Not Only is She Miss Manatee County but an Aspiring Doctor: Haviland Kebler
You might recognize Miss Manatee County as Eckerd Alum, Haviland Kebler. Haviland was a member of the Class of 2014 and is originally from the St. Petersburg area. Both of her parents are also Eckerd Alumni. Growing up Haviland didn’t think that she would attend Eckerd for college, but then Haviland had a change of heart when she attended Explore Eckerd. She couldn’t help, but fall back in love with the campus. The strong Biology program and small class sizes were also a huge draw for her.
During her time at Eckerd, Haviland made sure to take advantage of the study aboard programs Eckerd has to offer. It was difficult for her to find a study aboard program as a pre-med Biology Major, but she worked out her options to be able to study aboard during Winter Term. She went aboard twice in her Eckerd career. Haviland traveled to London, Paris, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. She described the time, “in Salzburg, Austria. There were amazing views of the mountains and we got to attend incredible concerts as well as go on The Sound of Music tour, which was pretty awesome.”
While at Eckerd, Haviland majored in Biology on a Pre-Med track, but she also studied in several other disciplines. Haviland explained that, “With Eckerd being a small school, I had the opportunity to study many different subjects. I loved the music classes I took there and ended up with minors in Spanish and Psychology alongside my Biology Major.” Haviland will be chasing her dream of becoming a doctor at Lake Erie College of Medicine in Bradenton, FL in the fall. When asked where she sees herself in five years, she simply answered, “I would love to be a resident in Pediatric Neurology at All Children’s Hospital, my dream job in my hometown.”
Haviland is also currently working on promoting a personal platform. It is called Let It Grow! Engaging, Eduating, and Encouraging Girls in STEM. She went on to explain, “I feel that one of the most important things we can give the next generation is a great start with a good education. With all the new technology and new jobs being created in this sector. This is the perfect time to get girls excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. My interest in this platform was sparked by helping to start a summer science camp for Middle Schoolers at Eckerd College.”
Haviland is the current titleholder for the Miss America Organization as Miss Manatee County. She describes her duties as follows, “I make appearances for charitable events, such as coming and talking to the Eckerd students about the mission of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Dance Marathon. CMNH is the national platform for the Miss America Organization and as local titleholders we serve as ambassadors for our local CMNH, All Children’s Hospital.”
Since I have witnessed the great success Haviland has already achieved, I couldn’t help but ask her what advice she has for current Eckerd students. She replied, “I would say to make the most of the unique opportunities that Eckerd presents to you. If you get a chance to go abroad, service learn, take internships, and get to know your professors, take the extra time and do it. It will be so worth it in the end. The size of Eckerd allows you to have experiences that you will continue to be able to talk about and connections you will use for the rest of your life.”
This coming June, Haviland will be competing for the title of Miss Florida. If she wins, she will get the chance to compete for Miss America. “I am extremely excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to be on the Miss Florida stage.” – Haviland Kebler