About

About Theodore Walrond

Theodore Rex Walrond is currently a student at the University of Florida (UF) and an active researcher at the college’s School of Medicine. He is also an experienced lifeguard and scuba diving leader, trained in multiple water safety and life rescue best practices. As an undergraduate researcher, Walrond worked within the McKnight Brain Institute, where he utilized his analytical skills to discover, extract, and organize data alongside his colleagues and mentors. He played a pivotal role in the writing of a scientific paper that detailed research outcomes on subarachnoid hemorrhages and their potential to predispose individuals to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Theodore Walrond of Florida interned at Romark, a research-centered pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tampa, FL. While there, Walrond worked directly under the CEO and the head of research in collaboration with other scientific and technological divisions of the firm to develop innovative new medicines, with a focus on discovering innovative medicinal therapies to fight infectious diseases.

Walrond is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at the University of Florida, where he majored in Psychology with an emphasis on the study of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. This field of study focuses on how neurological mechanisms in the human brain contribute to learning, behavior, mood, and motor systems. Theodore chose this specific subset of psychology because of his interest in understanding human behavior from a physiological (physical and chemical processes) viewpoint, in addition to the mental processes as studied by psychiatrists.

Education

Theodore Walrond of Tampa Bay attended the Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, FL. While in high school, he served in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and achieved the rank of Battalion Commander, where he was responsible for 150 students. This program aims to develop students’ leadership skills while also providing the motivation and encouragement often needed to help them continue their studies past high school. Walrond graduated from the College Prep arm of his school with a 4.0 GPA and inclusion on the Dean’s List, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society.

After excelling in STEM classes, including physics, calculus, and chemistry, Theodore Rex Walrond attended the University of Florida at Gainesville’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In 2024, he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with an emphasis on Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. This course of study is typical for those students pursuing graduate school and those who desire a professional career in psychiatry, research, or teaching.

Skills and Expertise

In addition to his skills and critical participation in academic research programs while attending the University of Florida, Theodore has been employed in multiple roles for the Florida Parks and Recreation Department, including lifeguard, water safety instructor, and swim instructor. As a lifeguard, he assumed responsibility for the safety of persons entering and surrounding the pool and maintained the pool’s proper chemical balance, sanitation, and cleanliness.

Theodore Walrond holds the professional certification of SCUBA Dive Master and has assisted in the instruction of scuba classes at the University of Florida. He has been an active scuba diver since high school, mastering skills such as equalization techniques, buoyancy control, and a number of technical emergency maneuvers to stay safe under the water. As a dive master, Theodore is trained to lead organized dives and can serve as a professional underwater guide and trainer for individuals or groups seeking certification to be divers.

Personal Life

A well-rounded athlete, Theodore Rex Walrond is a skilled lacrosse player, having participated in the sport throughout his high school career. He is a passionate outdoorsman who enjoys skiing, backpacking, and mountain climbing. He summited Mount Rainier during a four-day venture, which requires an extraordinary amount of physical strength, endurance, and technical skills to climb the 9,000 feet of vertical elevation. Furthermore, he has completed multiple backcountry backpacking trips through national parks and wilderness areas, including Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Glacier, and the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop, which is a famous 26-mile backpacking trail.

An advanced-level skier, Theodore has experienced the thrill of sliding down many well-known ski mountains, including Telluride, Vail, Park City, Sun Valley, Deer Valley, Snow Bird, and Alta, one of the very first ski resorts to exist in the United States. He enjoys the challenge of mastering each new mountain and the technical skills that can only be gained by actually doing. For each moment on the slopes, he understands it is about making a decision, the right decision. And, as Theodore sees it, the set of choices is streamlined to just a few options that must be executed in a matter of seconds. It is these moments and these thrills that make skiing, mountain climbing, and scuba diving so much fun for Theodore Rex Walrond.

In addition to his immense enjoyment of the great outdoors, Theodore is a skilled golfer and cook and enjoys playing acoustic guitar.