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Meet Our Students - Ashlee

Year:

Junior

Hometown: Longboat Key, FL

Major:

Public Relations

High School: Sarasota High School

Career goal:

Public Relations Practitioner at a children's hospital

Favorite campus hangout:

Campus Recreational Center

Favorite Building on Campus: Communication and Information Sciences

Best place to eat:

Subway

Favorite campus-wide event:

Football games

Favorite campus tradition: Homecoming

Top three campus activities:

1. Intramurals
2. Greek Life
3. Totally Toned fitness class

Car, bus or bike:

Well I actually like to walk since I live on campus. I enjoy being outside in the fresh air and keeping my body in shape by walking to each of my classes.

5 things I love about USF:

1. Rocky
2. Greek life
3. my professors
4. the fitness classes
5. the quality of my education

Ashlee, Public Relations major

 

 

Why USF?...
I decided to attend USF after a visit I had to the school. USF was beautiful and still close enough to home so I could visit my family whenever I needed. USF also offered a Mass Communications program, which was something I was looking for in the school I chose.

First day ...
I was scared the first day of school. The campus was so big and I didn’t know many people here. I remember feeling like there was no way I was going to be able to find all my classes.

Living the campus life ...
My freshman year I lived in Magnolia. It was fun. One of my roommates is still my best friend today. I wish I would have lived closer to the other student dorms because I felt separated from the rest of the campus. This year I am living in the Delta Delta Delta house in Greek village. I absolutely love it. I have an amazing roommate and am close with each of the girls in the house. It’s fun living with 26 girls. There is always something to do. We get to decorate the house, cook together, study together, have movie nights, and on occasion have some mattress surfing. It’s great to be close to everything on campus and just be able to be yourself with friends you love.

Student activities ...
My sophomore year was really the first year I got involved in some of the USF organizations. I wish I would have taken advantage of my opportunities sooner. I encourage every student coming in to start looking for interesting organizations immediately. Being involved in the organizations I am today has helped me grow so much. I feel like a completely different person. The organizations have challenged me in so many ways. I have learned to speak up for what I believe in. I have learned how to communicate effectively with others. I have learned how to be organized. I have been able to work in settings that will be similar to those I will work in for my career. I am involved in PRSSA, my sorority, and the Panhellenic Council. I know many people see sorority women as a certain stereotype but being involved in a sorority has truly blessed my life. Working with the women I have has helped me learn how to work with others and delegate tasks. It has opened my eyes to the world of opportunities there are that I can take advantage of. After joining my sorority I became involved in so many other aspects of USF. I started doing community service. I started attending football games. I went out to campus wide events like homecoming, student government programs, ad club meetings, SOS, Dance Marathon, Greek Week, intramurals, and more. I do not believe I would have taken the opportunity to do these things had I not gotten involved in Greek life.

Activities ...
I love being at the gym. I enjoy attending the fitness classes and meeting new people. I also spend a lot of time in Greek Village. There is always something going on to entertain all of us. We have progressive dinners, where we pair up with a sorority and go house to house for different meals. We have field days, where sororities and fraternities do different kinds of relay activities. Some councils have their coming out shows, so I enjoy going out to watch and support them. There is a pool in Greek so sometimes me and my sisters like to go relax and get a nice tan.

Professors ...
I have had amazing professors here at USF. They have truly blessed my college experience. The professors I admire the most have come from the classes in my major. Some of my favorite professors are Julia Barnhill, Kelli Burns, and Rebecca Hagen.
Julia Barnhill taught my interpersonal communication class. She was so friendly and helpful. She helped me learn a lot about myself through each of our assignments. I could go to her for anything and knew that she would find some way to help.
Kelli Burns is teaching 2 of my public relations classes this semester. She is amazing. She loves her students and loves her job. She tries to help me in every way she can. She has stayed after class with me to discuss any concerns I may have. If I send her an email she responds promptly. She makes students feel comfortable with her. She turns boring information into something fun.
Rebecca Hagen is another amazing professor. She taught my Principles of Public Relations class. I loved how organized she was. I loved how we could succeed on tests by just coming to class. Again, she made assignments interesting. She helped prepare for a real job by giving us assignments that public relations practitioners would have to do. Completing her assignments helped me land an internship at one of the companies I interviewed. She not only has assisted me inside of class, but outside as well. I am no longer her student, but I still come to her for advice and for various projects I am working on. I am creating a recruitment booklet for the Panhellenic Council and Professor Hagen has helped me so much by teaching me what I need to know about design and printing.

Metropolitan area ...
USF’s location does affect my future plans. As a public relations major, working in a big city is pretty much a necessity. Most public relations work take place in large corporations and agencies found in major cities. Tampa is major city that has a lot to offer students looking for experience in their field. For me, I would like to work at a non-profit organization or a children’s hospital doing Public Relations work. All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg is somewhere I have considered working. I had to go there several times as a child and believe it would be a great experience to give back to the organization that has given so much to me. I think the fact that I am close to All Children’s is beneficial to me right now. I am hoping I can do an internship there in the future to see if it is the right environment for me.

Multiculturalism ...
I have benefited so much from cultural diversity here. I came from a school where cultural diversity was not prominent. Being around people from different backgrounds has helped me open mind different values and beliefs. It has made me appreciate myself and others more. There are so many amazing people this world and it is so fascinating to here about each person’s life and culture. We can learn so much from others if we are open to what others have to say. That is one thing I have learned in my time here.

Global ...
I think that goes back a little to the cultural diversity aspect. I believe being at USF has opened my eyes to other cultures and other ways of life. Being here has helped me learn how to understand and accept every one around me. I know how to think out of the box now. I have learned how to look at things form another person’s point of view. I have learned how to do what is best for everyone and not just myself. In my major, I know thinking globally is something necessary. What we do in the U.S. has an impact on all the countries around us. The advancement in technology has leveled the playing field and made it capable for us to communicate with others around the world in a matter of seconds. What happens in one country is felt around the world. I think in the next couple of years we will see more communication between countries. Even now, jobs are being outsourced to other countries to reduce cost and errors. I have learned these facts through my classes and have been taught how to work with these changes. I will be excited to see how the U.S. will grow globally in the next couple of years.

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