A legacy of Bulls: a family tradition with a new path

• Andrea Knies
• April 28, 2026
• Students

When Spence Gerber arrived at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, he was already well acquainted with the institution. Not only is Gerber the fourth of his siblings to attend USF, his mother is also a USF alumna. "I decided to follow their footsteps, considering the great experiences they all expressed they had during their time at USF," said Gerber. "The opportunities the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus provides are exactly what I was looking for."

With such a legacy, it feels like Gerber was born to be a Bull and could have easily followed a path set by his family. However, Gerber forged his own way.

At the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, Gerber became actively engaged with student life. Along with his friends, Gerber helped create a karaoke club and - the much quieter - chess club. During the fall of 2024, Gerber was accepted into the USF Ambassadors program where he served as a link between the student body, alumni and community.

Academically, Gerber was a student in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, worked as a tutor in Biochemistry, Calculus I and writing, co-instructed an Honors course, and served as an Honors peer mentor. In addition, Gerber conducted undergraduate research under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan McCleary and presented that research along with his research partners Andre Aquino, Abigail Pal and Valentin Basarevskij at the 2026 USF Student Research Conference. Gerber also continued learning outside of the classroom as an intern at Marano Animal Hospital and Sarasota Equine Veterinary Services.

However, one of the most impactful experiences was his time serving on the USF Student Government - his mother and three brothers also served in Student Government. In 2023-2024, Gerber was elected as assistant director of programming, he went on to serve as the governor for a term and continued his leadership as the deputy chief of staff.

During his time as governor, Gerber had the honor of speaking at the opening of Sarasota-Manatee's new Campus Student Center and Atala Hall, the campus's first-ever residence hall. At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Gerber said, "my top priorities are to utilize the new student center, to bring more students and groups together for a greater sense of community and to open our doors to more diverse ideas from a wider range of students." Gerber hoped to bring "wildly successful" experiences to this new campus space and accomplished that through multiple events including TEDx where he served as the master of ceremonies.

As Gerber completes his USF Sarasota-Manatee experience, he was bestowed a Golden Bull Award. This accolade is presented by USF Student Success in celebration of students who embody the spirit and values of USF through exceptional leadership, academic excellence and dedicated service to the community.

Gerber will graduate magna cum laude in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in history. He is currently employed as a veterinary technician at a local clinic and will continue working there before attending veterinary school in the Fall of 2027. Along the way, he has honored his family's legacy while forging his own path through leadership, service and academic achievement.