First-Year Florida

Suzanne Santos

Summer B

July 2 – August 10, 2007

Table of Contents

Gatormania

Service Learning Project

Gator Speaker Series

Faculty Interview

DSO Workshop Series

Diversity Activity

Campus Resource Presentation

Advising Appointment

Saturday, July 7, 11am – 3pmJ. W. Reitz Union North Lawn & Colonnade

My roommates Alicia, Mitali and I went to Gatormania together and had a blast. We are all on the Pre-Medicine track, so together we met many other students in our

field who gave us helpful advice and even invited us to join their clubs. Through this event, I was able to network with students who share my major. I was also informed

of organizations I was eligible to join.

Gatormania

Tacachale Community

Saturday, July 14, 2007

My First-Year Florida class, the UF Women’s Basketball Team and I

spent a day doing community service at the Tacachale

Community. We interacted and communicated with the mentally

disabled residents who lived there. This project was important

because it altered my perspective of mentally ill people. It made me feel stronger towards this social

issue and encouraged me to pursue more projects like this.

Service Learning

Project

Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30pm in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom

Joel Hartter from the Foundation for Children’s Education in Uganda was the first speaker I learned from. His speech was very informative and inspirational. In college,

he was a mechanical engineer, but he told us that he wanted something more from life, but wasn’t sure what that was. Then, he visited Africa and met two other people who were trying to start up the Foundation for Children’s Education in Uganda. He joined them, and together they worked to provide teachers, schoolhouses, libraries

and supplies for the poor citizens of Uganda. He encouraged us to fulfill our dreams and to pursue what we feel strongly about in college.

Gator

Speaker Series <-Joel

Gator

Speaker SeriesWednesday, August 1, 2007 at

6:30pm at the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom

Benjamin Hebblethwaite, a lecturer in Haitian Creole at UF,

spoke to us about Dr. Paul Farmer and his experiences in Haiti. First,

he showed us Haitian art so we could get an idea of the world

from the Haitians’ perspective. Then, he talked about Haitian culture and society. Finally, he

concluded his lecture on Dr. Paul Farmer and the true adventures

he goes on in the book Mountains Beyond Mountains. Ben’s

presentation helped me further comprehend the foundation of

Haiti, as well as the effect Dr. Paul Farmer had on this poverty-

stricken country.

July 6, 2007Interviewing my Professor for Political Science was one of my

favorite assignments for First-Year Florida. Professor O’Neill is not only one of the most brilliant people I have ever met, but he

also has a great sense of humor. Hearing about his insecurities and experiences as a freshman in college helped me feel better about

my own freshman status. I am also glad I did this interview because a couple weeks later, he invited me to come to his office

and helped me prepare for the final.

Faculty Interview

DSO Workshop SeriesPoverty, War and Displacement

in the SudanDean of Students Conference

Room, August 2, 2007Peter Kok, the speaker, was born

into a poverty-stricken community in Sudan twenty-one years ago. He was separated from

his parents when he was three years old and lived in a refugee

camp which was forced to relocate several times. Six years ago, he

was flown into the United States. He earned his G.E.D., then went

to community college while learning English. Now he is a

junior at the University of Florida. This workshop changed my life because it made me realize that corruption isn’t a just theme in

history. It is still going on today, especially in place beyond

American borders.

Starbucks Date, July 21 & Campus Resource Interview August 2Alissa, Tiffany and I had a great time together. We talked about all of the interesting things that

happened to us in the past and that are going on now. Not only did we have serious conversations, but we also made each other laugh uncontrollably. We all learned from this

activity that having a different background only flavors a friendship, not ruins it. Regardless of the baggage that each of us carry, we were able to establish a friendship that will hopefully last

throughout our college careers.

Diversity Activity

Campus Resource

PresentationStudent Financial Affairs Office,

August 2, 2007

Alissa, Tiffany and I went to the Student Financial Affairs Office to

interview Ron Anderson. We learned a lot about SFA from him. For

example, before we interviewed him, we did not know students could

submit inquiries about financial aid through their website, sfa.ufl.edu. We also found out that SFA offers a work-

study program, where

students can work for the school,

and in return receive financial aid. This experience expanded my

knowledge of resources that were available to me around campus.

July 18, 2007

Dr. Leary’s Office in Rogers Hall

The Pre-Med Engineering

students I met at Gatormania

encouraged me to introduce myself to our

academic advisor, Dr. Leary. I was intimidated at

first, but then relieved, because he enthusiastically invited me

into his office. He answered all of my questions about what I should

expect and how I can get involved. He even invited me to take one of the classes

he is teaching in the fall. I am glad I was pushed by those students and FYF to visit him because now he knows my name and face before his office gets crowded with fall freshman.

Advising

Appointment

The Overall ExperienceIf it wasn’t for the assignments Professor Horton and Aysha gave out, I wouldn’t have ever known how to communicate with the rest of campus. Through this class, not only did I establish friendships with other students, but also with other faculty and staff members around campus. I am grateful that I had instructors that pushed me to talk to people that I otherwise would have been too intimidated to talk to. Gatormania, the Campus Resource interview, the faculty interview; each of these events positively formed my perspective of the University of Florida. First-Year Florida made my first semester extraordinary, compared to just “good” or “alright”.

Summary