Whoa we're halfway there!

Halfway done! I can't believe that I am seeing my Summer B students already on campus, they are starting their college careers that I helped start. It is a good sign that when I do see my students, they feel like they can approach me. And they are also excited to see me! I want to be someone that they can remember, or at least a resource for them if they need me.

The Summer A staffers are gone as well and it is very sad. I am going to miss all of them and I don't think that our staff will be the same without the 38 strong. Grace, Marissa, Sam, Mark, Alfonso and Ebony will be here with is in spirit! We have to hold up 32 strong now. PLUV <3 forever you guys!

Dr. Barfield

The famous Dr. Barfield. Everyone remembers him from their preview session because he has been doing this for 30+ years. I remember when he spoke to me in my preview session 3 years ago, and I never forgot him.
He says, "I'm here to tell you what the faculty expect of you here at UF..."
I remember being really scared of him, and wondering if all of his stories were true. They ended up being true, he was telling us from his experience and observing students for so many years.

Need less to say, I always wanted to tell him how right he was in the end. Now that I am completely sure about my major, and am more sure of what I want to do as my further education or after I graduate, I can appreciate his honesty.
I am so happy too that I got to be a Preview Staffer in his last year as a faculty member. He will retire this year and I believe this is his last season. I also have the privilege of getting to know him more now that I am working along side of him. I always wanted to tell him personally how much he influenced me and made me think about what I want to do in my college career. I was able to do that at the beginning of the season. I was very proud to have that opportunity.
Now it's my turn to pass on the legacy of the famous bug man. =)

An update on research.

So here's a small recap about what happened with the research and University Scholars...

I did apply for University Scholars, when I found out that CFA did not have to enroll in a research course over the summer. However, I did not receive the grant.

Instead, Kelly helped me with a more than perfect project for someone like me. It is essentially the same as USP but it is funded by HHMI and Science for Life. I will hook up with a science faculty from the start and join their research team. Then the work from this project will be presented at CASE in the Spring. This will also serve as supplemental research for my senior thesis in the fall!

I found a perfect match for my science faculty, I just have to make it happen!

I believe in magic!

I felt like a kid again when the staff and I went to Disney this past weekend. The ideal of our staff is to have the magic that Disney possesses. We strive to be that detail oriented, and make it seem like no one is behind the scenes making everything run smoothly.

While I was there, I noticed more about those behind the scenes people that make everything happen. They had very tedious tasks, but if they were not done, then the rest of the park would ultimately run out of sync. Something as trivial as taking out the trash, can seem small but be very important.

Our operation is not as huge as Disney, but we have a lot of similar qualities like customer service. We have the same goals in mind as well; we want to make our guests happy while providing a service to them.

I think we are doing an OK job so far because Jaime got an email from a former employee at a Disney resort and said that she was so impressed with the staff and how professional we were, etc. So now we just strive to keep that magic alive for all of our sessions! :)