Going into my third year at the University of Florida, I had little to no concept of what it meant to professionally market myself. At the conclusion of my second year, a professor of mine had briefly mentioned the opportunity to participate in a Washington, D.C. excursion at the end of the summer term. As a twenty-year-old college student, I don’t think I was really ready for the impact that the four days in DC with the Beyond120 program would have on me. After four days of intensive networking and site visits with UF alumni and/or invested partners of UF and, more narrowly, the Beyond120 vision, I came to learn that Beyond120 is more than an experiential learning program within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Rather, it is a way for students to realize the versatility of their CLAS degree and, more intrinsically speaking, their capabilities as active societal participants post-graduation.
Over the past year, I have also gotten involved in the Experiential Scholars Program niched within Beyond120. It provides a supportive, interactive guideline whereby students can learn how to maximize the opportunities and benefits that can be gleaned from participating in Beyond120.
– Kathryn Quintero
2021 alumna