Daily Loaf

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. Read the rest of this entry »

You came, you saw, you voted: The winner of this year’s College Guide contest is Amanda Abadi of the University of Tampa. Her inventive video, which could be retitled “Crocodile Dundee Meets UT,” drew 6,694 votes. Amanda 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.) Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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:

Read the rest of this entry »

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: Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.) Read the rest of this entry »