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Tuesday, May 20, 2025

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Florida Alligator
METRO

Gator fans paint helmets

By Lizzie Vasquez | Sep. 4, 2017

During the fierce, Dallas stadium-packed football game between the Gators and the Wolverines on Saturday, some UF fans opted to spend the day painting ceramic helmets.

Florida Alligator
METRO  |  POLITICS

I wouldn’t be here without DACA. Now, my future is being taken from me

Sep. 4, 2017

I studied and worked hard all my life toward a goal that felt more like a dream because when you are undocumented, going to college is practically impossible. (Yes, I am an undocumented student at UF; I am real.) Despite that fact, I continued to push to be at the top of my class, continued to work toward my dream because I was determined to make it a reality. In 2012, former President Barack Obama changed my life and solidified my plans to go to college with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. At the beginning of my senior year, I was ready to begin my scholarship search and college application, but I was not aware that it would be different from my other peers. I went from person to person with questions on how to answer parts of applications, but no one understood my situation and exposing my status as an undocumented student was risky for my family and me. I filled out a Bright Futures application and went to meetings about FAFSA only to find out that I was ineligible for both. Although people did not understand my situation, I never lost the hope that Obama gave me with the implementation of DACA, and I finally received scholarships from my high school’s foundation that now help me pay for tuition, an opportunity that most are not fortunate enough to receive. In May, I graduated third in my class with a high school and associate's degree on my way to higher education ready to create a better future for myself and the world.   

UF's defensive line waits for the snap in Florida's 33-17 loss to Michigan on Saturday in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
SPORTS  |  COLUMNS

Column: Gators fans: Get ready for a tough season

By Ethan Bauer | Sep. 2, 2017

I wanted to believe the hype. I wanted to believe Jim McElwain when he said Florida’s offensive line would be much improved in 2017. I wanted to believe the Gators had the pieces for a successful, potent offense that could put up points, yards and wins. I wanted to believe the defense could pick up what NFL draftees Jarrad Davis, Alex Anzalone, Quincy Wilson, Teez Tabor and Marcus Maye left behind.

Florida hasn't lost its season opener in 27 years, the longest current streak in the FBS.
SPORTS  |  FOOTBALL

First game features barrage of storylines

By Ethan Bauer | Aug. 31, 2017

This ain’t UMass. This ain’t Bowling Green. This ain’t Charleston Southern or Western Kentucky or any of the other punching bags Florida has opened the season against in the past decade. This is Michigan, the Big Blue, from the Big Ten, which historically has produced some of football’s biggest and best players.

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