This fellowship was created in 2002 by Mary A. Mertz, in memory of her daughter, Gina C. Babicz. Born in Steubenville, Ohio in 1975, Gina was a 1993 graduate of Christiansburg High School in Virginia. She pursued an education in accounting at UF, where she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. In 1996, Gina earned her bachelor’s degree, and, in 1998, she completed her graduate-level studies.

Gina was just as active in the community as she was in the classroom. She sat on the Board of Directors of the Young Professionals of the American Cancer Society in Tampa, was a member of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, served on the Junior Women’s League of Tampa, and worked as a senior, certified public accountant for the Deloitte Foundation. On November 25, 2001, Gina tragically died in an automobile accident, at 26 years of age.

In remembrance of this passionate young woman, the Gina Babicz Memorial Terrace was named for her in the Gary R. Gerson Hall at the Fisher School of Accounting in the Warrington College of Busines