Jackson Reyes says goodbye to the Alligator after five semesters at the paper. He was the Fall 2023 Sports Editor. He also served as the Summer 2023 Digital Managing Editor, and covered Florida Gators football, men's basketball and soccer.
An array of colors reflect off of the Happy Kiss Pole Dance Studio as the studio’s dancers twirl and glide into a split. The crowd watching them immediately erupted into a roar of cheers. These are the sounds of an uplifting Gainesville community that has found one another through solidarity and respect for the artful skill of pole dancing
Topher Adams says goodbye to the Alligator after four semesters on staff. He was the assistant sports editor for the Fall 2023 semester. He's also worked here as a beat reporter covering Florida Gators football, baseball and lacrosse.
Brandon Hernandez says goodbye to the Alligator after five semesters. He served on the Sports desk as the Fall 2023 Enterprise reporter. He also held positions covering Gators men's basketball and the Summer 2023 Assistant Sports Editor.
Halo Potato Donuts owners Drew and Leah Stuerman announced the closure of all three shop locations Nov. 27. The stores were closing because sales weren’t enough to cover the cost of operations, Stuerman said.
Starting the Spring 2024 semester, the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies will offer a new one-credit course on Israel titled “What is Israel?”
The city has a long history of protests. Beginning in the late 1960s, UF students took to the streets when they felt their voices weren’t being heard. Six decades later, students and Gainesville community members still gather in masses to ignite change.
Two years ago, I was a public relations major who couldn’t actually tell you what public relations was. Today, I plan on devoting the rest of my career to what my family members call a dying industry.
Everything happens for a reason, and I know whatever happens next in my life and the lives of the incredible people at this paper, it’s going to be special and I can’t wait to watch it unfold.
My proudest moment at The Alligator was when I got the men’s basketball beat position last Spring. I was already covering UF men’s basketball on an internship, but when the 2023 Spring sports editor Kyle Bumpers called me up, I lit up like I went third overall to the Boston Celtics.
Before I joined The Alligator, I always heard people say that the best thing you get out of working here is the people you meet. This is corny but true, like most things.
While I will take my experience with The Alligator with me, I leave you with my bylines and this final piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to nurture that curiosity. You never know where it will lead you. You never know what you will become.
A year later, I’m writing this goodbye column after serious deliberation and consternation on whether this was actually the end. There was a real thought to come back for one last ride with an organization that means so much to my life.
This newsroom made me feel like I was exactly where I needed to be, and I can confidently say I am. I’m saying goodbye to a lot right now — to everything I’ve known for the last three and a half years — and I’m grateful and a little sad.
I’m addicted to jumping into the fire. From turning my fear into adrenaline. The calls, texts and excessive number of open tabs on my Mac — and, when it's over, the unique reassurance of thinking: I could do this for the rest of my life. Nowhere have I felt this more than at The Alligator.
On Nov. 16, the United States Supreme Court refused the state of Florida’s request to re-enact a law punishing businesses for allowing children into drag shows. Artists like Garrepy are taking the opportunity to celebrate the rare legal victory, which follows a flurry of Florida anti-LGBTQ laws passed over recent legislative terms.
The community farm, which has been in the works since 2012, serves as an effort to combat food insecurity and generate an income for Porters.
The escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict has brewed a growing tension among pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian members of the UF community. While people have mostly expressed their opinions through peaceful protests, a series of antisemitic incidents on campus, such as the Nov. 27 vandalization of the Chabad UF Jewish Student Center, have left many Jewish community members worried for their security and well-being.
The Hamilton Center began with $3 million from the state after The Council on Public University Reform — a conservative think tank — lobbied to begin a civic education center at UF. A deliberative back-and-forth between UF leaders and the state ensued — a process that deviated from the typical creation of an academic unit at UF.
Florida sophomore defensive lineman Chris McClellan will be entering the Transfer Portal he announced on social media Sunday.
Solutions by The State News
