by Stephanie Odom
During my time at the University of Florida I have been fortunate enough to be heavily involved
in the Bob Graham Fellows Program, UF’s Competitive Mock Trial Team, and a Director of the
Florida Bluekey Speech and Debate Tournament. In all of these opportunities I have been able to
gain a better understanding of the Political Science and Governmental side of things, but I
wanted to go one step further when developing my career and learning more about all of the
opportunities that are out there.
I first decided to go about my career and personal development journey by finding courses at the
University of Florida that focused on self-improvement. That was when I found Brittany
Grubbs-Hodges' strategic self-marking class and found out about Beyond120.
By being a Beyond120 Experiential Scholar I have been able to not only improve myself as a
professional, but I have also been able to further explore the world around me. One of the ways
that I have been able to do this is through excursions. To me, excursions are almost like
professional field trips for college students that are focused on learning about different career
fields and networking with different companies.
When I decided to attend the Beyond120 Atlanta Excursion during the week of Spring Break I
was surrounded by some of the most authentic, ambitious, and kind peers that I am happy to all
have as friends! We all got to have some fun going to the Mercedes Benz Stadium, the Georgia
Aquarium, the Braves Stadium, Gas South Stadium, and many other fun spots in Atlanta! During
all of these visits, I was able to learn about what made these companies successful on a corporate
level, what their day-to-day operations look like, and what the mission of their companies are.
However, the most impactful experiences that I had on the trip were being able to learn about the
people that are behind the operations of some of the most impactful companies in Atlanta. Every
single person that I talked to, whether they were in the Sales Department of Transperfect or
higher-ups at Gas South, has made a very positive impact on my self-growth and taught me about
the importance of being yourself.
Since returning back to Gainesville, I have a new found confidence when searching for
internship opportunities, going to networking events, and speaking up in professional settings. I
know that my degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Science along with being an Experiential
Scholar will make me stand out when taking these next steps in my professional life. It is thanks
to Beyond120 and Gas South for sponsoring our Atlanta excursion that I was able to have this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
