Meet FAU’s Distinguished First-Year Student of the Year Who’s Combining Coral Research and Campus Leadership

Domenico Guadalupe, a dynamic first-year chemistry student, earned one of Florida Atlantic’s newest and most selective honors in April when he was named the 2026 Distinguished First-Year Undergraduate Student of the Year at the university’s annual Honors Convocation. Launched in 2025, this award celebrates one extraordinary first-time-in-college (FTIC) student who excels academically, energizes campus life, and motivates fellow Owls to soar higher.

“I feel very blessed to have received the Distinguished First-Year Undergraduate Student of the Year award,” expressed Guadalupe. “I want to thank everyone who made this opportunity possible. It means so much to me that I was able to accomplish this in my first year of college.”

The recognition came with a $750 stipend, as well as a slot as a featured speaker at both the university’s Freshman Convocations on Friday, Aug. 21 and the Rising Sophomore event later in the academic year.

“The friendships you make, the connections you develop, the hardships you endure and the victories you win in these short years are memories that you will cherish for a lifetime,” shared Guadalupe during the convocation ceremony.

Driven by ambition, Guadalupe is already a WLW-ECOS Undergraduate Research Fellow, a Learning Environment and Academic Research Network (LEARN™) Scholar, a Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) recipient, and a soon-to-be University Honors Program (UHP) Coach. He is also involved in American Medical Student Association (AMSA), an organization dedicated to empowering and mobilizing future physicians.

His research also aims to make an impact. Under Vivian Merk, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and the Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Guadalupe is currently researching the iron biomineralization of Heliopora coerulea. These unusual octocorals are uniquely blue, dense skeletons that demonstrate a greater resistance to thermal stresses like bleaching. Earlier this spring, Guadalupe presented his team’s research on the “Iron Biomineralization of Blue Corals (Heliopora coerulea)” at Florida Atlantic’s 16^th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

“This study used advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to investigate the skeletal structure and elemental composition of Heliopora to better address the knowledge gaps about their biomineralization processes,” stated Guadalupe. “Our research hopes to lend new insights into the special mineral composition of this particularly resilient coral species and possibly give us new ways to combat coral bleaching, especially here in South Florida where corals and reef ecosystems are seriously affected.”