The Final Days

I’m baaaack! And the countdown is on for graduation! May 5th is just around the corner and I am overwhelmed with excitement, nerves, and my normal goofy tendencies. Next year I will continue my reign, I mean stay, at the beautiful University of Florida College of Pharmacy. I wasn’t sure on my decision until recently, and really debated over going out of state or staying at my favorite school, but of course the Gators won! Obviously I will be staying in Gainesville until we win a national championship in football or basketball, so until that Elite Eight curse is finished I’ll be  here!

My upcoming departure from undergrad has led to a lot of reflecting on my last four years. I recently came across this quote and it seems to have stuck: “You are only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with so be brave enough to let go of those who keep weighing you down.” It isn’t necessarily the most optimistic quote, but it is absolutely true. I hope in my 22 years I’ve impacted someone’s life, because I know in my 22 years I’ve been impacted by many. It’s appreciating those people that is the important part. Whether it be good or bad, each experience is a learning one and worth trying and growing from. Different people are in your lives for different reasons; whether it be to goof around with you, have heart to hearts with, study with, or all of the above. A quote from one of my favorite movies, Bridesmaids “I think if you're growing, then you're changing.” This is definitely taken out of context, but it’s certainly applicable to this graduation and growing up business!

Okay, now on to my fun memories after that emotional stuff!
A few things I will remember the most (the appropriate ones, in no particular order):

1. Gator sporting events (of course!)
2. Walking through the CALS office and getting friendly smiles from everybody. This also includes my social visits to Jenai who brightens my day!
3. Alpha Zeta shenanigans
4. CALS ambassadors
• Tiffany Lane being my favorite goofball
• Blaire Colvin being “nuts” (agronomy shoutout!)
•  Sarah Bush sarcasm
• Lauren Mayo being the sweetest, kindest person you’ll ever meet
•  J-Dubz and his BFF Flat Albert
• Ana being the crazy Brazilian
• And I know I missed people but I’m going to get cut off on this blog so I’m just going to sum up that you all made this experience the best!
5. The ridiculous amount of UF traditions to participate in, especially one of my favorites: painting the 34th street wall! It’s nearly impossible to be bored here!
6. The incredible people you will meet, especially in CALS.

If you are taking the time to read this blog, I assume you are taking the time to consider CALS for your future. And let me tell you, it’s the best decision you will ever make. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is like its own community within the expansive University of Florida. It’s the place I’ve been lucky enough to call home these last four years, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my undergraduate experience. (Perhaps less upper-division science courses, but anyways….) I am very excited to cross that stage in a few short days and move on to the next chapter in my life. CALS has helped get me where I am today, and I plan on proudly representing that diploma to the best of my abilities for the rest of my life.

GO GATORS! See you all soon :)
Kaylie Smith

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.” Dr. Seuss 

Kaylie Smith

Class: Senior
Hometown: Melbourne, Florida
Major: Biology
Specialization: Pre-professional
Minor: Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Involvement: Alpha Zeta Honors Fraternity Chancellor, Pre-Pharmacy Society, researcher in the Horticultural Sciences Department
After College: Plans to attend pharmacy school

The Value of the Minor

The best part about being a student at the University of Florida is that I can make my stay here as productive and interesting as I want.  The College of Agricultural and Life Science has truly inspired me to be, as my friends and family call me, a forever student. 

Now I don’t mean that I can’t decide what I want to do, although that does have some merit to it.  After all, who knows the exact course of their life at 22 years of age?  So, you might ask, what am I talking about?  I am talking about the fact that when I graduate in the Fall of 2013 I will have two B.S. degrees and a minor from the prestigious University of Florida.  I will have been here for nine amazing semesters, traveled to four different countries and become fluent in another language all because of my love of learning.

When I first came to UF, I didn’t have a plan.  I changed my major after I was accepted, but before I even made it through my first semester of general education classes. AKA I had preview over summer and changed my major in fall.  I changed my major to exploratory because I was so interested in both hard and social sciences and I wanted to find a subject that covered both.  At this point, I had no idea where my academic life would go. Or how long it would stretch…

When I changed my major the second time (to Natural Resource Conservation) my adviser asked me what I wanted to do.  Now like any other freshman, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I told her my ideal: working with people and promoting natural resources.  Her words to me would shape my next 3 ½ years at UF.  She asked me if I had ever considered a minor in Agricultural Communication.

Oh how that appealed to me! What an opportunity! I get to take all the fun classes in a major, only take like 5 classes in a subject, learn new skills and reach my career aspirations.  Just the idea of taking leadership classes and personality tests for college credit sounded exciting!

I love my classes in groups and teams, effective oral communication and other interesting topics.  Just having these few classes in a topic gives me an entirely new set of skills to promote on my resume.  I can now write press releases and use specific design programs. 

Taking on a minor has made my undergraduate experience so exciting and has exposed me to some entirely new ideas.  In fact it is my minor in agricultural communications that is inspiring me to go to graduate school. 

If you’re looking for a way to truly optimize your time in college or if you are a forever student like me, then a minor is the way to go.

It also really helps the indecisive people like me who don’t know exactly where they’ll be a year from today.  If you’re interested in multiple subjects, minors satisfy your curiosity. If you want to see if you are law school material, there’s a minor for that.  You want to learn another language? There’s a minor for that.  You want business skills? There’s a minor for that.  Every minor had different requirements, but they give you a gist of what the subject entails.  I guess that’s just the value of minors!

My minor, ironically, has shaped my future.  So thank you Mae, for the best advice any adviser has ever given me, and as always, Go Gators!

Michele

Michele Goodfellow
Class: Senior
Hometown: DeLand, Florida
Major: Natural Resource Conservation and Spanish
Minor: Agricultural Communications
Involvement: Collegiate FFA Secretary, Sigma Kappa Sorority, Society of American Foresters Chairwoman, Forestry Club
Hobbies: Reading, Travelling, Water Sports
After College: Plans to teach English in Latin America for a year before returning to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Communication Studies or Leadership

Going Greek

What bus route do I take to McCarty?  Where’s the best place to eat on campus? How the heck do I work e-learning?

Adjusting to a large campus such as The University of Florida can be difficult for many freshmen.  You are faced with many questions and are now forced to make decisions without the help of your parents, friends, or high school teachers. Who can you turn to when you’re in need of some help? 

A question that I am often faced with as an Ambassador by prospective students is “how do I deal with home sickness?”  My go-to answer is always to “keep yourself busy!”  The more involved you get on campus, the more people you will meet and the less home sick you will feel. 

You probably have not realized how many clubs and organizations are offered on campus or can’t figure out how to join them.  So why not get a head start with a group of friends who know the ins and outs of campus by going Greek?

I chose to go Greek because I wanted to meet people that were involved on campus that could help me get involved.  But I got so much more out of it by meeting my best friends.  My sorority sisters at Zeta Tau Alpha, a Panhellenic Fraternity, are my go-to people when I need some help on campus.  I am very likely to find an answer when there are a hundred other girls who have been through the same things I am going through.  There is a never a chance to feel home sick when you are studying with a group of “Zetas” at the library, attending an 80’s themed social, or contributing your time to raising money for breast cancer awareness.

I always recommend prospective students to give Greek organizations a chance because it makes a large campus feel homier.  But with the many options to choose from, how will you figure out which is the right fit for you?

·         If you are interested in philanthropic events, community service, and privately owned chapter houses, go with:

            Panhellenic Council (females)- 16 sororities

            Interfraternity Council (males)- 26 fraternities

·         If you are interested in cultural-specific organizations, go with:

            Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)- 7 fraternities and 5 sororities

·         If you are interested in historically-black organizations, go with:

            National Pan-Hellenic Conference (NPHC)- 4 fraternities and 4 sororities

Each fraternity and sorority values scholarship, service, leadership, and community but differ in their locations and activities.  Check out the Sorority and Fraternity Affairs page at the Student Activities and Involvement website for more information about how to join and chapter profiles (www.studentinvolvement.ufl.edu).

CALS Ambassadors Greek members: Mallory, Zeta Tau Alpha and Michele, Sigma Kappa

”Becoming a Florida Greek will provide you with personal development opportunities, close friendships, and the opportunity to affiliate with a community dedicated to scholarship, service, leadership, and community.”- Division of Student Affairs

Go Gators!

Mallory

Mallory Neumann

Class: Junior

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition

Specialization: Dietetics

Involvement: University of Florida's "Dazzlers" Dance Team, Student

Health Outreach Team Public Relations Chair,  and Zeta Tau Alpha

Panhellenic Fraternity Program Council and Philanthropy Board.

Hobbies: Dancing with the "Dazzlers" on the O'Dome's basketball court

and spending time with my "Zeta" sisters at philanthropies and community

service events.

After College: Plans to become a Registered Dietitian.

An In-Depth Look at This Thing Floridians Call "Winter"

For those of us who reside north of Tennessee, “winter” evokes memories of drinking hot chocolate by the fire after cutting down the Christmas tree, making snow igloos out of the huge snowdrifts at the end of neighbors’ driveways, endless scraping of the ice off of the windshield of our cars, and essentially spending 4-7 months dressed in an attractive ensemble of too many layers topped off with the least ridiculous hat we could find. (We probably still look ridiculous though.) I, like many northerners, have this awkward love-hate relationship with the winter season. If you just hate it you are absolutely miserable a good half of the year. If you love it you are most likely delusional or you grew up somewhere with an even harsher winter. Like Antarctica. But if you love-hate winter, you probably enjoy the beauty of fresh snow, sledding, and snuggling in a blanket by the fire but hate shoveling snow, getting your feet soaked in a puddle of slush, and digging through the driveway trying to find the morning newspaper. I fall into this category.

Therefore, if we are going to label my relationship with northern winters as love-hate, I suppose we would have to call my relationship with Florida winters something along the lines of “manic-depressive” or possibly even “paranoid schizophrenic”. At least up north you know what you’re going to get: six months of cloudy, cold, snowy darkness. Bring your parka, end of story. Down here, a day can start off at 32 degrees, jump up to 75 by the afternoon, and plunge back down to 40 by 8pm. This poses several problems. 

First, what are we going to call this season? It has been designated “winter” and correctly so according to the axial tilt of the Earth and Western tradition, but do we really feel comfortable calling 75 degrees “winter”? Just something to think about. 

Second, what are we supposed to wear? This is a serious question that I have heard more than one Floridian pose- it is cold enough to whip out your wool socks in the morning but by noon you are sure to be sweating and wishing you wore shorts that day. The solution is to either suffer being uncomfortable for part of the day or carry around half of your closet in your backpack so that you will be prepared for whatever the season brings. You might want to consider one of those rolling suitcase backpacks. They can hold more, and you are going to need it. 

Third, how is my emotional stability and well-being going to be affected by this teasingly fickle Florida winter? To spend a balmy Saturday laying out by the pool only to be forced back under my electric blanket by a cold front sweeping through on Sunday is pure torture. We just want spring already! (Which, by the way, is more like summertime if you are from up north, while summer itself is more like living in or near the mouth of an active volcano. If you’re familiar with that sort of thing). 

In the end, the happiness I feel when it’s sunny, warm, and breezy on a February afternoon on campus makes bearable all of the unpredictable fluctuations of the Florida winters. It may be short-lived, it may start to pour without a moment’s notice, but I’ll take what I can get. It’s certainly nicer than February weather where I’m from! The beautiful weather (most of the time at least) is just another one of my many reasons why it’s great to be a Florida Gator. 

Kendra Harmon
Class: Junior
Hometown: Grayslake, Illinois
Major: Food Science and Human Nutrition
Specialization: Dietetics
Involvement: Volunteer at Baby Gator, Undergraduate Nutrition Research, Gator For A Day Program, cooking class volunteer at the Gainesville VA, FSHN Club 
Hobbies: Running, cooking, reading, camping and hiking, going to see plays and spending time with friends
After College: Plans to complete a combined Master of Science/Dietetic Internship program and become a registered dietician