A Breakdown of FSU’s Coolest Alumni

It’s a well-known fact that Florida State University is better than the University of Florida in basically every single way. Our College of Music is ranked in the top 10 nationwide. The FSU College of Law has the highest comparative job placement rates for graduates in Florida. Our MagLab? You guessed it: bigger and better. They can’t even beat us at football, let alone compete with our nightlife, our beautiful campus or our killer alumni network. While the University of Florida is best known for producing renowned failure Tim Tebow, Florida State has been the breeding ground for entrepreneurs, astronauts, inventors and Academy Award winners. Read on to learn more about some of Florida State’s best and brightest alumni.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Twitter

 

You probably know Ban.do for it’s seriously cute planners, or maybe you follow their vibrant Instagram account, but did you know that Jen Gotch, creative director and co-founder of Ban.do, graduated from Florida State with a B.A. in English?

 

 

 

Courtesy: College Spun

 

You know him, you love him and college football wouldn’t be the same without him.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

Sara Blakely graduated from Florida State with a communications degree. Blakely is known for inventing Spanx, and recently became the first female billionaire to join Warren Buffet and Bill Gates’ famous “Giving Pledge.”

 

 

 

Courtesy: TopTenz

 

The famed writer of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas took night classes at Florida State University while in the U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Business Observer

 

Carley Ochs graduated from Florida State University and turned handmade bracelets and bangles into an empire. 

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

You might recognize Art Smith as the former personal chef of Oprah. Smith completed culinary internships while studying at Florida State. He has also cooked for Barack Obama and is the author of several award-winning comfort food cookbooks.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Zimbio

 

JoAnn Garcia Swisher is a prolific TV actress, with recurring roles in show like Gossip Girl, Reba, Once Upon A Time and more.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

Norman Thagard completed five space flights with NASA and is now a tenured professor at Florida State.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

Alan Ball is best known for writing the critically acclaimed film American Beauty for which he won an Academy Award. He is also the executive producer behind hits like HBO’s True Blood.

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

The two-time Golden Globe winner attended Florida State University on a football scholarship. Fun fact: Burt Reynolds and Lee Corso were roommates!

 

 

 

Courtesy: Wikipedia

 

Jim Morrison attended Florida State in 1962 and was even featured in a school-made recruitment film.  

 

 

 

Courtesy: Kate Bello

 

Okay, technically speaking, Academy Award winning actress Faye Dunaway studied at Florida State and University of Florida. We’ll go “halfsies” on this one. For a breakdown of UF’s alumni, you can check out Her Campus UFL’s article here.