. The International Fashion Show was a collaborative effort of offices including the International Student Association, International Services, Multicultural Student Center, and Student Government Association, as well as many other volunteers and contributors.

Delta Zeta held its installation banquet at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Orlando to become an official chapter at UCF.  To become a chapter, the sorority had to meet a number of university and sorority requirements, which during the past year took many dedicated hours of planning and hard work.  With all of the necessary requirements met, they became the Pi Xi chapter of Delta Zeta on March 18, 2012.

With over 160 Delta Zeta members participating in this momentous occasion, the banquet began with speeches, followed by lunch, then the official chartering ceremony. The event concluded with each member signing the official charter that will be part of Delta Zeta’s rich history. Also in attendance to support this historic event were members of the Fraternity and Sorority Life staff, national representatives from Delta Zeta, members of the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council, and family members.

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

“We could not be happier to have earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament,” head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie said. “We felt like our résumé was strong and it is so great to see C-USA being recognized as a strong Division I conference by having four teams make the tournament.”

The host Gators (46-11) and Florida Gulf Coast (37-22) will also participate in the four-team regional which follows a double-elimination format. Florida and FGCU will square off at 6 p.m. on Friday.

The at-large selection to the tournament is the second for the Black and Gold in its 11-year history, while it will be the fourth time in four total appearances in the NCAA Tournament that the Knights will be playing at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium.

The last time UCF made an appearance was in 2010, when it earned the first at-large selection in school history. The Knights went 1-2 during the 2010 regional, defeating FIU in the opening game before losing to Florida and FIU on day two.

Overall when participating in the NCAA Tournament, the Black and Gold holds a 5-6 record and has faced Florida five times during the stretch.

Of the 64 teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2012, the Knights faced 12 teams throughout the season, including No. 5 seed Florida, No. 12 seed UCLA, No. 16 seed Washington, Iona, Bethune-Cookman, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State, San Diego State, Oregon State and C-USA foes Tulsa, Houston and UAB. When facing off with those teams, UCF posted 10 wins.

The regional winners will advance to super regional competition for a best-of-three series May 24-27 at eight campus sites.

Ticket information for the Gainesville Regional will be announced when they become available.