School of Music

Ambassadors

Former Ambassador

Juan Florez
2022-24

Major: Music and MSM (Masters of Science in Management)
Instrument: Violin
Hometown: Miami, FL
High School: Pembroke Pines Charter High School
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, soccer, collecting vinyl

James Crossman

Major: Music in Combo with Pre-Med
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: New Smyrna Beach, FL
High School: Homeschool
Hobbies: horseback riding, tabletennis, spikeball

Michele Himadi

Major: Biology Pre-Med with a Music Theory Minor
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
High School: Leon High School
Hobbies: journaling, biking

Victoria Locklin

Major: Music in Combo with a Pre-med Track 
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
High School: Homeschool
Hobbies: running, hiking, and baking

Marcus Reeves

Major: Music in Combo with Pre-Med
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Gainesville, FL
High School: FLVS
Hobby: working out, watching sports, tailgating

Benjamin Vantoorenburg

Major: Music in Combo with Pre-Dental
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Tampa, FL
High School: Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High Schoo
Hobby: tennis

Ashley Wu

Major: Music in Combo with Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience
Instrument: Violin
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
High School: Pensacola High School
Hobbies: Cooking, reading

Isabella Caffee
2021-2024

Major: Music in Combo with Pre-Med
Instrument: violin
Hometown: Tampa, FL
High School: Gaither Senior High
Hobby: roller figure skating

Jessica Bailes

Major: Dual Major in Music Performance and English
Instrument: Organ 
Hometown: Winter Park, FL
High School: Bishop Moore Catholic High School
Hobby: Yo-yo tricks

Patrick Bain
2016-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Mechanical Engineering)
Instrument: Percussion
Hometown: Jupiter, FL
High School: Jupiter Community High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Watch live bands perform around town

Maria Baroco

Major: Music Performance in combo with Entrepreneurship Minor and Masters of Science in Management
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
High School: Pensacola Catholic High School
Hobbies: Swing dancing, working out, cooking Cajun food, drinking boba teas, and playing with my dogs!

Mary Katherine Boring
2017-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Fort Myers, FL
High School: Fort Myers High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Go to gator football games and grab pizza at Leonardo's

Jennifer Kyu

Major: Music in Combo with Microbiology on Pre-Med Track
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
High School: Dreyfoos
Hobbies: rock climbing, cooking, crocheting

Gabe Gekoskie

Major: BM in Music Theory
Instrument: Trumpet
Hometown: Jupiter, FL
High School: Jupiter High School
Hobbies: Longboarding, rock climbing, and Pokémon

Katherine Graham
2016-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Masters in Management, Minor in Entrepreneurship)
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Palm Harbor, FL
High School: East Lake High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Go to brunch and walking around downtown!

Joseph McFarland

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Clarinet
Hometown: Gainesville, FL
High School: F. W. Buchholz High School
Hobbies: Yoga

Zoe Stayman
2018-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: French Horn
Hometown: Rehoboth Beach, DE
High School: Sussex Technical High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Kayak at Lake Wauburg, take swing dancing lessons, and finally read the Harry Potter books while hammocking

Kristian James
2018-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Public Relations)
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Spring Hill, FL
High School: Citrus Park Christian School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Play piano, shop, play video games, and go to the gym to work off the ice cream I eat while binging Hulu

Gerik Tushoski
2018-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Biochemistry)
Instrument: Euphonium
Hometown: Land O' Lakes, FL
High School: Sunlake High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: I like to hike around Gainesville’s large amount of state parks and weightlift at Southwest Recreational Center!

Gaby Tordi
2016-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Clarinet
Hometown: North Palm Beach, FL
High School: Dreyfoos School of the Arts
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Make music with my best friends and try all of the cute coffee shops in town!

Wade FitzGerald
2018-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Biology)
Instrument: Piano and carillon
Hometown: Tampa, FL
High School: Robinson High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Hiking on nature trails and catching snakes

Justin Renzi
2017-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: French Horn
Hometown: Orlando, FL
High School: Freedom High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Trying new places to eat, hanging out with friends, and enjoying some of the landmarks like Century Tower, Lake Alice, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, and the museums!
Fun Fact: Justin is one of the Gator Band drum majors!

Sophie Press
2016-2018

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (MSM, minor in Nonprofit leadership)
Instrument: Clarinet
Hometown: Tequesta, FL
High School: Dreyfoos School of the Arts
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Attend local arts events, and eat at all the great restaurants!

Christa Chiovarelli
2018-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Tampa, FL
High School: Freedom High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Listen to musicals, read books, play with dogs, binge Netflix shows, and sing

McKenna Nelson
2016-2019

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (MSM, minor in Mass Communication)
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: St. Augustine, Florida
High School: Nease High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Watching performances at The Hippodrome or the Phillips Center and going on late night ice cream runs with my friends.

Carla Mckendry
2018-2019

Major: Music Education, theater minor
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Greenacres, FL
High School: John I. Leonard High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Watch movies/tv/Netflix, thrift and explore new styles, take interesting photos, browse social media, and spend quality time with even higher quality friends!

Stefie Pishock
2017-2019

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Oboe
Hometown: Lutz, FL
High School: Steinbrenner High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Hammocking at Lake Alice, finding cool stuff at all the neat thrift stores, and eating Pizza at Leonardo's!

Rachel Davis
2017-2018

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Pre-Med)
Instrument: Flute
Hometown: Miami, FL
High School: Coral Reef Senior High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Attending Gator sporting events, volunteering in a research lab, and visiting local coffee shops

Lillian Messer
2015-2018

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Nutritional Sciences & Pre-medicine)
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Dayton, MD
High School: River Hill High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: One of my favorite things to do in Gainesville is to walk on any of the numerous trails with friends. It’s like an adventure finding paths that few people go down, and awesome to just be outside!

Dominique Baeta
2015-2017

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Lake Mary
High School: Lake Mary High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Watching the Gators play in the Swamp!

Sabrina Baeta
2015-2017

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (English)
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Lake Mary, FL
High School: Lake Mary High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Watching and performing music with my friends and exploring the different restaurants in Gainesville

Erika Choi
2013 - 2014

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Pre-Medicine)
Instrument:  Piano
Hometown: Palm Harbor, FL
High School: Palm Harbor University High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Exploring the wide variety of local restaurants on weekends

Madelyn Diller
2015-2017

Major: Linguistics (concentrating in TESL), with a minor in music performance
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Cape Coral, FL
High School: Home School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: When I'm not in class or practicing, you can find me in a local coffee shop with a good book or friends.

Jesse Fallen
2013 - 2016

Major: Political Science and Economics, with a minor in piano performance
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
High School: Wellington Community High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Explore the cool shops and eat at restaurants downtown with my friends 

Aaron Janosa
2016-2017

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Clarinet
Hometown: Leesburg, FL
High School: Leesburg High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Exploring the small shops and restaurants around town

Alana Klonoski
2014 - 2016

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Business)
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Lake Mary, FL
High School: Seminole High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Discovering new places and restaurants with friends.

Chelsea Mattson
2014 - 2016

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Business)
Instrument:
Hometown: Boynton Beach, FL
High School: Dreyfoos High School of the Arts
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: One of my favorite things I've ever done in Gainesville is the Downtown Art Festival every year. It's such a fun way to spend the day, surrounded by art, food, activities, and people. I love talking to all of the artists and looking at all of their amazing works.

Cara McDermott
2014 - 2015

Major: Biology (Pre-Dental), with a minor in music
Instrument:  Trumpet
Hometown: Alpharetta, GA
High School: Milton High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Rock climbing at the Gainesville Rock Gym

David McDermott
2013 - 2014

Major: Music Education & Spanish
Instrument:  Percussion
Hometown: Alpharetta, GA
High School: Milton High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Going to see a high quality show at the Phillips center for the Performing Arts, where touring Broadway shows as well as famous performing artists and acts come to campus at a discounted price for students. 

Brandon McKinley
2014 - 2016

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Public Relations)
Instrument: Percussion
Hometown: Port Saint Lucie, FL
High School: Lincoln Park Academy
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Going to Gator games! 

Samantha O’Brien
2013 - 2015

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
High School: Boca Raton Community High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: I like to attend performances of visiting artists at the UF Phillip’s Center for Performing Arts. I also enjoy dining out with friends in Gainesville’s eclectic downtown area.

Marc Parocha
2014 - 2016

Major: Music in Combination with an Outside Field (Pre-Medicine)
Instrument: Piano
Hometown: Chesapeake, VA
High School: St. Francis Catholic High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Walking in Downtown

Sam Silverberg
2013 - 2014

Major: Vocal Performance
Instrument:  Voice
Hometown: Parrish, FL
High School: Southeast High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: Attending every home football game with at least other 80,000 people, watching the amazing Gators play football, and hearing the spectacular sound coming from The Pride of the Sunshine band.

Zachary Sullivan
2014 - 2015

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Euphonium
Hometown: Gainesville, FL
High School: F.W. Buchholz High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: My favorite thing to do in Gainesville is spending time with my roommates. Whether it is relaxing at our apartment playing FIFA or going out to eat at Tijuana Flats, I always have a great time with them.

Shelby Young
2013 - 2016

Major: Music Education
Instrument: Voice
Hometown: Stuart, FL
High School: South Fork High School
Favorite Thing to Do in Gainesville: A great thing to in Gainesville is to go tubing on the Ichetucknee River.  It is really fun to get a group of friends together on a hot Saturday and go relax in the river.  

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