Submission#7: Evan Tokarz | My USF Tampa: "Thanks, Teach"

Evan Tokarz

USF Tampa

Junior, Journalism (News/Editorial)

20, Lutz

My USF is: “The professors who teach me about myself and the world.”

For Evan, the most memorable aspect of his college experience was — wait for it — the education! And as an old-school kind of guy, he decided not to go the video route to sum up that experience but instead reported on it the old-fashioned way — in writing. Read his essay, below, about four favorite professors, and listen to his audio slide show about them, with photos by Rebecca Wainright.

Everybody seems to have favorite teachers. For me, it’s been USF’s teachers of liberal arts. Although I had one English teacher who mocked me for reading books in class — really — for the most part I’ve had good luck with people on the humanities side of the academic fence.

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Here they are: The submissions from our 2009 College Guides. Vote for your favorite below.* The student receiving the most votes wins the title CL College Guide 2009, plus a CL briefcase stuffed with movie and concert passes, CDs and DVDs and assorted CL gear plus a $500 shopping spree from CL Deals.

Submission #1: Alex Vera | My UT: "Yes, I'm Losing My Mind"

Alex Vera

University of Tampa

Junior, Graphic Design

21, Tampa

My UT is: “The Minaret, my second home.”

Alex’s video takes viewers behind the scenes for a day (and night) in the life of the UT students who put out the school’s Minaret newspaper. Note the tempers fraying as the night stretches into morning.

(Editor’s Note: Despite any impression you might get from the photo, Alex is not UT’s Spartan mascot. We just happened to have a Spartan costume at the photo shoot, and Alex is an amazingly good sport.)

The post The 2009 Creative Loafing College Guides: Who won? appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

Submission#6: Kristina Welch | My USF St. Petersburg: "Our little island"

Kristina Welch

USF St. Petersburg

Senior, Journalism

22, Florida and Oklahoma

My USF is: “A community. And my friends and I are a family. They always make fun of me for saying that, but it’s true.”

Kristina’s video may make you wonder, between the kayaking and the courtyard and the coffee and the beer, why anyone at USF St. Pete would ever leave campus (or get any studying done). A CL intern, Kristina wasn’t content with just a video; she also wrote the following essay about USF.

I began my college journey four years ago at New College of Florida in Sarasota. It only took a year there to realize it wasn’t the right fit for me.

When I moved back home to St. Petersburg, I thought my best option was USF Tampa. I didn’t even realize they had a St. Pete campus until I looked at the school’s website. Since I didn’t want to relocate to Tampa, and I sure as hell didn’t want to commute there, I decided to give USF St. Pete a try. And I’m really glad I did.

The thing about USF St. Pete is that while it’s a small campus, we have all the benefits of a big one. We have dorms (I don’t live there), a student newspaper (dominated by my journalism friends) and even a Starbucks (thank God). We get the same free tickets to Bulls sports games that the Tampa kids do. We are a separate body connected to the heart of USF.

My life has changed drastically since attending USF St. Pete. I went from hating college in every way to really enjoying every aspect of it — aside from the pesky homework part, of course. I love our journalism program, and while I’m not downplaying what USF Tampa and other schools have to offer, I have no doubt that the St. Pete campus is where I was meant to be. Because of the small class sizes, my professors have really gotten to know me. The downside of this is that they can call me on my bullshit, which they do, but the greater benefit is that they’ve been instrumental in developing me as a journalist on a personal level. Because they know me as Kristina and not just another student, they understand my future goals and work with me on making those dreams come true. They’re not just my instructors anymore — they’re my allies.

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Submission#5: Rebecca Wainright | My USF Tampa: "Bronze Balls & Crazy Squirrels"

Rebecca Wainright

USF Tampa

Senior, Mass Communications (Journalism/Magazine)

26, Tampa

My USF is: “Gangsta.”

Rebecca’s audio slide show reveals a campus with unexpected pockets of greenery, potentially dangerous wildlife and a well-equipped USF bull.

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Submission#4: Chris Dvorscak | My Eckerd: "Party Time, Excellent"

Chris Dvorscak

Eckerd College

Senior, Anthropology (major), Management (minor)

21, Crystal River

My Eckerd is: “A tropical vacation spot.”

Chris is a baseball player, an anthropology major and an underwater archaeologist, so his tour of Eckerd naturally takes us to the ballfield, the dorms (where we learn something about the anthropology of party animals) and the swimming pool.

Video:

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Submission#3: Christina Erlinger | My Stetson Law: "Mind, Body, Soul"

Christina Erlinger

Stetson University College of Law

2L (Second-Year Law)

23, Seminole

My Stetson is: “Accomplished, studious, social and exciting.”

Who says lawyers have no soul? Christina’s video tour of Stetson proves they do, plus minds and bodies, too.

Video:

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Submission#2: Amanda Abadi | My UT: "Where in the world is Spartacus?"

Amanda Abadi

University of Tampa

2nd Year, Masters in Business Administration (Management)

23, Detroit

My UT is: “Community-focused, auspicious, cultural and enriching.”

Amanda’s video follows the intrepid Dingo Dundee as he scours the UT campus in search of the university’s elusive mascot. Dingo goes everywhere from offices to classrooms to the John H. Sykes School of Business, where a surly student tries unsuccesfully to ignore the weird guy with the Australian accent.

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Submission #1: Alex Vera | My UT: "Yes, I'm Losing My Mind"

Alex Vera

University of Tampa

Junior, Graphic Design

21, Tampa

My UT is: “The Minaret, my second home.”

Alex’s video takes viewers behind the scenes for a day (and night) in the life of the UT students who put out the school’s Minaret newspaper. Note the tempers fraying as the night stretches into morning.

(Editor’s Note: Despite any impression you might get from the photo, Alex is not UT’s Spartan mascot. We just happened to have a Spartan costume at the photo shoot, and Alex is an amazingly good sport.)

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