ST. LEO – Kristina Arwady hopes to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps in health care.
He was a Mexican immigrant, who started as a janitor, worked hard and became a family medicine physician with his own practice. Just like her grandpa, Arwady is working toward becoming a physician.
“I want to follow in his footsteps, pursuing medicine, and hopefully one day having the business skill set to manage my own practice, too,” she said about her grandfather. “My ultimate goal is to attend medical school and become a physician.”
Arwady, of Altamonte Springs, was valedictorian for Saint Leo University’s Class of 2025. She graduated May 7 summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average and earned bachelor’s degrees in management and medical humanities: pre-med and a minor in Spanish. She also graduated from Saint Leo’s Honors Program.
“I am currently working on medical school applications, but in the meantime, I will be pursuing an MBA in health care management, continuing with graduate school at Saint Leo,” she said. “I am so excited.”
Arwady also played on the women’s soccer team, tutored other students in chemistry and biology, and served as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. As an extension of her role as SAAC president, she promoted several community initiatives including a partnership between Saint Leo University Athletics and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
“Saint Leo has pushed me to be courageous in my academic pursuits, my sports career and my faith,” Arwady said. “Pursuing a double major and being part of the Honors Program while being a student-athlete was not easy, but Saint Leo gave me a pathway to do just that.
“I had the courage to come back from three knee surgeries and return to play each time, all because of the Saint Leo Athletics staff and the other amazing people who supported me along the way,” she continued. “With my faith, Saint Leo encouraged me to defy the norm and be different than the rest of the world, trying my best to choose Christ and follow and surrender everything to him. I am so grateful.”
Salutatorian Jacqueline Pollok
A keen interest in the world helped Saint Leo University’s salutatorian, Jacqueline Pollok, select her fields of study.
Pollok, who is from Dade City, graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice: homeland security and international studies. She also graduated from the Honors Program and was the recipient of the 2025 Clara McDonald Olson Scholarship Excellence Award.
“I chose my majors in international studies and criminal justice because of my deep interest in global security and the ways that international events and policies shape our world,” Pollok said. “International studies provided me with the necessary historical and cultural context to understand the dynamics between countries, which is essential for comprehending current global issues. Criminal justice offers me a deeper understanding of the legal systems and enforcement structures that help maintain order and security, both domestically and internationally.”
Pollok was a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society, the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society, and the Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society for International Studies.
Pollok presented a paper, “The Influence of the Southern Border Crisis on International Human Trafficking,” at the Florida Conference of Historians, a professional academic conference held earlier this year in Punta Gorda.
Experiential learning also was an important part of her academic journey.
Pollok completed three diverse internships. She served as an undergraduate researcher, examining the relationship between sport, global culture and World War II; worked as a customer service representative for a local business; and interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, assisting the Economic Crime and Transnational Organized Crime divisions.
Her community service efforts included volunteering at the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Office in Dade City, working weekly at the Scared Heart Earl Childhood Center in 2022, and volunteering with the Pasco County Teen Court Program in 2021, helping support juvenile rehabilitation initiatives.
“I plan to pursue a professional role that allows me to engage with issues related to national security, law or international affairs – areas I’ve grown passionate about through my academic work and internships,” Pollok said. “I also intend to pursue graduate work in security studies to strengthen my expertise and prepare for long-term career opportunities in public service.”
