College Graduation, Lessons Learned, & Memories Made

For the past few weeks, I’ve sat back and taken the time to read through my past blog posts, take in the Florida weather, and just reflect on the last three years in Tampa. I will be graduating from the University of Tampa in nine days…how crazy is that? It seems like just yesterday I was a scared Sophomore traveling to Tampa, unsure of what I wanted to do with my life or make friends. Looking back on everything, I would not have changed my decision or experience for the world. I have made lifelong memories, met my closest friends, and enjoyed my final years of college. It is a bittersweet time as many of my close friends stay in Tampa, but I am unsure of where I am going next. I reflect on all of my experiences inside and outside of the classroom, and ultimately, I realize that those memories are what I remember most, not studying for an exam. Now that I am about to graduate college, I wanted to sit down and take the time to share the most valuable lessons I have learned as a student as I transition into the real world. 

Don’t Be Scare to Try New Things

In high school, I had extreme anxiety as a young sixteen-year-old. I was scared to even call someone on the phone or knock on the front door. Before transferring schools, I had never even been to the city of Tampa before. Many other schools I was looking to attend possibly were all large, division I state schools. UT was by far the smallest school, a university where I knew absolutely no one. In spite of this, I took the summer to rehab my knee, focus on my internship, and mentally prepare for my new life in Florida. Once arriving on campus, I tried out new things. Convinced to try and join Greek life, I went through recruitment just to see the experience. Thereafter joining Alpha Chi Omega and fulfilling that need of wanting to meet other people, I slowly but surely began to try new things. If I had not taken the chance to try out new clubs, join Greek life, and get to know different people, my college experience would have looked much different. This piece of advice got me out of my shell, helped me form my interest, and squashed my anxiety about trying new things. 

Go With the Flow

Obviously, nothing can ever go perfectly the way you might imagine it. If you come to school in Florida, you know some sort of hurricane is just bound to happen. You could have a falling out with a friend, get a bad grade on an exam, or miss out on something (FOMO). Stress is not an uncommon friend to a college student, but in a weird way, I have learned to run on stress and be a better problem-solver because of it. Things may not go your way or meet your expectations, but if you just go with the flow and have faith that things will work out, you will be okay! Have there been a few times I wanted to switch a class? Or fought with a friend? Or missed out on something? Of course, there has been. At times, you learn you have to make sacrifices for yourself or to get something done. We learn and grow from these experiences, and eventually, our old challenges become easier for us. So as a student, going with the flow is key because it makes it much easier for yourself at the end of the day. 

Always Say Yes!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I have heard this advice from countless people multiple times. Especially in my career, I have learned to be that yes person. Being there for someone whenever they need you, not being picky, (especially as a young adult and college student), and ultimately saying yes can get you far. If you say yes enough, you are just that much eager to take on more things, test yourself, and see how far you can go! This applies in both academics and professionalism-so go say yes!

It’s Okay to Transfer

When I committed to my original University, everyone around me always told me that it was okay to transfer. That advice went in one ear and out the other as a graduating senior in high school. I was 100 percent convinced Vermont was the place for me and there was nowhere else I would rather be. People change, things change, and so that advice ultimately became my sticky note. Keeping it in mind, I applied to all of the schools I thought I was potentially interested in. Without touring any schools I applied to, I tested the waters. My parents were skeptical that I had decided to move so far away from school, but since transferring, I am SO glad that I did. It gave me a new perspective on life, from living in the North versus the South and showing myself that there are so many places you can go. If I can note one thing I can regret about my college experience although is NOT GOING ABROAD! I have been told so many wonderful stories by friends about studying abroad for one semester. Since I transferred, I took my Sophomore year to acclimate to Florida. Because of COVID-19, it made it hard to decide where I wanted to travel, so I feel like I never fully got the chance to have the experience. If you are a college student and are reading this, I hope you decide to study abroad, and if you are thinking about it, know that it is okay to transfer! 

You Don’t Need to Have it All Figured Out

This is by far the most popular advice I have been given across the board. It turns out, no one really has it figured out in life. They may seem like they do, but in reality, they are still trying to figure it out. Nearing graduation, many people expect us to have it figured out. Where are you living? What are you doing? What is your plan? Those are some overwhelming questions as I put away school and figure out a life with academic responsibilities, and now, a job or graduate school. You don’t need to have it figured out! Everyone has a completely different journey in life and understanding their wants, needs, dreams, goals, and aspirations. Figure it out as you go and embrace the present. Life is all about figuring it out, so do not rush the process of living your life. Enjoy it and learn something!

So as I reflect back on my college years, it is bittersweet. I have learned many lessons, met wonderful people, and truly valued my time here in Tampa. Because of my wonderful experience, I have learned that I enjoy challenging myself in new places. Wherever I go next, I know it may not be the same as Tampa, but I can’t wait to learn, grow, and always have this place called home to come back to. 

Internships, My Summer, and more…

Wow! It’s been so long since I have updated my personal website. I have been so busy with life recently! I finally had the opportunity to sit down and update you all on how my life has been going. Now that 2022 is quickly coming to an end, I felt that it was the perfect time to sit back and reflect on my year. Between school, internships, my summer and more, 2022 has been a great year.

Starting the year off, I completed the second half of the NFL and NHL season as a Production Runner. Getting the opportunity to work with various broadcasting networks such as ESPN, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and CBS Sports, the word I would use is exciting. The biggest highlight from this time was having the opportunity to work alongside Erin Andrews and the Fox Sports team at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Philadelphia Eagles game. Here, I got the opportunity to watch Andrews interview Tom Brady on the field at Raymond James Stadium. At 20 years old, this was a surreal moment. I had thought that was going to be the biggest highlight from my year, but it only got more thrilling.

As my Junior year came to a close, I found out that I was selected to be a part of the National Football League summer internship program. I still remember the day I found out. I had a sorority event that day and was getting my nails done with a few friends. I called my parents, screaming from excitement. This had been a lifelong goal of mine, and in that moment, I felt like I made it. I was so proud of myself, knowing that all of the hard work I had put in between academics, extracurriculars, and more, had finally paid off. I then prepared to move to Los Angeles, California for the summer. At this time, I was excited and nervous. I had only been to California once before at ten years old, but moving over 3,000 miles away from my hometown was the next step in my journey. Taking on this next step in my life, I knew it would be good for me. It was an opportunity I knew I couldn’t pass up.

Throughout the month of May, I took the time to prepare for my move and took an online course at the University of Tampa. As a transfer student, I have been hustling to graduate in May 2023 and complete all of the credits I needed in order to do so. Once June rolled around, life had become more real.

I remember the day I flew to California. I spent that entire night spending time with my two yellow labs, Otis and Urlacher, knowing I would not see them again until August. I was filled with angst, excitement, nervousness, and so many different feelings. My parents and I woke up at 3 am to drive to NYC to fly out of JFK. I said my goodbyes to my dogs and father, and my mom and I were headed to Los Angeles. Throughout that six hour flight, I took the time to soak in all of the views. The mountains of Colorado were my favorite. It had been ten years since I flew across the country, and I was ready for the warm weather and sunshine in California. This was it. I was about to start an internship at a company I had dreamt of being a part of since I was a little girl. This was going to be my summer.

Landing at the airport with my mother, we gathered our luggage and spent time with some family and friends in the Pacific Palisades. This is probably one of my favorite neighborhoods. On our morning walks, we soaked in the views of the Pacific Coast highway and Santa Monica Pier. As the start of my internship neared and my mother was about to fly back to New York, I still couldn’t believe life was real.

June sixth was the first day of my internship. I had packed my bag, charged my phone, and got my outfit ready. I wore a bright red blazer, matching pants, and Nike Air Jordan 1 Low’s. Throughout the summer, I never adjusted to the time change, so I woke up at 4:00 am and researched ‘must things to do’ in California. My mother dropped me off at the office, and in simple terms, I felt like I was starting some sort of new life. I was anxious to meet the other interns. I had never met them before, but I was so excited to be around another group of college students from various parts of the country.

I met the team and walked to my desk. Walking around the office, I was truly amazed. My desk had my name on it, which I had never had before! On my way to my office area, I walked down the stairs and passed by a familiar face. To my surprise, it was the Los Angeles Rams and Super Bowl winning Quarterback, Matthew Stafford. From day one, I hit the ground running and I was ready to work hard.

Between the months of June and August, I put my all into my internship. At times, I would arrive at the office early just to have a morning coffee and look out at SoFi stadium. From then on, I got to be a part of a variety of projects and teams. From the Hall of Fame In Memoriam Project, Back Together Saturday Los Angeles Rams Training Camp, shadowing the Social Production team, or meeting with various people across the league, no day was ever the same. That's what makes the sports industry so exciting. There is always breaking news, always something new and that is what makes me so passionate about it.

Outside of the office, I embraced living in California. I would spend my time going to workout classes in West Hollywood, visiting Griffiths Observatory, walking around downtown Culver City, or having breakfast at Hermosa Beach. I was able to attend the 2022 ESPYs in Hollywood as well. I had the opportunity to meet a variety of professional athletes such as Katie Ledecky, Odell Beckham Junior, Paul Rabil, and many more. I also got to watch notable NBA players play Saturday afternoon pickup at the Drew League in Compton. Then, I got to visit the University of Southern California, and was immediately mesmerized by the campus.

Once August came and my time as an intern was coming to an end, I began preparing for my senior year at the University of Tampa. Throughout my final week, I took the time to soak in my experience, reflect, and say my goodbyes to all of the wonderful people I had met. I had so many meaningful conversations with so many different people, which left a lasting impact on me. On my final day, I remember crying on my final drive home from the office. I had such a positive experience and I was truly going to miss it.

Being a part of the NFL internship program was, again, surreal. Growing up in New England, Super Bowl Sunday’s were always so special to me. My family would always host Super Bowl watch parties, invite friends over, and cook the best food. Especially when the Patriots won, it seemed like a holiday for us New England fans. Many of my friends would skip school and drive up to Boston for the parade.

As a female, football has always been a special part of my life. I remember swimming in the pool one day while my older brother and his friends played football in the front yard. Curious, I went up to my brother and asked him to teach me how to throw a football. His friends seemed confused, but in time, I learned how to throw a football. Not many of my other friends could, so whenever I saw people throwing a football at the beach or in gym class, I always liked jumping in. Football has and always will hold a special place in my heart.

While I only got to spend a brief two weeks and my 21st birthday back home in Connecticut, I then flew back to Tampa to begin my senior year. Getting to see my friends again face to face made me so happy. While I had such an amazing summer, I truly missed them, and I was ready to be a student again. Then, it was time to prepare for my second season as a Production Runner. Most recently, I got to work with the Amazon Prime team for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Baltimore Ravens game. This was an amazing experience, and now, I have worked as a Production Runner with every broadcast network!

Now, as Thanksgiving nears, I continue to reflect on this past year and look ahead towards my future and post-graduate life. I am continuing my search for opportunities within the field of sports, media, and entertainment. Being a woman in sports has truly empowered me. Growing up as a student-athlete my entire life, I have always valued the importance of being a team player and all the life lessons that it has taught me. When faced with the fact that my career was over due to an injury, I knew that I needed to translate that same energy and motivation into something I was truly passionate about. Instead of being an athlete, I wanted to be in a field where I could still be a part of the athletic atmosphere.

As I pave my way through school, my career, and more, I look back at 2022 and all of the wonderful things it has taught me. If I could touch on one key takeaway from this year, it would be to go after what you are passionate about. If you show up, work hard, and put your all into something you are passionate about whether it is relationships, academics, your career, or a certain goal you might have, continue working hard. Eventually, it will pay off. The world is your oyster. So far, I can say 2022 has been one of, if not the best, year of my life!

Normalizing the Conversation: Athletes and Transitioning Out

Lately in the news, I have seen more and more people come forward about their struggles once stopping their sport, whether that be graduating, injured, or just lost that passion. This topic personally resonates with me and I feel as though it should be a more talked about topic within our society.

There are many different aspects that change about a person both physically and mentally when stopping their sport. No matter football or rowing, man or woman, most athletes can relate to how hard it is to stop what they’ve known for their entire life.

As sports are continuing to reappear with more and more getting vaccinated, it’s an exciting time to be in sports (especially in Tampa Bay!). But in all seriousness, it’s been so difficult for those wanting to compete and being told no, there’s a global pandemic, you can’t do anything.

All student-athletes know is dedication-an aspect that runs their life and allows them to reach their goals. Without this, an athlete wouldn’t be an athlete. In this way, being organized and maintaining a schedule on all levels is critical once climbing the ranks whether it be collegiately or professionally.

In my case, I spent about fourteen years competitively swimming. I played every sport you can think of, but eventually narrowed it down to swimming since I enjoyed it the most while I thrived in the water. No one can tell you how life might be after stopping your sport in any way. There’s no book that gives that structure and organization to athletes on what to do or how to train after they are literally done training for anything.

So many factors can play into the struggle of losing that identity. This can be mental and physical changes, loss of structure, and even a loss of self-identity. In most cases, those invested in their collegiate sports for those four to five years only know their passion to be that sport and grinding everyday to be better. Other than that, there aren't enough hours in the day for these athletes to find what truly brings them joy and passion outside of that work.

In all honesty, I was completely lost after quitting swimming. I think walking away from the sport was the hardest thing I have had to do outside of my knee surgeries. I spent months and almost four hours everyday in physical therapy on top of those sleepless nights when it was throbbing. I wasn’t sure who I was without the sport and that scared me more than anything.

No one prepared me for the day I would make that decision to walk away. I never knew how to be a normal student without carrying the responsibilities of keeping up with my hours in the weight room, the water, and in the trainers. I had too much time on my hands that I had no idea what to do with it.

If I’m being brutally honest, I was thankful to have those few months off. It’s really difficult to physically and emotionally pull yourself together surrounded by 13,000 other students just trying to drink every weekend and get by in their classes. It’s an overwhelming scenario when you can never truly get some alone time to focus on yourself. I knew swimming was quickly coming to an end for me, so I really needed those few months to get my shit together and figure out what I really wanted to do once I could get up and walk again.

I didn’t necessarily enjoy going to the gym after giving it up either. Imagine going from an environment where you’re lifting weights with your teammates cheering you on and a lifting coach that pushes you. That push of being in that room three days a week at the crack of dawn is a lot different than being alone on a treadmill at your local gym. The switch in those two environments is EXTREMELY different-I felt like it was impossible to stay focused at the gym or do any sort of physical activity besides walking. I feel like this is most definitely something that most retired athletes can struggle with-that being, learning to push yourself when you have no one else to do it for you.

With that being said, our bodies quite literally change. I remember I would always build up on protein before competing and I would be extremely mindful before hitting the gym the night before. Quite literally, it’s so important to give your body the nutrients it needs in order to meet those goals, whether it be winning a championship or placing first in an event. So in this case, imagine completely stopping your training and nutritional pattern. It’s almost as if your body backlashes at you and just starts changing. This was a major adjustment for me, but again, I am so thankful for those few months I got to learn and grow without really having anyone tell me what my body and mind needed.

With the breakdown of physical change, it’s important to note that mental health can change a lot too. I find whenever I exert my energy after a long day of classes or sitting at my computer, I feel so much better (even if I get up not wanting to workout). With that being said, without having your friends from college around or that structure every athlete needs, mental health can decline. In my case, and with full truth, my mental health deteriorated fast.

I never usually share my mental health struggle with anyone, but I figured by sharing my experiences and what I’ve learned can really help those looking for answers. Once I got my first knee surgery, I was completely devastated. I had a lot of other things going on in my life at the time as well, so without being surrounded by my teammates and putting in the work they all expected of me coming in, it really hurt me. I was forced to watch on the sidelines while I spent all of my time in physical therapy (where I basically flat lined for three months, still in knee pain). I eventually got my second surgery a few months later, but knew it could never be back to 100%. I then decided to leave my university-I probably cried for a week straight. Looking back, I’m glad I made the difficult decision to leave. Yes, I miss my friends and my old teammates, but I had to do what was best for myself from an educational standpoint and mentally. If I was going to leave swimming behind, I think it was best that I fully walk away rather than watch from a distance in hurt for the next three years.

I took those few months in quarantine to really prepare myself physically, mentally, and emotionally for what I was getting into. I was going to school a whole flight away without anyone I knew and I wasn’t going to be swimming. Admittingly, I didn’t even feel successful during this time, you know, of finding who I was without swimming. I think I only really found peace with my decisions and my life recently. I had such a mental and physical battle with myself and the sport-but thankfully, I was given that time and space to find out what made me happy.

To the athletes that spend all of their collegiate years invested in their sport, I feel for those who haven’t been given that opportunity to find time outside of practice or competing to find a separate identity for themselves. I feel for those retired athletes that have absolutely no clue what they’re going to do without their sport. It’s a conversation that is slowly becoming more normalized, but I’m more than happy that it's finally coming to the surface and it’s a topic I feel so passionately about.

For now, I’ve found those passions outside of the water. Being my education, my friends, and pursuing whatever makes me happiest. I’m thankful that sports gave me a sense of drive and productivity while my parents taught me how to be my own person. By the end of my junior year, I’m convinced I will have to change the font of my resume to a size 2 in Times New Roman-I’ve used a lot of my time to focus on my future career. I’ve used that drive to meet my goals in sports, yes, but not competing in it, but working in a field I love dearly within the industry. Everyday, I find myself waking up in the morning to go for a run or hit the gym, (which by the way, you would never catch me doing a year ago or even during time off from sports).

With all of that being said, I want to be a part of that conversation. I want to help those athletes that are struggling to find themselves whether it's in college or after retiring from a year in the leagues. We never got that time in our days to find out what makes us happy in our lifetime-I wish I could say there are more hours in the day, but there aren’t. It’s important that retired athletes or those who were forced to walk away continue to normalize that it’s okay to struggle with yourself once you leave. It’s such a hard thing to grasp, but I’m thankful enough that I found peace and happiness with it. I’m looking forward to the honest conversation that those in the community can have about this sort of thing. We grow up with all of these goals, but we are never taught about endings-they’re sad, but figuring out what something that comes to an end can mean for us as individual people. That’s why normalizing this is so important, to make sure that those who put effort for their team can support themselves individually and find different goals and drives.

Working at the Super Bowl and a Hometown Win!

After successfully finishing my first semester at the University of Tampa, I can say proudly it was a good one. I met so many wonderful people, had some amazing experiences, and got to finally learn first hand the subjects I was most interested in. I had so many opportunities to grow both professionally and personally, especially when the Super Bowl came to town.

During the fall semester, it was typical that I received sports opportunities via email in the Tampa Bay area. In this case, I saw in capital bold letters ‘SUPER BOWL LV VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES’. I immediately clicked the email to reveal a few pages of opportunities in the area for the upcoming event. I filled out the application as soon as I finished reading that email. I was eagerly awaiting what might come of this.

Time went by and the semester had ended, and with winter break approaching, I got ready to head home back to cold and snowy Connecticut. I wasn’t all too fond of heading home, but I knew it would be nice to see my family and get a break from living in my tiny dorm room. Once arriving home, I became bored pretty fast. Although, right when I landed, I received an email about the opportunity I had applied for to be volunteering at the Super Bowl. I was over the moon that I was even being considered.

Once finishing my finals, I talked almost every day to my parents about how excited I was for the Super Bowl to come to Tampa. Growing up in New England, just about everyone I knew was a Patriots fan, especially of legendary Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. It seemed as though I transferred at the perfect time when they decided to play for the Buccaneers.

Once the interview came around, I was more nervous than I ever had been before. I remember frantically going over my resume multiple times over so I could be prepared for any and all questions. Unexpectedly, it went much better than I thought...I landed a spot to work at the NFL Experience AND at the Super Bowl on Gameday. I couldn’t be more excited to get back to Tampa and be in the excitement of it all. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I almost felt as though everything in my life worked out for a reason. To be a young college student going to school in the same city as the Super Bowl? What more could I ask for?

I bragged to just about everyone in my family that I got the job. As both of my parents are in the sports industry, it made me happy that they were proud of me to land this sort of thing. Break quickly came to an end, and before I knew it, I landed in Tampa with a smile on my face knowing the big game was in a few short weeks.

On my first day of work, although, things didn’t exactly go as planned. I had completely forgotten that I needed specific credentials to get into the building. In order to get it, I had to walk about 5 miles. It was 8:30 a.m. in 70-degree weather and I wasn’t all too fond of walking that far by myself-but, I made it work. I came back as quickly as possible and I was ready to work.

My time working at the NFL Experience flew by very fast. It was lots of fun knowing some of the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes and an even bigger dream to be a part of it. During my breaks, I would be sure to walk around the set up and take it all in. My favorite was the NFL Museum of every professional team in the league. I was able to walk around and see shoes and helmets signed by the biggest current and past players. Growing up, I knew nothing but sports. I would constantly be watching sports with my family or spending time in my parents’ office up in Bristol watching even more than I already did at home. To think that I got to be attending the biggest sporting event of the year? It was so unreal to me...to this day, I still can’t believe I did it.

Once this part of the job came to a close, it was time to gear up for my position on game day. In all honesty, I didn’t know a single person at my school who was working the same position as me. It made it hard because it was out of my comfort zone, you know, being with all of these strangers and not knowing a single person. Despite this, I knew it was something I needed to do in order to be prepared for professional opportunities in the future, such as stepping into a brand new job where I may just not know any of my co-workers.

All of us were called to a meeting a few days prior to the game to discuss fan safety. I had expected that we would be meeting at some high school or at the Tampa Convention Center...but to my surprise, we got to go into the stadium. By doing so and sitting through the meeting while time went by, I only became more ecstatic. I was in awe and basically fangirling over the Super Bowl.

The night before, I tried to get to bed at 9 p.m. sharp. I did everything right, but I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. I tossed and turned all night because I kept thinking about the game and the uproar of excitement the city would have if the Buccaneers won. What if I mess up? What if something goes horribly wrong and it’s on National News? Will I see a celebrity? I barely got any sleep that night and had to be up and there by 10 a.m.

I finally arrived at the stadium and received about 15 different phone calls from my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Everyone was wishing me luck and asking me to send photos, but I was way too tired to even talk to anyone at that hour. It wasn’t until I got past security and into my workstation where I heard and got a glimpse of Miley Cyrus rehearsing that it was all really happening.

The day went by and I did what I helped people coming into the game. I made sure to let them know where they were going, where to park, and any sort of questions they had about being a guest. I was extremely jealous of every person that came into the stadium considering they had a ticket to the game. Although, I was still excited, despite the fact I wasn’t an attendee. With every person that came to the stadium, I cheered with them as they yelled Go Bucs or Go Chiefs! (yes, I even cheered with the chiefs fans, even though I was definitely not rooting for them).

By the time the game came to an end, I had been on my feet all day. It was still challenging to be standing for that long considering I had my two knee surgeries less than a year prior. I didn’t mind the knee pain because I wanted to get the full experience of being a part of it all. I knew once the fireworks went off that the city was about to go CRAZY! I even cried once they won because I got to watch them win in person. I wish my parents could have been there to make it all the better.

When driving home, I knew everyone finally felt the excitement I had been feeling for the past few months. To have a rare hometown win on Super Bowl Sunday AFTER winning the Stanley Cup was legendary. The chaos I got to see by the fans was unreal. I was too exhausted from working, so I went directly to bed, but oh man, was I proud to live in Tampa Bay and be a Bucs fan.

All in all, I would not have traded my experience for the world. I am so grateful things worked out where I got to be a small part in such a huge event. By working under the National Football League, it truly made me appreciate event management and all of the work thousands do to make sure it runs perfectly. I still can’t wrap my head around it all, but, I can’t thank the University of Tampa enough for presenting the opportunity to me in the first place. It is an experience I will remember forever and I can’t wait for more opportunities to come!

Setting It Apart From All The Rest

Ever since I was a young kid, I constantly thought about my future and what I really wanted to do with my life. I felt like if I wanted to stand out from the crowd or be special from everyone else, constantly feeling like I needed to offer something unique. At that point in my life, all I really cared about was Swimming and getting my homework done. In all honesty, at the age of 13, I wasn’t exactly the most academically inclined student either. Everyday was the same old routine of practice, school, practice again, homework, and from time to time, putting some small time in the weight room. The question always pressed me and sat in the back of my mind and I always felt the pressure of needing to solve the primary question: Aren’t you going to figure out what you’re going to do with the rest of your life? I was convinced swimming was everything I needed.

By the time I got to High School, things really started getting more and more busy. Trying to balance both High School Swim Season and constant Club Swimming all year-round right after became chaotic and kept me pretty busy. As I said before, I was never the smartest kid in the room, but I knew I had some potential, most especially in my English and History classes. I never found myself enjoying any of the Science or Math classes, but I liked the opportunity to be creative in school. Meanwhile, I already started hearing about desirable career paths from my friends. The conversation always started with something along the lines of, “So, what do you plan to do after college? Where have you started looking at colleges? Well, do you have enough extracurriculars?”. It was so overwhelming, but my answer was always just “Swimming”.

When I was around ten years old, my parents thought it would finally be a great idea to take us to California. I had never been, but I knew my mom had family out there. I had only ever pictured California as a place solely meant for surfing, Hollywood, and pretty much a place where people escape to do whatever they want. Once we get there, my dad made sure he found a spot for me to train so I wouldn’t miss out on any practice. Eventually, my Dad even thought it would be a good idea to take me on a tour of UCLA. I remember so clearly driving up the mountains and looking at the breathtaking views, only to arrive on campus feeling like I was in a sophisticated version of the Jungle Book-it was beautiful. Nonetheless, I was shown the multiple pools they had on campus. I was in awe and that’s when I realized Swimming just HAD to be it. My Dad always reminded me growing up that sports opened up such a large gateway for opportunities and this is where I finally realized it to be true.

By the time my Senior Year rolled around, I had taken a few recruiting trips to a few different schools along with constant emails to multiple different coaches, and even hand written letters. It was such an exciting time to realize: Wow, it’s almost the home stretch and now it gets to be my decision where I go next! Although, what really lingered in my mind was what I wanted to major in-I didn’t want to go into college undecided, because I just never did well with any sort of personal suspense. Many of my friends constantly talked about going into the medical field and I figured that could be something interesting to pursue. I researched it further and realized being a Physician’s Assistant sounded like a great career to pursue. Sadly, by the time I finished up my senior year, I knew I could never take another Physics class again...and therefore, my dream of being in the medical field was gone.

Considering the classes I enjoyed in High School, I found myself most intrigued by English. I really found myself passionate about writing and eventually became a natural with sentence structure and storytelling despite my lack of interest in elementary school Grammar. Therefore, I decided to apply to colleges as an English major. Although, I felt like something was missing from that. By the time I committed and reviewed the classes I was required to take, I wasn’t all too fond of it. I asked myself, what about learning about something new rather than books? What is there to do with an English degree? I researched further and found that yes, in fact, there were so many career paths to fill with that major...but I just kept feeling like I needed MORE.

Just about a month before I left for college, I told many in my close circle my personal concerns on the lack of academic fulfillment English was prepared to give me. I constantly circled back to this topic with my mother at the dinner table, and she continued to suggest Public Relations. I had never heard anyone talk about that field before, let alone being a Communications Major. Whenever I thought of that, I always thought it was related to some sort of human biological study on motor and verbal skills, but, obviously I was wrong. At the last second before I was off for college, I changed my major to Public Communications.

Once I got to college, I actually enjoyed my Public Communications classes. The Professor was pretty passionate about teaching our intro course, but I still found it pretty interesting. She was so great that I even decided to take a winter course (which really helped set up my LinkedIn profile, by the way!). On the downside, the school I was at had no specific Communications Program...Journalism? Public Relations? Digital Marketing? Nope. Once it came to transfer, I knew more than ever that all I wanted to do was take Public Relations & Marketing classes-I knew I was ready for a change, a next step, and something new that I actually enjoyed learning more about and even starting some sort of career in.

After completing my Sophomore year at a brand new University, I can happily say I’m satisfied with what I’ve learned so far. I’m even more excited to continue learning, especially taking the more advanced classes within my major. For reasons unknown, I always find myself excited to actually put in the work. Maybe it’s my mind's way of jumping at an opportunity to get better at something rather than athletics, but even the busy work of taking notes and reading I end up enjoying. As all college kids do at some point or another, classes and work can be both stressful and exhausting, which I can definitely agree with. Although, in the end, I find myself relieved and happy to be doing it.

I titled this article the way I did to really emphasize the difference in what I want to do apart from all the rest because it truly is something special compared to others. After learning all that I have for myself whether it’s emotionally, academically, etc, I’ve ended up at this point...and I’m happy with it. I hear from time and time again that my friends complain about how hard their classes can be, how much work or studying they have to do, and even how they can’t stand to sit in a two hour zoom lecture with their cameras turned off and mic muted. I can understand that, which I admittedly do from time to time, but in the end, I enjoy it. I enjoy putting in the work, going the extra mile when I don’t necessarily want to, and even asking all the questions I do (I think almost any one of my professors so far can detest for the amount of questions I email them). If there is anything I want you guys to take away from reading this, it’s that you don’t need to plan the rest of your life right away, and a lot of times, it’s better to plan as things happen. Never did my ten year old self ever think I would end up going to school in Florida, let alone be in the Communications field.

So, don’t stress over the big questions. Address the small parts of the question first in order to finalize an answer to the big one. By taking one small step at a time, you can successfully answer questions about your life and figure out what excites you versus what may not necessarily intrigue you. I’ve found that it’s important to embrace the experiences, memories, and overall what you learn from other people and even in school rather than disregarding suggestions. Being open to opportunities, change, and learning new things is truly what is going to help you find where you want to be throughout your college experience and future work.

My Top Rated Shows & Movies That Every Girl Should Watch.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if Netflix gave me an award for “Most Dedicated Watcher”, but I’m sure we can all relate. I’ve found a lot of time to watch so many different shows and movies that have been suggested to me or that I’ve suddenly just found. I’m sure many of you are still at home not finding too many things to watch, but these are definitely some of my top picks to date.

1.) Beautiful Boy

This is absolutely one of my favorite movie to date. Starring fan favorite’s Timothee Chalamet & Steve Carrell, Beautiful Boy follows the life of Nicolas Sheff, a simple teenager just trying to get his life together. Although, things take a turn as he ends up finding an addiction to different drugs, most specifically, meth. The narrator of the story, his father, constantly finds himself searching for what he could have possibly done wrong as a parent or how he can help his son. The movie follows his life in and out of rehab and his struggle with drugs and the realities of relapsing. This movie is based off of a true story and is also based on the Best-Selling Book, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey by David Sheff. I give this movie a 10/10. You can find this move on Amazon Prime for Free!

2.) Euphoria

I’m sure many of you already know about this show, but it will never not be a fan favorite of mine. I was late to the game on this one because I was very skeptical of the plot line, but after finishing the first season in a matter of days, I can’t wait until the upcoming season. I even almost found myself writing Midterm on it for the topic on Visual Perspectives, but I was sad when I got excused from it with an automatic A when I truly wanted to write about it.

This show is an HBO Original Series that follows the life of Rue, a girl that struggles with Dyslexia and her path with drug addiction after the passing of her father. Not only does the show follow her own experiences, but it follows many different real life struggles with adolescents. Some topics the show addresses is Domestic Violence, Drugs, Sex and Orientation, and overall, high schoolers facing real life traumas and how it effects their lives. Zendaya most recently won an Emmy for most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. I also give this show a 10/10 and it’s available on HBO Max with a subscription.

3.) The Crown

I’ve pretty much been a history buff my entire life, but I have always been interested in the Political System and Royal Family of England. The Crown follows the life of Queen Elizabeth and her reign from her father’s death until the most recent series involving Princess Diana. The drama series captures a perfect outlook on many of the realities that Queen Elizabeth faced in her reign and even gave me knowledge into major historical events I just never knew about. If you’re into history and drama while looking for something based on a true story, this is such a good show to watch. They just released the fourth season with about ten episodes in each and it available on Netflix!

4.) Life Itself

This movie was definitely a hard one to keep up with, but enjoyable in the end. This movie made me feel so many different emotions at once and was both beautiful and sad at the same time. This movie follows the lives of college sweethearts Will and Abby as they get married and fall in love. Throughout the movie, in some way, they are connected to other people with completely different stories of those in Spain dealing with life difficulties. The story and plot line is both complex but fascinating and is pretty intriguing with unexpected popups. If you have Amazon Prime Video, watch it!

5.) The Queen’s Gambit

This newly released drama series was definitely an interesting one to watch. The series is in fact based on a fictional book and is based on the life of Beth Harmon, an orphan who finds herself learning how to play chess by the home’s janitor and becomes a prodigy. Based on a time era in the 1950’s, the game of chess was known to be a mans game at the time, whereas Beth steps in and shows them whose boss. This series was a great watch and is pretty highly rated on Netflix right now.

6.) Rebecca

This film is also a new release on Netflix and is a mix of Psychological, Mystery, Horror, and Romance. This new movie follows the life of a young girl who ends up meeting a wealthy widower named Max De Winter in the Summer in Paris. The two fall in love and decide to get married, where the girl eventually finds herself living in the shadow of De Winter’s deceased wife, Rebecca and continues to be filled with the thought of her presence still living in the house while trying to find answers of what exactly happened to her. This movie was filled with rollercoasters and pivotal moments of a drama movie. If you have Netflix I highly suggest you give it a watch!

I hope these recommendations were helpful and if you ever find yourself stuck with nothing to watch, definitely gives these a watch if you have a subscription with any of the platforms!

- Shannon

5 Tips for Any Girl Getting Started in PR

In all honesty, I’m still a beginner myself since I still am in college and only just started taking PR classes. Although, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know so many different great professors, network with so many of my friends, and form great relationships and learn from so many people! I wanted to give seven significant tips that I’ve found helpful so far when trying to find in where I can fit in as a young college girl looking to get into Public Relations.

1.) Don’t be afraid to apply for something when you feel intimidated; things are always changing!

When looking through job after job or company postings about possible internships, I always get extremely disappointed when it says “College Graduate” or Must be “____…”. In all honesty, try and go for it anyways! Don’t be intimidated by the application. I’ve come to find that employers like people that are go getters. For example, I was sent an internship by a professor that thought I could be a great fit for the job. I was pretty perplexed to review the requirements, only to find that they were looking someone a year or two older than I was. I decided to apply anyways, because it never hurts to try right? To my surprise, I got an interview and got it! With that being said, if you think you would be a good fit, then it can never hurt to apply for it.

2.) Get Curious & Creative

When I was a kid and even throughout High School, I was never the kid who was getting awards for oil canvas painting at the local art show or had any creative or even noticeable talent as a liberal arts prodigy. In this case, as I got older, I became more curious about the complex world of fashion, writing, music, etc, and it opened my eyes to a lot more than what I was just taught in school or what might have been expected of me. I got more curious about what “art” can be considered as. Art isn’t just a painting, but rather, it’s the sum of a unique perspective and what we the people consider interpretation in art. That may sound confusing, but hear me out. I’ve always been interested in photography, but not necessarily the technicalities of camera angles, usage, and the history of its development. Rather, I enjoying the uniqueness of it all, how people can create collages and use different filters to make something unique, especially with color. This led me to learning about Canva and LightRoom, where both are super simple sights that you can use to create a sort of digital poster, announcement, or summarization of messages, while LightRoom is best when needing to use a Preset. I hope one day I can learn a lot more about Graphic Design and Photo Shop, but I would definitely explore those apps first when getting curious about simple and complex photographs.

3.) Ask for help from your friends, TA’s, and Professors

Once showing my TA my Resume this past semester, I never even realized how disorganized it actually was. Credit to him, he had so much experience in his field, he was a Resume-Pro. He really helped me get my resume down to the cold hard facts about my skillset, experience, and my professional background. Without asking him for help, I definitely would have been in rough shape to say the least. I was always nervous to ask other people for help growing up, in fear of just waisting their time or bothering them. People are more willing to help you than you think! They were there once too! So don’t be afraid to ask for help whether it be on your Resume, Cover Letter, even Class Schedule…help goes both ways!

4.) Network! Network! Network!

Networking is one of the most important things I’ve found when trying to get involved in the first steps of your professional career. Thankfully, during my Freshman year of college over winter break, my mom thought it would be a good idea to take a LinkedIn class to not only get a credit or two, but learn how the platform works and set up a professional account. I’ve been able to connect with so many different people all while it is easy to navigate. Along with this, reaching out to potential people that are friends of friends or even a complete stranger that is in your field of profession, it helps build your professional network and get insight in the industry.

5.) Starting anywhere is starting somewhere

I know that may sound extremely corny, but hear me out. In Public Relations, it essential to know how to communicate across all forms, which is why even having a job in high school is the best place to start. Throughout high school I was a babysitter, a lifeguard, and even a restaurant hostess, and it really helped me get comfortable communicating and talking to people. I am already such an outgoing person, but by starting to work anywhere as soon as possible helps in more ways than you might think.

These tips above are definitely some of the most helpful things that I’ve learned during my time in college along with the consideration of my professional experiences thus far. From high school or college until after, getting as many skills and growing them as much as you can really prepares you for the business world as a young adult. I hope this helped!

- Shannon

Learning How to Be a “New” College Student…1,000 miles away.

For every college Freshman, one of the hardest things to do is finally leave their hometown, their friends, and their parents that raised them for the past 18 years. In some ways more than others, we all find those moments where we might miss our dog at home, the Friday Night Football Games, and even the early morning Dunkin’ Donuts’ stops before rushing to our first period English class. Although, no college Freshman can predict on their very first day of classes that they will be at a different school the next year, let alone, being over 1,000 miles away from home.

As an incoming college Freshman, I was set on a swimming scholarship at my brand new University. Only being four hours away from home, I knew I always had the option to get away for a weekend if I could ever find the time away from practice. It’s definitely an overwhelming feeling-ya know, going from having your own bedroom to having to share a dorm room and communal bathroom with complete strangers. It’s a crazy situation us kids are thrown into so suddenly, but we adapt, learn, and try our best to introduce ourselves to the other freshman without coming off as being that weird new kid.

The beauty of going into college as an athlete, although, is having your teammates by your side. You’ve already met the upperclassmen on your new team, you know the coaches, and the new group of freshman you get to be with are going to be going through it together and learning the new normal. It’s an exciting time in your life to have the opportunity to be put into a situation you have been dreaming for since ten years old, but, do you ever have a plan B if that goes wrong? I don’t think anyone really does.

I never realized how serious my injury actually was until time went by and my knee just kept getting bigger. At the start of my Freshman season, I found that I had a hole in my kneecap and had to get surgery (eventually a second one just a few months later). Many people subtly tried to let me know, telling me how much physical work it was going to take to get back to normal and be an even better athlete physically than before. I knew this to be true, but I don’t think anyone can imagine how hard it actually is until they go through the experience itself. After going through it twice, I don’t wish it upon anyone, especially battle of walking on crutches across a college campus five times a day. I put a lot of dedication into my daily rehab at the trainers. A lot of people may not realize it, but getting injured as a college athlete and trying your best to get physically better requires just as much mental focus and physical dedication as it does to be a fully healthy one.

After getting through the first knee surgery and hours of time spent trying to get healthier all while trying to balance a full college course load, I didn’t find my knee getting much better. Come to realize a few weeks later down the line I had to get yet another knee surgery-lucky me, more work! At this point, I knew my body was telling me it was time to stop trying to get back in the water. I knew it was the right signs, I just refused to listen because I was all too driven to prove to myself that I could do it. After realizing that was the decision I had to make, I knew it would be too difficult to watch my teammates do it without me-the sport I loved forever without me in it? I couldn’t sit around and watch. It was time to focus on my academics and what I was truly passionate about rather than just swimming.

I ended up applying to many different schools, getting into most of them, but in the age of COVID-19 where traveling was unsafe, it was tough trying to make a decision when I hadn’t even seen any of the campuses in person. Lucky for me, I had a few friends at almost every University I was accepted to, so I was able to at least get some sort of perspective from the students. Ultimately, I discussed the decision more times than I can remember with my parents and finally chose the University of Tampa. As a kid coming from a small town in New England, I was obviously extatic about getting to go to school in Florida. The one problem I really had to consider now is packing as little as I could, especially because I had to hop on a two plus hour plane ride to get to and from school now. It was a big change both in atmosphere and in my education, but I was excited for change after solely focusing on knee rehabilitation for practically an entire year.

Once I stepped on campus, it was both exciting and a little strange. I was a Sophomore, a lot of people already knew each other whereas I didn’t really know too many people and felt slightly out of place. As a person, I have always been known to be super outgoing, but I always got shy around new people. What really helped was that despite going to school so far in the South, most of us grew up in New England or around it. As school started up, it wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world since the pandemic was still in full force; although, I decided I needed to embrace the downtime I had to figure out what made me happy in such a weird time and new place.

As I started my classes, I was focused on setting myself up for success for the rest of the semester so I didn’t ever worry about falling behind: so, I came up with a plan. Most of my classes were on Monday’s and Tuesday’s where every assignment for the week was announced and listed on our syllabus. Once I ended class in the late morning, I made sure to fully charge my laptop and head over to Starbucks across campus and work there until I got about 50-75% of my assignments for the week done. To my credit, this system ended up actually working since I got so much freetime by the end of the week, and eventually, a 4.0 GPA.

By September, I was pretty comfortable where I was with academics, but I knew I needed to put myself out there and meet more people. Thankfully, I had a few classes in person sometimes, one of them being my Transfer Seminar where it was a class solely filled with Sophomore Transfer students. Although, this just wasn’t enough for my social being, so I decided to sign up to rush for a sorority. Never in my life did I ever think I would be apart of Greek Life since I was always focused on being an athlete-although, my life was changing, and I just had to accept the change and go along with it.

I’m not going to lie…I was extremely nervous going through the whole virtual rush process since I knew absolutely no one and nor had I ever had to go through something like that before. I always heard horror stories from girls that they got dropped all together or didn’t get the sorority they wanted to be in…this didn’t bother me all that much, because I knew whatever happened was the way it was meant to be. To my surprise, my new University had an Alpha Chi Omega chapter, the sorority I had some friends in at my old school. To my luck, everything worked out and I was a new member of Alpha Chi Omega Class!

After joining the sorority, my life was full speed ahead. Whether us girls were doing a zoom call on a Wednesday night or social distancing and meeting one another on campus, I was meeting so many different people. At first I was pretty shy meeting these new girls, but I just naturally fell into friendships with these girls and was able to be myself. In this case, I should say my newer self; I always found “student-athlete” apart of my identity, but now, I was just Shannon. I never expected to meet so many wonderful girls in not just my sorority, but others on campus as well, and even my closest and best friend…to be honest, I have never met anyone more like me than her.

All in all, I have to say my first semester was a success. Despite the whole pandemic thing, I can confidently say that I found my rightful place. By stepping into a new light and allowing others to get to know me, I just naturally fell into the comfort of being myself and navigating what I actually enjoyed doing. I enjoy making other people happy and bringing a bright and smiling face to other people-so I joined a sorority! I even plan on getting much more involved when I get back next semester, which I’m honestly so excited about!

After writing this, I feel like there’s a lot that HAS to be summed up for transferring to a brand new school so far away; but honestly, it’s a lot less complicated than many might think it would have been. If there is one takeaway I could mention from my experience, it certainly has to be embracing the change and letting life hit you with challenges and opportunities. I know that might sound corny, but by trusting life as it comes at you and trusting your gut to figure out what you truly enjoy, things will come easily after. If I decided to stay in my own shell without putting myself out there as a person, I definitely would not have had the experience that I had. Overall, I ended up doing the best I have ever done in school and feeling the happiest both physically and mentally. It’s never too late or too risky to make a decision for yourself, it’s all about what you allow life to throw at you and how you choose to navigate through it.

- Shannon