Meet the department's FSU Presidential Scholars, class of 2026

By Sophia Lazo

Florida State University’s Presidential Scholars Program offers students a chance to be a part of an immersive and innovative community. This year, three of the scholars are English majors: Ashley Boudreaux, McKenna Oakley, and Ella Windlan.

The scholarship is given to a select few first-year students who achieved outstanding accomplishments in their high school career, as well as provided enriching insight to specific questions in their application.

Once the entire group of scholars is selected and go through an interview process, they choose their major before starting their college career at FSU. These scholars get to choose from a variety of majors, and Boudreaux, Oakley, and Windlan selected English as their major of choice.

Hannah Beth Ragland, the English department’s Academic Program Specialist, is thrilled about their decisions.

“While FSU’s Department of English is host to a wide range of impressive students and unique talents, it is always exciting to see students reach our department through these special University programs,” says Ragland, who graduated from FSU in 2016 with her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. “Although most Presidential Scholar cohorts over the years have been host to at least one English major, the Class of 2026 is special because it includes one student from each of the three English paths.”

Ragland adds that seeing these ambitious students choose to become English majors shows that the department appeals to many different types of students. She looks forward to helping them in their journey at FSU, she says, along with following their contributions to the English community.

Boudreaux is from Sarasota, Florida, and is currently in the Literature, Media, and Culture Program. Oakley is from Hamilton, Ohio, and is in the Creative Writing Program. Windlan is from Hudson, Florida, and is on the Editing, Writing, and Media track.

The three chose English as their major for different reasons. But each of them loves to read and write and they want to further expand those interests.

“I’ve always been a writing person and I’ve always liked the application of writing in any subject,” Windlan says. “So, I figured English would be a pretty interdisciplinary major I can take part in.”

Oakley says she has been writing stories since she was 7 years old.

“Reading and writing have always been my favorite things,” she adds. “I know it’s something I can pursue that I know I like enough.”

Boudreaux points out that English is an underrated major among students.

“It’s so versatile and can literally apply to any career,” she says. “It teaches you critical thinking skills, analyzation skills, how to speak, how to write. “It’s also really fun,” she adds enthusiastically. “I really enjoy it and am passionate about it.”

Boudreaux also recognizes that her passion for English can open many doors for her in the future. Along with the skills she will learn in the major’s coursework, other great benefits come with being a part of the entire Presidential Scholar community.

“Presidential Scholars is such a blessing with college and the reason I came to FSU,” Boudreaux says. “Not only does it provide connections, but there’s the whole idea of your ‘home base.’

She says many of the connections and friends she has already in her first year are also Presidential Scholars.

“It's this idea of having this little family to come back to that is filled with like-minded people with the same drive and same root experience as you,” she adds. “It was a really cool thing to come across.”

The Presidential Scholarship allows students with similar goals to be able to communicate and collaborate in effective ways. By living in the same dorms and having a weekly class with fellow scholars, they can work together and help each other make the most of their time at FSU.

“It was really nice to have a community coming in,” Windlan says. “I think there are some aspects of it that are harder because it is a very competitive environment, but most people in the program are very nice and very open to talk. I’ve had a good experience so far.”

Oakley has similar experiences to both Boudreaux and Windland.

“[The program] gave me a head start really feeling acquainted with campus and feeling like I belonged here at FSU,” she says.

In addition to building a sense of community, they all point out that the program creates great opportunities for networking. Having access to FSU alumni who have been Presidential Scholars, and even current scholars, allows students to find guidance and to get a better idea of what they want to do in the future.

“I think what I’m hoping to gain the most is mentorship, because I have some pretty clear goals that I’ve set for myself, but I don’t necessarily know the best way of getting there,” Oakley says.

With the skills acquired through the major and the community-building and networking available, Boudreaux, Oakley, and Windlan all agree they have a solid academic foundation to further build the career they want once they graduate from FSU.

Sophia Lazo is an English major, on the editing, writing, and media track, with a minor in political science.

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