Outcomes of Graduates

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“New College allowed me the freedom to pursue my passion from my very first Independent Study Project. Without the rigor of the curriculum at NCF and the freedom to mold myself as a researcher from that first ISP, I wouldn’t be where I am! Not to mention, I wouldn’t have the amazing friends I have,” Melissa Marquez says. You may recognize her from her 2018 appearance on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, during which a 10-foot American crocodile bit and dragged her along the sea floor while filming off the coast of Cuba. The marine biologist graduated from New College in 2015 with a degree in marine ecology and conservation. Melissa worked with faculty to combine biology, ecology, conservation, and education into the custom area of concentration that gave her a fin up over the competition as she set out to become a shark researcher. During her time at New College, Melissa traveled to the Bahamas to conduct research at the Bimini Shark lab and to South Africa to study great whites.

“Curiosity and the ability to self-educate is really important for being an attorney in general, and especially for doing advocacy work,” Justin Vickers says. “The ability and the interest in going out and figuring out what the possibilities are in any particular topic area is really crucial. New College really encourages students to develop that skill set.” New College’s community of fearless scholars attracted Justin to its Sarasota Bay campus, where he studied philosophy. He had a particular interest in the concepts of free will and determinism, and New College’s unconventional approach to education suited him. Justin was an active member of the student body and was involved in student government. He also made close connections with the broader Sarasota community, and he stayed in the area to advocate on behalf of low-income residents after graduating in 2005. Justin spent time teaching English in China before earning a law degree from Northwestern University in 2010. Today, he is an environmental lawyer focused on energy efficiency litigation and policy issues.

“I had always been interested in documentary and human rights, and anthropology allowed me to appreciate the kind of filmmaking I wanted to pursue but to also be critical of it,” Nick Manting-Brewer says. “I use ethnographic methods whenever I’m directing something. It comes with a set of ethical considerations and thinking critically about the stories you’re telling.” Nick is an award-winning filmmaker and the co-founder of Standard Deviations, a production company that develops short films. Nick studied anthropology at New College and went on to earn an M.F.A. in film and television production from the University of Southern California after he graduated in 2012. Nick uses the ethnographic methods he honed in the field while at New College when he’s making a film. He completed an Independent Study Project in Chiapas, Mexico, during the January Interterm that taught him to think critically about the ethical challenges of storytelling. At New College, Nick developed the work ethic and confidence he needs to trust his voice and push for what he believes in his films.

“Critical thinking and writing are the main tools for any attorney, and New College pushed us hard to develop these skills,” Rafael Ribeiro, J.D. says. For Rafael—a dual citizen who immigrated to the United States from Brazil—ascending to a top-level legal career started with one bold step: enrolling at New College of Florida. The enriching undergraduate experience paved the way for a career that led to his current position as The Walt Disney Company’s assistant general counsel for global ethics and compliance management. During Rafael’s time at New College, he wrote a senior thesis entitled Stopping the Flow: An Analysis of Two Regional Models for the Containment of Academic Brain Drain, and he studied abroad in Spain and France. Rafael is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French, and his law practice has focused on advising multinational clients on corporate internal investigations, compliance, cross-border disputes, and corporate governance and regulatory issues. At Disney, he oversees compliance matters in the Americas as well as trade regulations compliance.