2022 Fall Semester Recap

Fall semester is always the busiest time of year for me with football season going full force. I'm excited to have a little bit more of a relaxed pace in this spring semester that will allow me to focus more on continuing to develop S.O.S. to its fullest potential. But I promise you this fall was not taken for granted and I was able to celebrate my first full year at the University of Florida. Here's a little recap...

Football Season

This was my second season cheering on the gators as a Gatorette, or baton twirler, for football season. We perform pregame, halftime, and you can spot us shaking our props throughout the entire game. This season I performed at all 7 home games and traveled to also perform at TIAA Bank Field, Doak S. Campbell Stadium, and Allegiant Stadium for the Vegas bowl. Football season keeps me rather busy with daily practices and every Saturday being filled, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Nothing beats 90,000 roaring fans as you run out of the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's tunnel to begin pregame!

Elected to Exec?!

This year is my second year in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Last year, I held a chair position under our philanthropy department and it inspired me to want to run for VP of Philanthropy this past semester. After a stressful election process, I was honored to be chosen as the next VP of Philanthropy and create service opportunities and projects for almost 300 incredible young women. Our national philanthropy advocates for Domestic Violence Awareness and we support Peaceful Path's, a women's shelter in the Gainesville area, as much as possible. I will host to large fundraiser events for Peaceful Paths, one being in April and the other later next fall.

Serving in S.O.S. style

A lot of what I preach through Symbiosis of Service is seeking to find a good balance. I didn't have much of an open schedule this past fall, but I still found it very important to find times to go out and serve. Never once did I find service to be a hassle, but I enjoyed every free moment I had to go out into the Gainesville community. I was able to perform service with close friends of mine, which made the experiences feel that much more magical. In the instances I wasn't working alongside my friends, I used the project/event as a way to network and make new friends who share similar interests to me.

Some of the most memorable service events included setting up for the annual Guest Chefs event at Oak Lane Weddings & Events, Gator Days events on campus as an official UF volunteer, and donating over $800 worth of gifts for deserving families in Alachua County during Christmas time. I understand that events are sometimes a hassle to attend, so I also seek to find times to host drives that students on campus can participate in. Through PINK, an inclusive brand that I help represent, we held a drive for "I Support the Girls." We had over 120+ hygiene products (or boxes of product) donated to our drive!

Putting the Science in Service

I took a public speaking class that required us to give a 6-8 minute informative speech. I was intrigued and inspired by this presentation and I wanted to do more research on how stress effects college student's overall mental health and happiness. My research educated me on young adults and their psychoneuroimmunology. I know better understand the science to improved mental health through activities like volunteering. I've always known that service makes me FEEL better and I now understand more of the scientific terminology that best explains the reasoning behind this. I'll be sharing more about this in the future and continuing my research, so be on the lookout for that!

An Academic Celebration

Trying to balance baton twirling, S.O.S, club leadership obligations, and school often proves to be a challenge. This year I'm celebrating maintaining a 4.0 GPA with a total of 5 classes and 15 credits for the fall!!! It did not come easy, but I'm so proud of myself for pushing through. I hope to continue to maintain good grades in 2023...

Now, What's Next???

2023 has just begun and I have so many goals set for the new year. One already in the works is a social media challenge to spread positive vibes throughout the year. The challenge is called "365 Happy Days" and I post one TikTok everyday. The series has already received plenty of positive interactions and I'm excited to see it continue to grow even more. As I continue to find more service opportunities in the future, I will utilize this series to encourage others to also enjoy the multitude of benefits that volunteering has to offer. I'm advertising for a more positive and improved way of life for each of my peers. This is just the beginning! I have other exciting news on its way shortly!