The Judy Genshaft Honors College is expanding opportunities for its students through a new partnership with the and , a Tampa Bay tech startup incubator. The collaboration will give Honors students exclusive access to internships in technology, health care, marketing, finance, and other innovation-driven fields, while creating a pipeline of young talent prepared to solve problems in the local community.
With its award-winning 32,000-square-foot startup hub in downtown Tampa, the Embarc
Collective supports Florida innovators and entrepreneurs with a diverse network of
resources, including startup coaches and investors.
Kailah Matyas, talent strategist at Embarc Collective, said the partnership benefits
both students and the startups they support. 鈥淭he goal is to connect high-achieving
students with opportunities that foster real-world learning and community impact,鈥�
Matyas said. 鈥淓mbarc Collective, in turn, offers mentorship and professional development.鈥�
Embarc Collective is giving Honors students priority consideration for internship
roles across a wide range of disciplines, and they are looking for more students to
join the program in 2026.
鈥淭his partnership began through the Genspiration Foundation, which provides internship
grants for Honors College students to gain paid experience at mission-driven startups
at Embarc Collective,鈥� Matyas said. 鈥淚deal candidates for the internship are problem-solvers
who want hands-on experience in sales, marketing, finance, technology, data sciences
and analytics, market research, etc.鈥�
From Classroom to World-Class Innovation
Several Honors students have already completed internships through Embarc Collective and are eager to see their peers join the program.
Honors student Daniel Pham interned for three months with Visitry, a health-tech startup,
where he worked in digital marketing. He said applying classroom knowledge to real
tasks sharpened his understanding of the field.
鈥淢y biggest takeaway from my internship was that planning isn鈥檛 the same as doing
鈥� execution brings a completely different set of lessons,鈥� Pham said. 鈥淚 also learned
that what you study in textbooks can differ greatly from how things work in real life.鈥�
Honors student Phuong Nguyen spent her summer interning with Tampa General Hospital
Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of Tampa General Hospital. She evaluated
the financial and strategic value of investing in health-tech startups 鈥� an experience
she described as transformative.
鈥淭his experience broadened my view and challenged me to learn about a completely new
sector,鈥� Nguyen said. 鈥淚 really got to think like an investor 鈥� balancing financial
insight with long-term impact. The experience taught me how to assess risk, evaluate
opportunities, and communicate ideas clearly across disciplines.鈥�
Multiplying Student Opportunities
Judy Genshaft Endowed Honors Dean Charles Adams said the partnership reinforces the
college鈥檚 interdisciplinary curriculum by allowing students to apply their problem-solving
skills, creativity, and curiosity in fast-paced workplace settings.
鈥淎s we begin 2026, the Honors College is thrilled to provide additional paths for
students to explore their passions and grow their skills,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淭he Embarc
Collective partnership uniquely empowers them to take their learning off campus and
create real impact.鈥�
As part of the 黑料爆料鈥檚 broader partnership with Embarc Collective, the Judy Genshaft Honors College aims to support the university鈥檚 efforts to strengthen
Florida鈥檚 talent pipeline and expand access to innovative technologies across the
Tampa Bay community.
Honors students can check the weekly Honor Roll Newsletter to learn more about upcoming Embarc Collective internship opportunities.