Two years isn’t a lot of time to see all that UF has to offer, especially for its journalism students.
Most of my story is framed around being a transfer student. The first two years of my college degree were spent at Broward College — which I adore (Go Seahawks!) — before I transferred to UF.
I found myself as a journalism major because I was convinced, A) it would get me into UF, B) the degree correlated enough with my interests in news and fiction writing and C) it would be easy. No one told me completing a 60-credit degree in two years is not simple.
During my first semester at UF in Fall 2024, I found myself part of a student body of 40,000 undergraduates. Among the 151 journalism majors that year, I felt lost.
UF has more than 1,000 registered student organizations. To find my place in my first semester post-transfer, I tried joining seven student organizations and clubs. In the following semesters, that number went from four to three to two. Now, in my last semester, that number is one, and it’s not university-registered at all: The Independent Florida Alligator.
My first Alligator article was written in Portugal, five hours ahead of Gainesville time. It's been challenging, but the paper provided an excellent training ground for improving my writing and a place to experiment with story ideas. It ultimately steered me into the career I want.
I want to say thanks to my editors: to Sara-James Ranta for being the first in Gainesville to teach me how to be a critical writer — I will always admire your undying passion for journalism; and to Shaine Davison — thank you for letting me explore creative concepts of what a data story can be.
To Max Bernstein and Bailey Diem, thank you for trusting me with this paper’s contributing writers and spreadsheets for the Summer semester. Max, your positivity is infectious, and your knowledge about U.S. presidents is impressive. Bailey, you have been one of my editors twice on The Alligator. Thank you for your knowledge and friendship — you’re a true master of words.
Lindee Walker, I had fun holding down the Senior News Director and Copy Desk Chief fort alongside you. You’re an amazing editor and, I believe, incredibly brave for trying a Dunkin’ Pepsi coffee hybrid when we first met in May.
To other Alligator editors this Summer: Curan Ahern, Aaliyah Evertz, Noah Lantor, Grace Larson. Long Sundays of waiting for reporters to accept edits were spent playing Mafia and ordering Dave’s.
And to Sadie Johnson, Sofia Meyers and Angelique Rodriguez — although we didn’t get to meet in person, I admired the great amount of effort you put into running your desks.
Isabel Kraby, who to me will always be Izzy, thank you for sharing with me your creativity, both dry and witty humor and, most importantly, all the car rides. I’m grateful to have become great friends over the course of my UF and Alligator journeys, from meeting at Preview to going to trivia every week.
Most of all, I want to thank everyone at The Alligator who has ever taught me about data, ledes or fact-checking.
This Summer, I had fun reading all kinds of stories, from personal and community-oriented solutions to food insecurity to community events and the importance of fostering animals.
Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that being part of this paper is easy. It's a difficult job with little monetary gain, but, in the long term, you will end up richer than before through the experiences and friendships.
In the two years I spent at UF, being part of The Alligator’s staff was one of the coolest things I got to do. If you’re lucky enough to do the same, you will learn a lot about yourself, your community and your place in it all.
To fellow transfers: Your time is limited, but if you do find free time in your 15-credit-hour schedule, I would recommend giving The Alligator a try!
Alanna Robbert was the Summer 2026 Senior News Director.
Alanna Robbert is a fourth-year journalism major and the Summer 2026 Senior News Director and Web Designer. She has served as a Metro General Assignment Reporter and an Enterprise Data Reporter. In her free time, she can be found in the gym or at trivia.
