In April 2022, I moderated a meeting of student leaders from across campus to discuss civic education and barriers to student engagement going into the midterm election. Nearly every participant spoke to the same obstacle preventing peer engagement: polarization.
My kindergarten teacher was the first to introduce me to the world of books. I have always remembered that first orientation at our tiny public school library, the student ID card that would act as my passport into universes beyond my wildest dreams.
The Bright Futures program is one of the best programs in Florida. It is something I have been fortunate to receive alongside 23,000 other UF students and about 5% of students at public colleges, like Santa Fe College.
More than 40 years ago, private investment abandoned East Gainesville. But in 2023, after years of planning, dreaming and negotiating, we said “enough,” and we’re seeing the fruits of collaboration bloom to serve our “out East” neighbors.
The data are clear: when it comes to preventing extreme heat in our lifetimes, the energy supply choices being made today matter. Fortunately, not only can UF supply its own energy sustainably, it already has a roadmap for how to do it.
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.
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.
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.
This is not to say the Counseling and Wellness Center does not do amazing work, they do. But I never felt like anyone was concerned for me; I was just another patient that had to be fit in the schedule somewhere.
Fighting for land acknowledgments at UF has been a battle up a much steeper, larger mound than the one in Safety Harbor.
UF has gained new administrators straight from Ben Sasse’s dreams and our nightmares.
It’s getting harder to believe that I’ll graduate next year. What do I do after all of this?
Solutions by The State News
