Gerda N. President
Looking back at my senior year of high school I would have never thought that I was going to end up at UF, but now I can not imagine being anywhere else. This place has truly been the epitome of right place at the right time. I have grown more as a person, friend, and student within this campus than I could have ever envisioned. I am so grateful everyday for the opportunities that this incredible place has given me. Go Gators!
Ali T. Executive Vice President I choose UF because of the feeling I had when I toured campus. With such a spread out campus Uf has so many places to call home from lake Alice to the stadium and everything in-between. I aspire to be a veterinarian and UF has so many options for aspiring vets and an amazing vet school. My sister also went to UF and inspired me to come visit! From football games to academics UF has it all.
Aedyn G. Membership Vice President
Choosing UF meant traveling 1,000 miles from home and taking the risk to come to an unfamiliar place in the hopes of giving myself a fresh start. It was the scariest thing I've ever done, but now, three years later, I look back on this journey so far with admiration for the new life I made for myself here. I have friends, involvement, and passions that I never had before I came here, and I only wish I could tell my unsure freshman self how beautiful it would be to experience all of this. To sing Tom Petty after the 3rd quarter with your arms around your best friends. To meet people you went 18+ years without, but cannot imagine a day without them now. To cry when your feelings are hurt but know your friends will stand by your side and show you unconditional loyalty. To join a chapter and get a big and a little whose job is to love you, just because they can. Most importantly, to have the most pivotal experience of your life. It's all worth it, I promise!
Ashton E. Communications Vice President
While I thought I knew my "why UF" since freshman year of high school, I still am learning every single day why UF was the best choice I've ever made. It's not just "why UF" - it's why UF gave me the best education I could get, why UF has made me a better woman, and why UF feels like home. When I got in, my why UF was because it was the best possible option for me for both finances and for quality of education. Today, my why UF is the many doors it's opened me, the passions it's helped me discover, the friends it's given me, and the potential it's helped me realize in myself. I think so often how my life has changed in such a positive way due to the opportunities UF has offered. I think about how I've grown, the people who have grown alongside me, and how I'm proud for the woman I've become due to UF.
Most of all, keep your heart and mind open to the amazing opportunities UF has to give you. I encourage you to find your own "why UF?" every single day beyond your acceptance. In all kinds of weather, we all stick together, and we're so excited to stick with you the whole way.
Brooke M. Finance Vice President
I think my why UF is pretty simple, I’m going through the college in Mission process so very much had a checklist of my mind of everything university has a have. I wanted the nice weather I wanted to be far from home I wanted it to be at the school I also wanted to be financially affordable, UF has all of these things. So when it came down to making my decision is was more why not UF than why.
Jordan S. Activities Vice President I first stepped foot onto campus when I attended a summer camp at UF between my Freshman and Sophomore year of high school - after less than 24 hours in Gainesville, I knew this was where I was meant to be. As a current Sophomore, I am absolutely certain that this was the right decision, and I feel so at home surrounded by the kind of person UF attracts.
Brooke M. Asst. Membership Vice President Being a first-generation student, I didn’t really have a preference about where I wanted to go to college, I just knew I wanted to earn a degree. That was until my older sister came to the University of Florida. Watching the way my sister grew at UF made me excited for the opportunity to have the same transformation in my own life. As soon as I got my license I found myself driving up and visiting my sister all the time. Whether it was to attend a football game, watch the sunset at Payne’s Prairie, or hang out with her friends - I felt myself feeling more and more at home at UF. Coming from a family where school traditions didn’t exist, it was fun to see the ways our whole family had incorporated the gator spirit which is something I wanted to continue.
When it was finally decision day I was so so nervous, I was so fearful that all of my hard work up to this point could be all for nothing. I remember sitting at my kitchen counter and I saw a notification on my computer. While I was opening my letter I didn’t even read any of the words on the page, but the second I saw the confetti I was crying tears of joy and hugging all of my family.
My why UF has changed and changed the more I am here, this University has allowed me to grow intellectually, grow as a leader, brought me life long friends, and traditions that are now rooted in my family that my sister and I will be able to pass on one day. UF ’26 get excited, your time at the University of Florida will hold some of the best times of your life and as always, Go Gators!
ACZ Asst. Activites Vice President
After attending a small school my whole life, I was very overwhelmed coming into the University of Florida. I was eager to get involved, but I was terrified at the large amounts of other people fighting for the same positions. It was not until I was chosen as a Preview Staffer my freshmen fall that I really found my place at this large institution. I found my family in this organization and finally felt that sense of love, appreciation, and recognition that I was lacking feeling forgotten about in the giant swarms of students. I knew applying for Preview was a long shot, but after receiving that acceptance email, it reminded me that each and every one of us at this university are qualified to be here and were chosen for a reason. I will forever tell every new student to get out of their comfort zones, take a big step, and try something new because you never know what you may find. Your new extended family might just be around the corner <3 I thank UF every day for giving me the opportunity to love this school and every one on this campus more than I ever could have imagined!!!
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