To Whom It May Concern:
I am a current Innovation Academy sophomore on a pre-veterinarian track, and I must tell you my perspective on what is really happening within IA. The perspective you have been broadcasting is that of how a minority of the students in the program really feel. In fact, you would have known this had you taken the time to interview a third cohort IA student. This third cohort actually did a lot more than just check a little gray box. They wrote essays as to why they specifically wanted to be in this program over the general admission.
Believe it or not, there are actually many more pros than cons to IA. First of all, the fact that we start in Spring semester allows the university to admit more students per year and keeps the school running year-round.
Second, we get priority registration for all of our classes, so getting the classes you need is not a problem at all. We even get our own personal advisers who take an interest in us.
Personally, I enjoy having my Fall semester off. I get to intern longer, focus on my research, get all of my clinical hours logged for veterinary admissions in a timely fashion, study for the graduate school entrance exam and will be able to apply to veterinary school, all without it interfering with a heavy course load of classes at the same time.
Third, IA is home to numerous campuswide leaders such as Sen. Hammaad Saber, Entrepreneurship Club President David Nassau, Hispanic Student Association President Estevan Torres, Black Student Union Treasurer-elect Ashley Aristide and Public Relations Student Society of America Vice President-elect Natalia Tamayo — just to name a few of the many talented leaders who have come out of IA. These are people who have and will continue to change and shape the campus culture.
Lastly, last time I checked, innovation was what employers were looking for and what the Gainesville start-up community has been looking for. That’s part of the whole reason UF has invested so much in the Innovation Square and Infinity Hall projects.
IA is more than just a Living Learning Community. It’s a family. We all support each other and push each other to become the best people we can be. It’s something to be proud of. It’s not a disease, and we are at the forefront of what truly distinguishes UF from every other school in the nation. IA has come a very long way in a short amount of time, and I applaud the administration for continuously improving the lives of the students for more than two years now.
Meredith Adams
UF Innovation Academy student
