Humans of CLAS

What is the single best experience you have ever had in your life and how has that shaped who you are today?

Hands down making the decision to take a gap year and study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. First time in the country, not many connections - just going. I remember landing and, as I was looking out the window of the airplane thinking "what did you just get yourself into?" But, I really believe it took so much strenghth and confidence for me to do that - throughout that year I made mistakes and learned about myself, mainly by pushing myself out of my comfort zone. That year was instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today. Living in a zone of contention and international debate forced me to examine the situation from all angles and made me so much more perceptive of issues in that society and the ways in which it affected me emotionally. The picture is from Wadi Rum in Jordan (right next door to Israel) one of the most beautiful places I've been in my life. We stayed in a bedouin camp there. The bedouin are a semi- nomadic people concentrated in certain desert areas of north africa and the middle east.

Marissa is double majoring politics science and middle eastern studies with a double minor in Spanish and philosophy. She wants to go to law school one day. She enjoys running and living that healthy life!

(4/4):

Who is your greatest role model?

Rachel: "My sister is my best friend and as cliché as that sounds, we are so close. She’s been one of those people that if I didn’t have her in my life, I would be the worst person, because she brings out the crazy in me. She has a beautiful, loving heart. She’s such an amazing person to have as my older sister. She’s almost perfection. I get to see her grow. We just made a pact that we’re not going to live more than a mile radius of each other. We’re trying to stick to it."

(2/4) and (3/4)

What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to a freshman about your college experience?

Margaret: "Coming to college, I never realized how important it was to have a group of people that are your best buds and to have a community. My freshman fall semester was pretty rough because I didn’t really have anyone. I was taking really hard classes, and I didn’t feel like I had anyone but my twin sister. It was really difficult being away from home for the first time and not having anyone. Spring semester came by, and I joined Sigma Phi Lambda, a Christian sorority, which was the best decision I’ve ever made. I learned that having a community is really important and it brought me so much happiness. Now, I don’t want to go home anymore. It’s helped me emotionally and mentally. I’ve made some of my best friends. It’s important to do well in school, but when you are forty years old and you look back on your college experience, are you really going to say, “I stayed at Marston every single night, that was so much fun?” You’re going to remember those memories that you spent with your friends, like Enoing with your besties, or going to the hippodrome. I think that’s what college is all about: It’s figuring out who you are and making lifelong friends."

Katherine: “I’ve also struggled a bit being away from home and my family. I’m thankful to have my twin sister here for support. I love to write and I am interested in journalism as a career. I interned at an agency called Folio literary management in New York. I read manuscripts and write reviews for my agent saying what I liked and disliked about the manuscript. This past summer, I also worked with a publishing company called Heritage, where I edited and wrote in magazines and guides. I know I want to go into Journalism but one of the biggest struggles in pursing my future career is that there “isn’t much job security with Journalism especially with my parents both being lawyers and not really understanding the creative side of things.”

(1/4): Kathy Hossler-3rd Year Criminology Major
What is one of the biggest struggles you have gone through in your life?
Kathy: "One of the biggest struggles I've dealt with is my narrative burden and this comes from being adopted into a caucasian family. Being adopted is the biggest blessing in my life but it also comes with the burden of having to explain my life circumstances to complete strangers. All my life I have had to explain why I don't speak Chinese or explain how my adopted family is my “real” family. While it can be frustrating, I’ve learned that everyone has a story and you shouldn't make assumptions about people you don’t even know."

This week's Humans of CLAS story has 4 parts, for these 4 best friends!

"We all like to Eno together" :)

These 4 lovely friends are (in order from left to right):
1) Kathy Hossler-Third Year Criminology
Twins:
2) Katherine Odom-Tomchin-2nd year English
3) Margaret Odom-Tomchin-2nd Year Biology
4) Rachel Surette-2nd Year Public Relations

Our next Humans of CLAS post features Caroline Nickerson!

What is your greatest struggle right now?

“My greatest struggle is balancing my extra-curricular activities with my academics. I know this sounds deceptive because everyone has this struggle but I think there’s an extra layer on mine. My classes right now are not very hard- I enjoy all all of them, I love the readings-but I have an extra academic responsibility because I am starting to write my Honors Thesis. Even though I won’t have to turn it in until Spring 2017, I really want it to be good and I really don’t want to disappoint my Thesis Mentor. But because of all my other extra-curricular activities and commitments when I get home at the end of the day and I am supposed to start writing, I just go to sleep. So honestly, I just really need to schedule myself better and I really need to commit to finishing. I need to read a lot more and write a lot more. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

We're sure you'll do well Caroline! Thank you for sharing your story with us. Stay tuned for more stories from CLAS students!

Today’s Humans of CLAS post features Tanya Saikaly. She is a senior Psychology major who is on the Pre-Dental track. Tanya is involved in many community service organizations such as Alpha Epsilon Delta, Pre-Professional Service Organization (PSO), and Pre-Dental ASDA. “My favorite service organization is the PSO. It is a family to me now, and everyone is always so welcoming and engaging.” Tanya is now the treasurer of PSO and has participated in many of their service activities such as Relay for Life and Project Downtown. Tanya also utilizes Pre-health advising often and finds the advisors very helpful in answering questions about the application process to dental school. For the past few months, Tanya has been interviewing at various dental schools across the country. For fun Tanya enjoys painting at the Reitz Arts and Crafts Center, Salsa dancing, and attending Hip-hop and Zumba classes. You can often find her in the weight lifting or cardio rooms at SW Recreational Center!

All of these CLAS ambassadors have fascinating stories to share about their experiences! We want to hear yours! Please send us your stories at [email protected] so that we can share your story with the rest of UF!

Hello Fellow CLAS members! If you want to share your story, please send a submission to [email protected]!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! It's almost Friday! :)

Hello everyone! Hope your midterms are going well! Don't forget to take a moment and remember how capable and wonderful you are! That's why you're at the University of Florida! You will ACE that exam!

In other news, we are now accepting submissions for Humans of CLAS.

If you just e-mail your picture and story to

[email protected],

we will feature you sometime over the course of this school year. Your story can include things pertaining to your education, experiences, life struggles, or any personal stories you would like to share with CLAS. Please remember to include your major/minor, involvement, and year, along with any information you feel obliged to share with us. All submissions are welcome and we can't wait to hear your story!

Go Gators!

For our first post, we share the advice of the CLAS Associate Dean for Student Affairs Joe Spillane!

What advice do you have for CLAS undergraduates?

“To be proud of what they’re doing and what they’re studying, to be aware of how much they’re learning without even knowing it, to be aware of how many skills they’re acquiring without even knowing it, and to be really confident when it’s time to move on to the next big thing after graduation. [To be] confident in talking to people about who you are and what you are able to do knowing that as a group CLAS students are gonna beat just about anybody when it comes to their skills in reading, writing , critical thinking, and the experiences that they’ve accumulated in working with groups in projects and teams . These are the fundamental things that everybody needs and values far more than any kind of technical training that anyone can get. And if I had one piece of advice for CLAS students it would be to remember that. And to never listen to anybody who says “why are you majoring in X? that’s not practical.” Because the most practical thing in the world is to be a talented, capable person with skills and that’s exactly what our students are. If they keep that in mind- if they keep that confidence in mind- they’re gonna do really well for themselves.”

Please feel free to schedule an appointment with Dean Spillane and other advisors at the Academic Advising Center to learn more about how you can succeed in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences!

Officially Presenting: Humans of CLAS! Humans of CLAS is a new project that is starting up through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which aims to establish solidarity amongst the diverse and unique students of the college by featuring some of the stories that your fellow classmates, professors, and faculty has to offer!
If you are a CLAS gator, please like/share our page and help us get these stories out there!

This Week's Feature: Some of our fellow CLAS ambassadors and their stories! (In order from Left To right)

Riley O'Donnell-Junior-Biochem Major
"Finding joy in the simplest of experiences creates a daily opportunity to live an extraordinary life"

Connie Choe: Junior-Criminology and Political Science Major
"My family taught me to always put your heart and soul into everything that you do and to find joy in every aspect of your life. I strive to live that out every day. When I moved from South Korea to Florida and knew no English, I strived as hard as I could. Now I'm on my way to becoming a lawyer who will speak for those who can't."

Aldo Giaimo: Junior-Biology major
"I have citizenship in 3 countries-Italy, Columbia and the United States. The United States one is my favorite."

Kelsey Gwin: Junior-Biology and French Major
"Never limit yourself. I wanted to be part of a college that would be accepting of my wide variety of interests that make it very difficult to choose one major. As a student in CLAS, I have the ability to pursue my passion of science through a biology major while at the same time diversifying my language and culture skills with an additional major of French and Francophone studies. Thanks to the encouragement of the staff and the students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida, I am confident that I am on the right path to success in my college studies. The door of opportunities in CLAS is always open and I am so excited to welcome students of UF into this amazing college through my work as a CLAS ambassador. Where will your journey in CLAS take you?"

Natalie Hasty: Junior-English and Philosophy Major
"It's even more difficult to argue that your humanities major is practical when you have no idea what you want to do with your life. But practicality seems less significant when you're passionate about what you're learning."

Kaley Tanase: Junior-Geology and Philosophy Major
"You get the best of both worlds *cue Hannah Montana Theme song*. As a CLAS major, I can take courses related to the sciences and humanities. There is always something to learn and there are different perspectives for everything."

Bianca Jasmine: Senior-Political Science Major
"Being in CLAS means so much to me. I am a first generation college student and the transition to such a reputable institution was not that easy. There has been a lot of sweat and tears, but mostly there's been a lot of hard work. As I prepare for law school admissions, I reflect on the fact that being in CLAS has truly taught me that 'nothing will work unless you do."

Michael Samuels: Junior-Biology Major
"Life's not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Rowan Bäck: Senior- Zoology Minor: Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Concentration: Pre-Veterinary Medicine
"Aldo Leopoldo said something that resonated with me. The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, 'What good is it?'" My purpose is to show people why these things do matter."

Susan Rifai: Senior-Biochemistry major on Pre-Medical track
"I love helping other CLAS majors find their niches at UF. One of my favorite experience as a CLAS major has been volunteering with children at Shands Hospital as a part of Dream Team organization!"

University of Florida UF CLAS Ambassadors