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Why USF?...
I decided to attend USF after realizing that the out of state schools
I had applied to were outrageously expensive. USF is an hour and a half
from my hometown and I didn't want to attend one of the universities
that everyone from my high school went to. USF offers a lot of options
when it comes to majors and I really liked that scheduling an
appointment and speaking with an advisor was very simple. |
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First Day...
My first day on campus was great. I was lucky because even though I
chose to live off campus my first year, I had recently gone through
Sorority Recruitment and had 80 new sisters to help me find my way.
Everyone from my organization wore the same shirts for the first day of
class so we could recognize each other on campus. I had lunch at the
Subway in front of Cooper Hall with my new sisters and I remember
thinking about how lucky I was in making my last minute decision to come
to USF. I felt very at home and was excited to start my college career
with a great new group of friends. |
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Living the campus life ...
I've lived both on and off campus. For my freshman year I chose to
live in a 2/2 apartment with a friend. It was really nice because I had
my own bathroom and a kitchen to cook in, but I felt like I was missing
part of the college experience. For my sophomore year I chose to live
with 28 of my sisters in Greek Village and it was the best experience of
my entire life. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Living in a dorm
atmosphere there was always someone around to go grab food with, head to
80's ladies night, catch the
Bull Runner to the library or just watch
Grey's Anatomy on the couch.
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Student activities ...
I'm currently a member of an amazing sorority on campus. Being a
member of this organization has made my college experience what it is.
It has helped me to develop as a leader and an individual and given me a
family away from home. Being in a sorority has meant having people to
paint my face with and go to games during football season, working with
Girl Scouts to boost their confidence levels, putting on a pair of
gloves and picking up trash in the local community and sharing clothing
and jewelry to go out to the local hangouts. It has also meant joining
up with other Greek organizations to participate in large events like
Homecoming and Greek Week.
My freshman year my sorority participated in
Stampede of Service
06,
after this experience helping out the local community, I decided to join
the
Stampede of Service
07 committee and helped plan the largest
community service project USF participates in.
Through one of my sisters serving as a Senator for the College of Arts
and Sciences, I was introduced to Student Government and I am about to
begin my 2nd term as a member of the Executive Cabinet. It is through
these affiliations that I am able to enrich my experience at USF and the
experience of other students as well.
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Activities ...
Going to the Tampa Brickyard with my sisters on Wednesday nights is my
absolute favorite thing to do. They play 80's music and its just about
the girls. I also love the Meridian Hookah Lounge, my friends and I have
found that its a great place to just hang out or to study when big exams
come up. |
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Professors ...
I've had a mix of amazing and not so good professors as can be
expected at any university. However, no professor will ever top Dr.
Linda Lucas, I took a Women in the Developing World class with her
during the Spring 2007 semester and she offered to take 5 of her
students to an International Conference in Bangkok, Thailand this
summer. Within 3 months, she had helped us apply and receive funding
from USF and organized a tour of the entire country for 3 weeks before
the conference began. She took time to plan and organize an entire
course so that we could receive credit for doing research in a field of
our own choice and helped us get accepted to present our findings at the
International conference. I never thought it would be possible for me to
travel half way around the world in college and on top of being able to
do that I was able to speak to women who had been working in my major
for over 50 years from all around the world. |
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Research ...
As I mentioned above I did research for my course and trip with Dr.
Lucas. This was the first time I had ever done anything like it, it was
pretty scary at the start, but having an amazing professor helped ease
me into being successful in my project. I decided to research Sex Work
in Thailand and prior to my trip read approximately 25 articles on the
topic, once in the country I traveled to the popular spots where sex
work occurred and even had the opportunity to speak with some of the
women through a translator. |
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Multiculturalism ...
Cultural diversity has really helped me to learn a lot about other
countries and societies around the world. Working on campus allowed me
to meet students who were active in the
Muslim Student Association, they
were able to open my eyes to a lot of the traditions that I had never
understood before. I know that these relationships will help me with my
future travels around the world. |
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Metropolitan area ...
Being in Tampa there are a multitude of opportunities to work for
government offices. One of my sisters currently interns for a local
politician and I see this as a bright possibility in my future. Working
in one of these offices will give me the hands on experience as to how
the government runs and introduce me to connections that I can use when
trying to get an initial job for an NGO in DC. |
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Global ...
I think my Research trip to Thailand this summer has given me a
greater appreciation for the global knowledge I gain at USF. Attending the
conference allowed me to make connections with several women and men around the
world. In addition the trip has also encouraged me to complete a minor at USF in
International Relations. |
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