A bold future foretold

By Gregory Bowers, University Communications and Marketing

Around 2010, during the university's "Take Your Child to Work Day," three friends piled onto a couch for a quick photo at their parents' behest. At the time, they were in their early teens, living lives that prioritized playing sports and spending time with their friends and family. Yet, the matching, whimsical T-shirts they wore that day made a bold prediction: "Future Employee."

Today, USF is proud to employ those three lifelong friends who are building their own meaningful careers within the very institution that hosted them almost two decades ago.

Alyson Perry is now a learning and development facilitator and a two-time USF College of Education graduate. Reflecting on the hidden complexities of her daily work, Perry notes, "Few know how much time, collaboration and commitment it takes to develop the Sponsored Programs training materials that are available to the research community at USF. If we can make things look and feel easy, then we are doing it right."

Kelsey Bare serves as a senior unit research administrator, expertly managing budgets and proposal documents. When asked what advice she would give her 13-year-old self in that nostalgic photo, Bare shared a timeless piece of wisdom: "Slow down and enjoy the phases of life. Most things that you think you will never get over or through, will pass and get better."

Lauren Iler, a 2017 USF graduate, works as a sponsored research administrator, stepping up to the plate just as her mother retired from the university in early 2026 after two decades of dedicated service. Thinking about what she might say to her friends if she could step back into that picture from her childhood, Iler perfectly captured the magic of their shared journey, "We're still going to be friends in the future, and 'yes' we really will work here, so be nice to everyone."

These three Bold Bulls are a testament to USF's impact spanning generations. In a couple of months, Perry's first child will celebrate his first birthday. All things considered, hopefully he's ready for a green-and-gold "Future Employee" onesie.