Kindergarten Friends Grow Into Gator Grads

Written by Bridget Higginbotham, Falcon Pointe resident

[div3 class="quote" class2="quote-l" class3="quote-r"]Kara Jordan

Southwest residents (l. to r.) Kara Jordan, Bridget Higginbotham and Stephanie Hall, met while attending Frangus Elementary School.

Years ago, on the playground of Frangus Elementary School, three girls nicknamed themselves “The Three Musketeers.” Seventeen years later, the friends graduated together with their bachelor’s degrees from the University of Florida.


Stephanie Hall, Bridget Higginbotham and Kara Jordan met in Betsy Pastoor’s FES kindergarten class in 1994. The three remained friends when Higginbotham began attending a different elementary school and Jordan moved to Massachusetts for two years.

The girls were members of Girl Scout Troop No. 1295 and graduated from Olympia High School in 2007. All three received 100 percent awards from the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which they used toward their studies at UF.

Hall, 21, a resident of Valencia Hills, received a Bachelor of Arts in environmental science, graduating with highest honors. Last summer, she completed an environmental education internship at Pickering Creek Audubon Center in Maryland. While at UF, she completed the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences honors Program, was an active member of the Sustainability Hut, and was a member of and held several chair positions within the Pre-Legal Honor Society. Hall will return to UF this fall as a graduate student in the School of Forest Resources & Conservation, where she will study environmental education.

Higginbotham, 22, graduated with high honors with a Bachelor of Science in journalism, with a concentration in multimedia and minors in French and Francophone studies. While at UF, the Falcon Pointe resident completed three journalism internships, as well as the Honors College program. She served as president of Get Carded, a student organization dedicated to raising awareness about organ and tissue donation. Higginbotham also was an active member of the Catholic Gators, serving as the organization’s first student webmaster.

Kara Jordan

Southwest residents (l. to r.) Kara Jordan, Bridget Higginbotham and Stephanie Hall, who met while attending Frangus Elementary School, graduate from the University of Florida.

Jordan, 22, a resident of The Willows, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in general business and specialized in international studies, with minors in mass communication and French and Francophone studies. Jordan interned in London; studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary; and represented UF at the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition in Montreal. Jordan also is a sister of Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women. Next month, she will graduate from UF with a Master of Arts in international business.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by a reader as part of a Community Contribution. We encourage other Southwest residents to submit their original works and/or photographs to be considered for publication in future issues. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit content for spelling, grammar, punctuation, good taste and available space. Email submissions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or mail them to 7901 Kingspointe Parkway, Suite 28, Orlando, FL 32819- 8386. For more information, call 407-351-1573.


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