Brightly colored tourist shops and national monuments compete for visitors’ attention in travel destinations across the globe, but it’s often said that only the locals know the best spots. That is, unless you’re Sheree M. Mitchell. “You don’t really know a country until you truly understand its soul,” Mitchell said.

Joshua Tyler has always had vision. As he watched hotshot fighter jet pilots screaming across the big screen in the 1980s, Tyler knew he had a future in the military. Those dreams continued as he worked his way through the Boy Scouts, reaching the rank of Eagle Scout in his late teens, a natural entry point to military service.

The wild unpredictability of weather can be terrifying to some. For meteorology alumnus and graduate student Harrison Prieto, affectionally known to scholars and teammates alike as “The Weatherman,” the unknown is the most exciting part.

Sometimes, the small moments that alter the course of one’s life pass unnoticed and only in retrospect is all revealed. Florida State University alumnus Jorge Zamanillo, the newly appointed founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, was 19 when he visited Washington, D.C., at the invitation of a friend going for a work trip.

While we’re often encouraged to look at the big picture, Elise Chávez thinks small. Chávez, a Florida State Department of Physics alumna, is a particle physicist, working at the nano level to examine and experiment with subatomic particles — electrons, protons, neutrons — the smallest building blocks of the universe.

Training for a marathon is already a brutal, months long endeavor, but for John Wilcox, logging 40 to 60 miles per week in his preparation for the 2021 Boston Marathon posed an additional challenge.

Being a leader is nothing new for Tracy Norris. In her long military career, the Army Major General has served in combat zones and worked her way through the ranks, earning increasing positions of responsibility.

Saying Angel Purganan has a broad range of interests is a bit of an understatement. When the Tampa, Fla., native graduated from Florida State University this spring, it was with dual degrees in philosophy and political science and minors in Middle Eastern studies and history.

The past has always been part of Sarah Patterson’s future. “I think there are several motivations that drive me to focus on history,” said the two-time Florida State history alumna. “In part, I’m very curious. Doing historical research allows me to ask questions and then go look for answers. It’s an unending process of learning.”

For many, “shark” conjures images of fearsome predators. In reality, sharks are a large, complex group of elasmobranch fish essential to the vitality of Earth’s oceans. There are more than 1,000 known species of sharks and rays, from behemoths like the whale shark to the palm-sized dwarf lanternshark.

Ryan Benk came to Florida State University because he wanted to learn how to tell stories. He did and has since found tremendous career success, just not in the medium he would have guessed before his time in Tallahassee.

When the time came for Neil St. John Rambana to choose where he would attend college, he wasn’t just seeking a good education. He was also looking for a lifestyle change.