Setting Goals: Daniel Zambrotta thrived in the honors institute

“When I arrived at Seminole State, I understood that if I wished to grow as a person, I had to force myself away from my comfort zone,” Daniel Zambrotta said.

Zambrotta, who started at Seminole State College of Florida in the Summer of 2023 through the College’s Summer Bridge program, previously attended Lake Brantley High School and struggled with a shyness that kept him from speaking up in class. He set to challenge himself when he started College.

He joined the Grindle Honors Institute and the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) officers’ team to work on his leadership skills and gain more experience in areas including communication, organization and conflict resolution. As an officer, he hosted scholarship workshops to assist his fellow students while simultaneously working on his public speaking and presentation skills.

“I have had the privilege of watching this shy student, who would sit alone studying at a table, emerge into one of our strongest leaders both in the honors program and our PTK cohort. He is quick to welcome new students and get them involved in the various activities that our two programs have to offer,” Honors Director Tracy Harbin said.

This involvement, paired with his strong academic performance, led him to become a leader on campus and a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship semifinalist in 2025.

Leading Involvement

“Your college experience is defined by what you put into it,” Zambrotta said. For students starting college, he advises them to build connections, get involved with student life and utilize campus resources.

As a first-generation college student, Zambrotta was once uncertain that college was an option he could afford. However, through support from the Foundation of Seminole State College, campus resources and Seminole State faculty and staff, he flourished. Making connections with professors and faculty, attending office hours and seeing how he could further his education outside the classroom opened doors for him. He presented research in and out of state, attended conferences and networked with members of the Alumni Association. “Only when I started challenging the limits of my comfort zone did doors to valuable experiences and opportunities start to open, and I owe it to my professors and Grindle Honors faculty for encouraging me to take that first step.”

New Opportunities Ahead

Zambrotta’s interest in psychology grew at the College. “His work on his research project in the Psychology of Happiness course led to one of the few research projects that had data-driven original research,” Harbin said. While doing an independent study conducted in his animal behavior & comparative psychology class, he studied paternal caregiving behaviors in rodents, sparking a fascination with how we use animal models to understand human behaviors.

After graduating from Seminole State this spring, Zambrotta was honored with a “We Change Lives” award at the College’s June Board of Trustees meeting. “I can’t imagine where I would be now if I had not attended a community college,” he told the board.

Now, Zambrotta is heading to Stetson University to continue pursuing his interest in psychology. He plans to eventually earn his Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis and Clinical Science, but is keeping his options open. “I am learning that career paths are far broader than a particular idea of a job, and this understanding has helped me stay open to changes in my academic path as I discover new passions.”