Joseph DiPaolo, University of Florida

Degree: B.S. in Statistics

How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
The Stamps Scholarship offered me the freedom to explore my passions without the fear of not having the resources to pursue those interests.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self?
Don’t get down on yourself. Things won’t go as planned, and that’s alright. The mouse that runs into every wall will still find his way out of the maze.

Please share your most memorable Stamps Scholar experience.
My most memorable Stamps experience was our service trip to Peru in Summer 2014. Considering this trip was for service and not leisure, I braced for what would be a difficult cultural experience. But my host families were so welcoming, and the work was so fulfilling that I knew I was called to serve others. Once you get past cultural and political differences, you realize just how similar we really are, and it’s beautiful.

Plans after graduation?
Two years of missionary service through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, followed by a career or graduate degree in Education Policy or Healthcare