Sarah and Logan met in the fall of 2015 during a financial services class in Coggin. However, they didn't know each other well and assumed they'd seen the last of each other following graduation.

Fast forward to 2018 when they reconnected on Instagram. They had fun conversations and would spend time together on occasion, but once Sarah moved down to South Florida they became a couple.

On her birthday in 2021, Logan surprised her with a weekend getaway to their first date restaurant along with an engagement ring, and the couple got married in The Bahamas this April!

Jarred and Nicole met at UNF in spring 2015 while attending a class on The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism. They began dating in the fall and spent the next few semesters taking more and more classes together until Jarred gradated in 2016. Nicole graduated the following semester and the couple happily transitioned to post-college life, enjoying trips to the mountains and attending music festivals together.

Jarred proposed to Nicole during a hike at Tallulah Falls in December of 2020. The couple tied the knot in Asheville this past month. They live in Jacksonville with their two cats, while Jarred works in the medical supply industry and Nicole returned to work at UNF.

Kelsey and John met during their freshman year in 2012 and while they both agree they were drawn to each other after spending time during her Kappa Delta and his Kappa Sigma events, they differ on when they first met. It’s even harder to pinpoint when they started dating because they so seamlessly became close friends before their relationship officially started.

John graduated with his degree in transportation and logistics and Kelsey followed shortly after with her communication degree. After years of exploring the best sights across the globe, the couple got engaged on Captiva Island in 2021, and officially tied the knot this past month in Bermuda!

Dan Monteau ('87) and Lisa Catman ('87) were stars on the UNF track & field team before getting married and having a son, Drew.

Tim Ward ('93) was at UNF studying electrical engineering when he met Corey O'Connor ('96) who started her English literature program. They also got married and had a daughter, Sophia.

While Drew and Sophia both decided to attend UNF, it took the help of a dating app to bring these second generation Ospreys together. After close to four years of gym dates, library hangouts and a lot of coffee meetups, Drew popped the question. They just got married this past month in Gainesville!

Carley and Alec met for the first time during the 2017 UNF Honors orientation week. They quickly became friends, but after that first semester they didn't really stay in touch.

Two years later, they saw each other in the Thomas G. Carpenter Library one evening and were able to catch up and renew their friendship. They had their first official date in March 2019, and for the next two years they enjoyed going to class and church together.

Alec finished his civil engineering program and began working full time, while Carley earned her construction management degree and carried on into a master's program at UNF.

Last November, Alec drove up to Greenville, SC to propose to Carley, and they got married this past month in Lakemont, GA.

Hannah and Ben met in the fall of 2014 when they were sophomores at UNF.

Hannah was teaching Benjamin's fraternity (ΑΤΩ) a dance for the annual "Zeta Round Up" competition to raise money for her sorority's (ZTA) philanthropy. Numerous eight counts and dance routines later, their fraternity won the competition and Ben won Hannah's heart.

Ben earned his accounting degree from Coggin and works as an auditor for Ernst & Young. Hannah earned her public health degree from Brooks, and after PA school at Drexel University, now works as a Family Medicine Physician Assistant for Millennium.

Ben popped the question in 2019 on the dock of her parent's backyard, and the couple tied the knot last month in Tampa!

Did you meet your significant other while attending UNF? If so, we'd love to share your story!

The Jacksonville Icemen season may be over, but there’s still plenty of sports excitement in the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena courtesy of UNF alumna Emerald Painter. Painter serves as the director of game production for the Jacksonville Sharks, a professional indoor football team in the National Arena League.

Founded in 2010, the Sharks won ArenaBowl XXIV in 2011 before moving to the NAL and winning two championships in 2017 and 2019. Under Painter’s leadership, the Sharks have won their fourth straight “Best Game Day Entertainment” award from the league.

She credits a lot of her success to the sport management department at UNF. Not only did the classes guide her through expectations in the industry, but the multiple opportunities provided to boost her resume were vital, and her professors were so helpful that years after graduation she still talks to them for guidance.

She picked the perfect time to start her UNF experience as she was part of the gameday promotions team during the championship seasons for the Ospreys baseball, men’s soccer and men’s basketball teams. She was also an active member of the UNF Rock Climbing Club. Painter stays involved with the University as an alumna by working with the new sport management interns to provide a veteran’s perspective during Osprey gamedays, while also helping them earn college credit and gain additional experience as part of her gameday team with the Sharks.

For all our alumni who haven’t been to a Jacksonville Sharks game yet, now’s the time to experience the Best Game Day Entertainment in person! Check out the schedule here. SWOOP & FINS UP!

If you are a UNF alumni and would like to be featured in an upcoming Alumni Spotlight, please fill out this form below.

Located in the Dunn Village shopping center in North Jacksonville, Arble Baking Company held its Grand Opening on Saturday, May 20.

Co-owner Monica Anderson (UNF alumna ’06) shares her story of how this dream came to fruition. Not only was cookie baking a family tradition for the Andersons, it also helped put each of the children through college. Learn more.

Calling all UNF Alumni! If you own a local business and would like to be showcased, please fill out this form below.

Date:

Saturday, June 10
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Location:

Adam W. Herbert
University Center

North Florida's premier music collectors show returns to UNF. Along with vinyl records, CDs and tapes, you might find turntables, instruments and concert memorabilia. Free admission and free parking.

Date:

Saturday, June 24
1 - 3 p.m.

Location:

MOCA Jacksonville
333 N. Laura St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Join artist and sculptor Mark Lester in MOCA's fifth floor studio for a monthly ceramics workshop on the last Saturday of every month. 

Date:

Thursday, Aug. 31
7:05 p.m.

Location:

121 Financial Ballpark
301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32202

Mark your calendars! We'll be kicking off the fall semester with another UNF Night at the Jumbo Shrimp. Join the flock of Osprey alumni, faculty and staff at the ballpark, and take advantage of the happy hour during Coors Light Thirsty Thursday™.

Florida was named the top state for higher education by U.S. News & World Report. It has held the ranking for seven years. U.S. News & World Report considered such metrics as four-year graduation rates, cost of in-state tuition and fees and the level of debt students carry at graduation. Florida continues to rank No. 1 for having the lowest tuition and fees. Learn more.