'Apprentice' winner and UF alumna to be honored during Homecoming

October 6, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida linguistics graduate Kendra Todd, who heard the famous words “You’re hired” at the end of the third season of “The Apprentice” in May, will be on campus this weekend as part of Homecoming activities.

Todd will receive a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Outstanding Alumni Award at an awards ceremony Saturday morning and also serve as the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

“It is truly an honor for me to receive this award and return to campus again,” said Todd. “I value my education from UF greatly and to be honored by this great institution is very special to me.”

Todd said she plans to talk about how her UF education proved to be an advantage on the reality television program “The Apprentice,” which pits aspiring young business people from across the country in competitive sales, advertising and marketing tasks, each week dismissing one contestant with celebrity businessman Donald Trump’s catch phrase “You’re fired.”

The 27-year-old real estate broker earned a $250,000 a year position in Trump’s organization overseeing the renovation of a 68,000-square-foot mansion on six oceanfront acres in Palm Beach.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Todd graduated from UF in 2000 with honors and became the founding editor-in-chief of an award-winning lifestyle magazine in South Florida, Capture Life Magazine. She obtained her real estate license and incorporated her media expertise into the development of MyHouseRE.com, an innovative real estate marketing company specializing in preconstruction and condo conversion projects. She was recently named one of the top “30 Realtors Under 30” by REALTOR Magazine and is one of the highest producing real estate agents in her market.

Todd also will be a grand marshal of the 82nd UF Homecoming parade on Friday, along with NFL football star and UF graduate Emmitt Smith. There will be an opportunity for media to do interviews with Todd on Saturday morning from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. outside the Rion Ballroom of the Reitz Student Union.

Along with Todd, nine other CLAS graduates will receive outstanding alumni awards. They are: Ava G. Byrne (B.A., sociology, 1976); Ulla M. Connor (M.A., English, 1971); Juan C. del Valle (B.A. and M.A., geography, 1993 and 1996); Manuel L. Diaz (B.A. and M.A., Latin American studies, 1969 and 1970); Robert O. Kincart (B.S., chemistry, 1972); John W. Mintmire (B.S. and Ph.D., physics, 1976 and 1980); Glenn M. Parker (B.S., zoology, 1986); Albert A. Sanchez Jr. (B.A., philosophy, 1975); Eric A. Wagner (Ph.D., sociology, 1973).

Established in 2002, the CLAS Outstanding Alumni Awards are given during UF Homecoming weekend each fall in recognition of the achievements and contributions of the top alumni from UF’s largest college.