Describe your central passion(s) and how you hope to carry that into your post-grad plans:
I am a passionate leader and enjoy collaborating with others as part of a team. I enjoy networking and bringing people together to form community partnerships and work on shared initiatives to inspire creativity. Post-grad, I am looking to find a position that allows me to utilize these passions to create networking and marketing opportunities. I am seeking positions in event coordination, project management or B2B sales and procurement.
What (or who) helped inspire your passion in this area (or areas)?
My Honors mentor Dr. Vigliotti has been my greatest influence by encouraging me to take on leadership opportunities and providing me with resources to have an impact on the community. She made my dreams seem possible and helped me to make them a reality.
Briefly tell us the story of one stand-out memory from your time at Flagler that will always make you smile:
I will never forget the day I completed my honors capstone project. I planned a promotional event for the Saint Augustine Historical Society’s new Surf Culture Museum that included a surf inspired fashion show and vendor village. The event brought the community together to appreciate the local businesses and organizations that contribute to Saint Augustine’s rich surf culture, while also increasing future engagement for the museum. The event proved to be successful with over 300 attendees, and with over 60 being Flagler Students. Due to the event's success, the Historical Society declared the Oldest City Surf Celebration an annual event, creating a high impact internship opportunity for future Flagler Honors students. Watching the event unfold was extremely rewarding due to all of my hard work, and I feel honored to contribute to the Saint Augustine and Flagler College Community.
What academic resources, experiences, or mentors proved most valuable throughout your Flagler experience?
Community partnerships through the honors program have proven to be the most valuable to my educational experience because they provided me with opportunities of transformative learning by allowing me to put my skills to the test in a real-world setting. In addition, my honors mentor, Dr. Vigliotti pushed me to reach beyond my comfort zone to accomplish goals set towards my professional career.
What is one piece of advice or lesson you learned about the college experience that you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
It is not about memorizing content it is about learning. Take each opportunity to better yourself and learn skills that you can take with you into future endeavors. Good grades look great, but Knowledge is power.
Tell us about what you’re up to next! Any cool experiences, professional positions, or unique opportunities you have lined up after graduation?
I am currently the soft goods buyer for The Surf Station Surf Shop. With this experience under my belt, I am now looking to expand my knowledge and expertise as a buyer for a larger corporation. I currently have interviews lined up with the Dollar Tree and the Coast Guard Exchange for possible procurement positions back home in Virginia Beach.