The Seminole Tribe’s Latchford family added another Florida State University graduate to its growing list.

Brendan Osceola Latchford graduated Dec. 15, 2023, with a degree in geography and a minor in urban planning and development. He is the third Latchford FSU graduate among his six siblings. His older brothers Brady and Bradley graduated from FSU in 2021 and 2022, respectively. His sister, Bailey Marie Osceola Latchford, entered her freshman year at the school in the summer of 2023.

Latchford finished his schooling a semester early while also caring for a new seven-month-old baby girl.

“Graduating is a heck of an accomplishment, but doing it a semester early and raising a family is a tremendous accomplishment,” Will Latchford, his father, said. “It’s a testament to his dedication, hard work, commitment to his future, and the love he has for his studies and his family. We’ve watched him grow from a curious child to a determined young man.”

Will Latchford is the tribe’s former longtime executive director of Public Safety who retired in April 2023. He is married to Amy Osceola Latchford.

Brendan Latchford said his immediate plans are to spend time with his daughter Koa Marie and his girlfriend August Riddle (Osage Nation). He said his future goal is to find a job in Florida.

“I’ll enjoy some time off and then go into a field that’s a good fit,” he said. “I learned the GIS (geographic information systems) program, mapping, coding and network analysis – skills people look for in the geography field. Geography was something that was always easy for me to learn and understand and was interesting.”

Latchford’s FSU experience began with the challenge of navigating the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The first year or two wasn’t normal. It started off slow and nothing was open, classes were online, you had to wear a mask and make appointments to go anywhere,” he said. “Everything on campus was closed, so it wasn’t the typical college experience.”

Latchford said there were times he questioned whether he wanted to stay in school, but as he entered his junior year he became more focused.

“I started to mature a little bit and saw my brothers finish their degrees and go into a field they wanted, so I thought I needed to buckle down and start to be serious,” he said. “I knew it was important to get my degree.”