Life As A UF Student Reporter

It’s hard to believe that the semester is already coming to a close and my time as a Gator undergrad is almost over. More importantly, my days as a student reporter in the College of Journalism and Communication will also come to an end. Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to write for our Spanish radio news show, report for our NPR-affiliate radio station, and report for Florida’s 5 – WUFT TV. All these wonderful opportunities gave me hands-on experience of what life after graduation will be like.

I know how to pitch, write, shoot and edit both radio and TV pieces. And aside from all the technical aspects, I’ve learned about the pressures, tight deadlines, and relationships that come with being a reporter. I'll admit, there were times where I thought I was being over worked and having to put in ridiculous hours for reporting shifts or class projects. But no one ever said the life of a reporter was easy. I had to break in several pairs of shoes, build muscle when it came to carrying all that camera equipment around town, and put in a good couple hundred miles on my car-- all that just to get a story.

But being able to graduate students with a well-qualified demo-reel is something that the College of Journalism and Communications takes pride in. They also take pride in being a part of the latest and most innovative methods of communications and passing these skills along to their student- something made possible by the Center for Media Innovation and Research. Although the CMIR is still a work in progress, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the opening of its 21^st Century Newsroom and Laboratory. Once all the construction is completed, I know the result will be a state-of –the-art newsroom where students will learn the latest techniques being used in the media industry (truth be told, I’m a bit jealous of the younger students who will be able to take advantage of this).

  Although wrapping up my days as a Telecomm student at UF is a bit depressing, I am so thankful for everything I have learned and all the many experiences I have gained through the College of Journalism and Communications. Graduation will definitely be a bitter-sweet day, but I'm looking forward to crossing that stage and joining the prestigious circle of Gator Grads. Go Gators! 

"The Tipping Point"

As part of an assignment for my class, I was told to read “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. Although I had never read the book before, I have heard many wonderful reviews about it. My high school guidance counselor first told me about the book. She always said it’s one of those books that will give you a whole new look on life and will take you very far. I actually bought the book for my boss at my internship at Comcast over the summer. I had been working for her for the past three summers and at the end of every summer she ended up getting promoted yet she was always trying to find ways to better herself career-wise, so I thought this book would come in hand and she loved it.

            I agree that “The Tipping Point” is something that everyone should read, especially in today’s society. We live in a time where there are so many trends, it seems as if there’s something new picking up every day. Most of these trends are short-lived and might not even make it to see a new year. But some manage to have the fuel behind them to break the tipping point and become a crucial part of our everyday lives. Gladwell finds that there are three common characteristics among those trends that cross the tipping point- the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. If a trend holds these three traits, chances are it will become a lasting phenomenon.

            One of the things I really like about “The Tipping Point” is that it can easily be applied and related to real life situations. While I was reading, I thought about how social media follows the teachings of the author. Sites like Facebook and Twitter take up so much of our time these days and it’s amazing to think how quickly they became worldwide movements. But if you read “The Tipping Point” you will understand the schematics behind their success.

            I highly suggest that everyone reads this book to get a new perspective and understanding in life. I think it’s a read that can help take you far both in life and in your career (which is something every college senior wants to hear these days). 

More Blogs Worth Checking Out

Aside from being a sports junkie, I can gladly say I LOVE food (who doesn’t). Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed several blogs from my fellow classmates. Juliza Monterroso combines two of her loves (fashion and food) to create a creative, fun, and entertaining blog. I loved the sweet treats on her blogs and her post about daquris instantly put me in the mood to just lay by the pool and sip on one of these refreshing drinks. Gillian Finklea then shows us that eating delicious food doesn’t have to mean gaining a whole new jean size. I really want to try the detox diet she mentions, my body definitely deserves an apology for some of the stuff I eat. Another blog I found extremely interesting and fun was Maria Tridas’ blog on local places around Gainesville. I’ve been trying to make it a point in the last few months to eat soley at local places unique to Gainesville. I want to take advantage of all the hidden treasures around us as oppose to continuously going to the same chain restaurants that can be found in every city in America. Her page is basically a road map to all the local places worth trying around town, almost like a personal Urbanspoon. Just talking about these blogs is making me work up an appetite, but sadly I have nothing in my refrigerator or pantry that sounds appealing. 

Meet My Classmates

So I finally got the opportunity to check out some of my classmate’s blogs and I was so impressed! There were so many unique and creative ideas; they kept me entertained all day.  Being a huge sports fan and hoping to someday pursue a career in sports media, I was quickly drawn to three sports blogs in the class. First off, I really enjoyed Jen Chiogioji’s page. When I looked over her resume I was so impressed on how much experience this girl has and I can’t even imagine how busy she much be. But I have no doubts that she’ll make it far in this business. I also enjoyed Adam Wright’s blog on the topics he covers. I like how he mentions current hot topics that are buzzing all over Sports Center and every other ESPN program, but he also discusses great athletes like Steve Nash. And how can you not be impressed by Blake Griffin’s killer dunks?! And finally, Brianne Wigley caught my attention not only with her clever title but her insightful posts. I love how she’s not afraid to remind everyone that she’s a Gator fan. It shows us that, like it or not, sports journalists are fans too so obviously we’re going to have a favorite team (even if we can’t cheer for them in the press box). 

there's only one MICHELLE SECADES

So it’s time to take a timeout from all the traditions and get to know a little more about me. However, I’m not going to write all about my professional background and telecomm experience. But for those of you interested in my education, experience and honors (future employers perhaps)… please take the time to review my resume.

Favorite Movie: Armageddon

Favorite Chick Flick: Titanic (yes, it’s a separate category)

Favorite Vacation Spot: Siesta Key, Sarasota 

Favorite 90s Band: NSYNC

Chocolate or Vanilla: CHOCOLATE

Pepsi or Coke: Coke

Summer or Winter: Summer (I’m from Florida!)

Moment that changed my life: Becoming a big sister... TWICE!

Random Fact: Voted "Most School Spirit" of my senior class in High School 

What I can't live without... The people I love

For more information on myself and the purpose of this blog, be sure to check out my very first blog post. 

Got Jobs?

It's hard to believe that graduation is only a month and a half away. It's such a bittersweet feeling to know that you're almost done with all the classes, assignments, projects and exams, but at the same time, you will be leaving so many friends who have become family in the past four years. Students may also feel rushed to accomplish everything on their college bucket list- including the countless UF traditions. But this time also reminds us of the short-coming "Real World." Job applications are on nearly every senior's mind these days. Luckily, I will be attending grad school next year so I can put the job searching off for a bit. However, I have am still applying for summer jobs and internships so I've had to keep my resume up-to-date. I'm hoping that all the connections I've made through internships will benefit me once I finish my Master's. But until then, I'm looking forward to enjoying my last few weeks as an undergrad here at UF.

Paynes Prairie

The past few weeks have had some interesting nights for stargazers. First, there were amazing Northern Lights that could be seen throughout the Northern part of North America, and last week I was able to spot Mars and Venus in close proximity at night. Although I was able to see the planets, the stars weren’t so easy to spot because of all the lights in my neighborhood back home. However, Gainesville has one of the most beautiful stargazing spots I’ve ever seen- Paynes Prairie. Although, it’s recently been in the news for all the fog and brushfires which caused an awful car accident on the Interstate, Paynes Prairie offers beautiful sights for students and families at the University of Florida. Just about 10 minutes South of campus, it’s a great place to go camping, ride your bike, or simply hang out with nature. I’ve had picnics in the park with my dance team and we had a great time looking for the wild animals in the area. And at night, the entire sky is filled with countless stars- honestly it’s breathtaking. I strongly suggest everyone take the time while they’re at UF to do something out of the ordinary and spend the day (or night) at Paynes Prairie.

Picture Courtesy of paynesprairie.net

Florida Baseball... Gainesville's Favorite Pastime

With all the hype surround March Madness this time of year, some may forget about another sport I hold near and dear to my heart… baseball! Thankfully that’s not the case at the University of Florida. The Gator’s baseball team is ranked NUMBER ONE in the nation and has been filling the stadium at every game this season. And this week they took on Florida State in the annual “Sunshine State Showdown” and came out victorious with a 9-2 win over the Noles (not surprised). Florida’s baseball team has always been a power-house when it comes to college baseball- making it to the NCAA National Championships for the past three seasons. And what’s great about the baseball games is that Gator fans of all ages can sit together and cheer on their beloved player. From babies who can’t even walk, to older couples well-into retirement, everyone can share a passion for Gator Baseball.

On a side note, the Florida Men’s Basketball team takes on Virginia tomorrow afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

UF Extreme Dance Co... Making Our Own Traditions

As you can probably tell throughout my blog, I believe that being a apart of the University of Florida means being a part of traditions that have lasted lifetimes. And we don't just stick to traditions known by the entire Gator Nation, we create traditions along the way. One of my personal traditions has been dancing with Extreme Dance Company every semester. We are a student organization on campus partially funded through the University of Florida Student Government. Every semester we have a show where all our friends and family can see what we've been working so hard on all semester. We also have sneak previews of these routines at events such as Dance Marathon. I initially joined Extreme because I missed dancing-having danced since the age of three, it's a hard hobby to give up. But eventually these girls became my family and I look forward to going to practice and getting a break from school. Honestly, joining extreme was one of the best traditions I could have ever started and I'm really going to miss dancing on stage with them after graduation.

If you're interested in joining Extreme, you can follow us on Twitter. We take people of all dance backgrounds, and even if you have no dance background we'll be happy to help. And as we always say... Extreme Love!

Level A backstage at our Spring 2011 Show

FTK... For The Kids

Probably the most well-known philanthropy at the University of Florida is our annual Dance Marathon. Sororities, Fraternities, student organizations, and individual students take part in this 26.2 hour long event. Proceeds from the event and all things DM, go towards the Children's Miracle Network at Shands Hospital at UF. Dancers have to stay on their feet the whole time which becomes quite a challenge around hour thirteen, but at least they have countless activities to keep them entertained along the way.  And the most popular of these activities is the Line Dance. Above is the 2011 DM Line Dance. Although I have never participated as a dancer, I have been a staff member at the event every year. Aside from being a UF tradition, Dance Marathon is an experience like no other. Seeing the crowds of students in their colorful attire all 26 hours, and hearing the stories of families that have been affected by the Children's Miracle Network is unbelievably touching. Once you've been a part of Dance Marathon, it's hard to stop. And if you're unable to physically participate in Dance Marathon, you can participate by learning about the event and donate to the cause. And remember... it's For The Kids.

Stuff Gator Fans Say...

So the latest youtube craze seems to be videos about "Stuff (Insert Stereotyped Click) Say." When I stumbled upon this one on Gator fans, I couldn't stop laughing. It's amazing to see how accurate of a portrayal this video is. What I love about it, and why I'm posting it to my blog, is that the main character mentions several Gator traditions or inside jokes that only a Florida Gator would understand... Go Gators!

Don't Make Me Think... Book Review

As part of a class assignment, I was told to read Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. Honestly, at first I thought to myself “I don’t have time for this.” But once I was able to get a hold of the book at the library and began reading through it, I realized how useful this book really is. I feel that it’s an accurate and pretty up-to-date guide of Internet usage.

Countless times I found myself thinking about how I use the Internet and how Steve Krug was pinpointing specific habits of mine. It was a little weird to think that pretty much everyone works the same way. I also found the book to be very helpful not just for my online class blog.

As an intern for a radio station, I work mostly on online content. I’m a sports writer but we’re also trying to add more than just articles to our website. The website itself is a work in progress so this book definitely helped. It gives great, easy tips to make any website better, easier and more appealing to the public.

What the book points out is very true; people don’t really like having to use their brains. When we go online, we expect to find exactly what we want and have it clearly outlined for us. We expect to type in a word, phrase, or subject and BOOM, have all the information we want and nothing extra that we don’t need. Therefore, websites these days have to be as user-friendly as possible and everything needs to be laid out in an easy-to-find format.

One tip that I thought was extremely useful is the idea of always incorporating a search bar in a website. Chances are people are not just browsing around to see what they can find within a website; they know exactly what they want and they want to be able to find it quickly. This is especially true for a website with a lot of content.

I know for our station’s website, there was not a search bar in the site and it made it really difficult when I was trying to look up one of my past articles. I would have to go page by page back in time and scroll through each article because I couldn’t simply search my name within the site.

Probably the most important part of Don’t Make Me Think, was it’s section on how to design your website for easy reading. I can attest to the statement that most people scan instead of read when they’re on a website. If people see too many words cluttered together, they’re automatically going to skip that page or leave the website entirely. Having things laid out in a clear, short, definite way will increase audience activity for a website.

Overall, I thought Don’t Make Me Think was a great read and definitely something that anyone interested in creating a website, blog, or working at all with online media should read. The tips were very helpful and easy to apply to real life scenarios.

... I Work Out

One thing I've noticed throughout my time at UF is how dedicated people are to working out. Personally, Inever really went to a gym before college because I was a dancer in high school and we have our own workout routines aside from daily practice. But even I have fallen victim to workout mania in college (I would much prefer that then the notorius "Freshman Fifteen"). With multiple gyms and a huge campus to run around, it's hard not to stay in shape. But I think one of the coolest ways to stay fit is running stadiums in "The Swamp." Although it's definitely one of the more exhausting workouts, I strongly suggest everyone do it before they graduate. I made it a point to have it on my college bucket list and I felt so accomplished when I finally ran up and down those countless bleachers. At any time on any given day, you'll probably find people running stadiums. It's also neat just to think that a place that's filled with 90,000 screaming Gator fans on Saturdays can be your own personal gym during the week. Added bonus... you'll probably spot an athlete or two while working on your fitness.

Would You Like Fries With That?

So if you’ve walked around campus, I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are a few things that may catch your attention or look out of place. Perhaps some of the most noticeable items are the giant French Fries outside of the Marston Science Library. I’m not sure if there’s an actual name for the huge artwork but ask anyone to point you towards the French Fries and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. I remember my first time coming across the over-sized yellow beams I was definitely caught off guard. But now, they seem to blend in with the setting. I’m pretty sure I’ve almost bumped into them a few times while trying to walk and text at the same time (something I don’t recommend doing on campus, especially with all the buses and bikers). But before I become completely immune to the giant fries, I asked my roommate to take a picture of me with the beloved landmark. Primarily to add it to my list of UF traditions, but it also served as a distraction from all the studying I was about to do in the library.

Florida Basketball... Fantastic!

Football isn’t the only big sport at UF, attending a spring sport is another Florida tradition. I attended this weekend’s men’s basketball game against Mississippi State, and what a game! The bulldogs came in ranked No. 18 and were sure to put up a fight against the Gators. But our boys played hard all afternoon and came out with a 69-57 victory in the O’Dome. I was surprised to see that there was such a huge turnout considering the game was at 1:30 in the afternoon, but it just goes to show you that you can’t mess with the Gator Nation.

FLORIDA/Georgia Weekend!!

When football season comes around, there’s no denying the excitement in and around “The Swamp” is unlike any other place in the Southeast. But the craziness of Gator football isn’t strictly confined to Gainesville. Perhaps one of the greatest Florida games takes place in Jacksonville during Florida/Georgia weekend- aka “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” This was my second year in a row going to Jacksonville and the experience gets better every time. It’s a non-stop party throughout the city all weekend long. Although we lost the game, it was still an unbelievable feeling to be in the stadium with thousands of screaming fans and seeing the crowd split down the middle – half blue/orange, half red/black. I strongly believe that EVERYONE needs to experience Florida/Georgia weekend before they graduate from UF. It certainly lives up to its reputation as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

(I took this picture at the 2011 game and although it looks like a beautiful and sunny day, it was absolutely freezing by the end of the game.)