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Jay Kirkley ’24’s Rollins journey didn’t just shape his path—it equipped him with the vision, resilience, and expertise to chase his ambitions with confidence. He poured himself all of his varied experiences and learned how to find the connections between them. After all, making connections is what a Rollins education is all about, especially between students and faculty and across different subjects.

“A big reason I came to Rollins was because of the interdisciplinary curriculum,” shares Kirkley, who is passionate about health-care reform and now pursuing an MPhil in health, medicine, and society at the University of Cambridge. “The programs at Rollins gave me a breadth of knowledge and many tools across a range of topics as well as the opportunity to explore my interests in a way that wasn’t rigidly defined.”

While anthropology professor Shan-Estelle Brown was introducing Kirkley to the field of public health policy, chemistry professor Kasandra Riley was welcoming him into her lab as a first-year student—both of them encouraging him to pursue his unique interests and discover the power of combining them. Kirkley went on to double-major in biochemistry/molecular biology and public policy and political economy, and those pursuits didn’t stop in the classroom.

During his time at Rollins, he honed skills in communication and persuasion on the Debate Team, shaped institutional policy through the Student Government Association, presented drug-protocol policy research at a national conference, and worked on curricular innovation within the Rollins Inclusive Excellence in STEM program (RIES). He interned with the Florida State House and Equality Florida, where he got a behind-the-scenes look at federal lawmaking, and earned a Public Policy & International Affairs fellowship to tackle issues like climate change and food and housing insecurity.

“The future isn’t about having the right answer and memorizing a bunch of facts,” says Kirkley, whose ultimate goal is to improve heath-care access and quality for all Americans. “The future is about asking really good questions, thinking critically, communicating your ideas well to others, building relationships, and solving problems—and that’s what an interdisciplinary liberal arts education at Rollins prepares you to do.”

The Rollins Edge

“My time at Rollins taught me two really important things about the world: A lot of problems and a lot of half-baked solutions emerge from a lack of interdisciplinarity in education. I’ve seen that even at Cambridge; they’re very siloed in their disciplines and how they operate. The second bit that I learned at Rollins, which I take with me everywhere, is the importance of personal relationships and hard work.”

Research with Results

“Doing student-faculty collaborative research was really informative. It showed me the cross-sections between academia and activism. I worked with [political science] professor Eren Tatari exploring step therapy and drug protocol policy and their impact on autoimmune patients, and we showed our research to representatives, medical advocates, and senators in the Florida House and Senate. One of the local representatives was able to vote on a law that helped expand access to prescription drugs because she had knowledge that we’d given her about these kinds of policies and their nuances.”

More Than a Classroom

“Rollins emphasizes a social aspect to learning. We were constantly sharing ideas in our seminar classrooms. Our professors were always available to chat with us; it wasn't just this isolated thing. It was about engaging with material and talking with people and socializing and getting those different aspects from all your different classes. It really showed me the importance of connections when working on solving problems as well as how those human connections can help you live a more fulfilled life.”

Opening Doors

“Rollins’ Office of External & Competitive Scholarships helped me think beyond Rollins and take advantage of opportunities like going to a conference at Harvard, earning the PPIA fellowship, and attending a leadership symposium at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Public Policy and Management. Had it not been for this office, I wouldn’t have applied for or even known about the Cambridge program. These faculty and staff empowered me to take tangible steps toward realizing my future goals. They were absolutely critical to my success.”

The Ability to Adapt

“Rollins created this beautiful foundation for me to be flexible and identify my strengths and weaknesses as I’m working through this more siloed, more nuanced, higher-level master’s program at one of the most elite institutions in the world. I’m able to adapt both professionally and academically.”

Global Citizenship

“Studying abroad in Spain was one of the most formative and challenging experiences that I had at Rollins. Growing up in Florida, I was immersed in Latino culture and had studied Spanish, but it felt purely academic. I wanted to learn it to honor my Colombian grandfather and connect with diverse communities. Studying abroad in Spain put me in a brand-new environment with a host mother who didn't know English. My fluency in Spanish improved, and I realized I love learning languages. I’ve learned Portuguese and a little bit of Catalan, a regional Spanish language. This experience sparked my curiosity, and I think that’s what Rollins really stands for.”

Mentorship Without Borders

“Dr. Riley was my No. 1 supporter throughout my entire time at Rollins. I took her chemistry course my very first semester, and even as a first-year, she let me work in her lab. I officially came into Rollins thinking I’d pursue a joint law and medical degree after I graduated, but Dr. Riley encouraged me to explore my newfound interests, which were taking me on a different path. Her support is unique and so important to my story.”

• Biochemistry/Molecular Biology |
• Public Policy and Political Economy