By Camila Acevedo
During my time at the University of Florida I have had the opportunity to get involved in the Beyond 120 program. I began my freshman year as I took the course on The Art of Adulting where we learn about different aspects of adulthood and responsibilities we will eventually take on. I began to go to the events, networking talks and speak to professors, who had a huge support on the opportunities I have embraced.
In 2024 I had the opportunity to attend the week long Washington D.C. excursion that was created and directed by Beyond 120. This excursion focused on helping current UF students to connect and learn more about the different opportunities in Washington D.C. through alumni already in those positions. One of the main focus points of the program was to develop the skill of networking.
As a second year UF student at that time, embarking into my third year of university, I had a very clear idea of the career path I wanted to follow and what steps to take. This program opened my eyes to the abundance of diverse opportunities we have in the field of Political Science and International Affairs. It showed us the different grad schools in the area and some programs and opportunities we could take if interested in pursuing a post graduate program. I had always been interested in a masters, but the possibility of law school caught my attention. We had the opportunity to tour both George Washington University and Georgetown Law and learn about the student life, opportunities, merging programs and even speak to the dean of admissions.
Besides touring the different universities, we had an important stop at the World Bank, where we met with representatives from different sectors who taught us the system the World Bank follows. We visited Ferrero Group where we met with Mr. Gerald Kunde, a UF alumni, who works in the Institutional Affairs and Corporate Communications of the company. This was a very important part of the excursion for me because it opened my eyes to a world I had not considered before. The international and governmental affairs sector of private companies. As I mentioned before, I had always had a clear idea of the career I wanted to pursue and steps after graduating but this excursion exposed me to a world of opportunities I had not explored before.
After the excursion, I decided to maintain my involvement in Beyond 120 and take a class of Professional Pathways in Liberal Arts, where I continued to work on different skills and professional appearance. With Professor Aimée Bourassa, I worked on my resume, properly writing cover letters, interview preparedness and the importance of understanding and properly portraying our skills when applying to different positions. This is a class that helped me put my knowledge of the Washington D.C. excursion, with all the material taught into practice for the future semesters.
As I now prepare to graduate, I know my career and future have been positively shaped by my involvement in Beyond 120, from that one class in my freshman year, to attending the Washington, D.C. excursion and completing the Professional Pathways to Liberal Arts which helped me write cover letters for different internships. The Beyond 120 program focuses on tackling those areas in our lives that regular classes don’t focus on. It provides us with guidance and experiential learning to continue to foster professional and personal growth.