Ryan Braun
Director
rbraun@advising.ufl.edu

Hello! My name is Ryan Braun and I am the director of the Beyond120 program. I work with students to help them cultivate and articulate the unique skills provided by a liberal arts and sciences education. I also work with the talented faculty, staff, and alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to support student development through experiential learning, curriculum, and mentorship. The courses I teach are SLS1409: Professional Pathways in the Liberal Arts and Sciences and IDS4930/SLS3226: The Art of Adulting in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Undergraduate Major: English

Experiential Learning Memory: I once had an internship at a recording studio. I love music and I was so excited, but most of my work consisted of making coffee and getting lunch for the producers and sound engineers. When I finally did get the opportunity to work directly with music production I found out that…I hated it! It didn’t match my skillset or my prior idea of what it was like. However, through that experience I learned humility, professionalism, and the importance of networking. I also learned that it’s impossible to fully understand a job or industry without experiencing it for yourself. So get out there, get experience, and let us help you do it!

Brittany Grubbs-Hodges
Assistant Director for Experiential Learning
Lecturer
brittanygrubbs@advising.ufl.edu

Brittany directs the experiential learning and internship efforts for the Beyond120 program. She works with corporate partners and internship providers. Brittany earned a master’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Florida and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. She has experience in education, recruitment, and corporate communications.
Courses: Strategic Self-Marketing in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Internship

Aimée Bourassa
Lecturer and Internship Coordinator
aimeebourassa@advising.ufl.edu

Aimée coordinates the Beyond120 internship program and collaborates with several partners to create, promote, and increase access to rewarding internship opportunities. As a lecturer, she also helps develop and offer career readiness courses, experiences, and advising for undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Before coming to UF, Aimée completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at Brown University, where she also designed and taught multidisciplinary college courses. During this time, she developed a passion for supporting student academic, personal, and professional development by connecting scholarly discussions and skills with applied perspectives and experiences. At CLAS, Aimée strives to empower students with the resources to explore, learn, and succeed in their unique paths in college and beyond.
Courses: Professional Pathways in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLS1409); Internship (IDS4940); Careers for Social Impact (Coming Spring 2023).

Bobbi Knickerbocker
Pre-Health
rknicker@advising.ufl.edu

Bobbi serves as director of the Pre-Health Post-Bac (PHPB) program, assisting students with completing the requirements for applying to professional graduate healthcare programs. In her role as a Beyond120 senior lecturer, Bobbi creates pre-health coursework for undergraduate students. Prior to coming to the University of Florida in 2008, she worked in healthcare for several years as both a registered nurse and hospice chaplain.
Courses: Introduction to the Pre-Health Process, Human Dimensions of Healthcare

Christine Richmond
International Internships and Global Engagement
crichmond@advising.ufl.edu

Hi, I’m Christine and I’m both an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a faculty member in the Beyond120 program for Global Engagement. I’m happy to say I’ve always been a Gator and earned both of my degrees here. Currently, I’m a program director for the UF in Vigo and UF in London: CLAS Internship study abroad programs, and have helped lead excursions to meet with CLAS alumni in London and Washington D.C. I went through most of my time as an undergraduate student in CLAS completely undecided about my career path, so I can relate to students who have not yet discovered what they want to do. If only the Beyond120 program had been around when I was a student! Through experiences like traveling, teaching, and taking on a variety of jobs I finally discovered that I love working with college students. In my free time I’m a mom, equestrian, photographer, and spend most Saturdays photographing and exercising animals at Alachua County Animal Services or volunteering at rescue adoption events. I’m also on the Board of Directors for Gainesville Modern, helping to preserve and educate the local community about modern architecture.

Experiential Learning Memory: When I was in my third year at UF I was the first in my family to go abroad to study in Tanzania. After studying Swahili, I wanted to practice my language skills and learn more about African culture, history, and society. It was a life-changing experience that not only instilled in me a love of travel, but opened my eyes to issues such as race and privilege, gender inequity, genocide, and the battle against HIV/AIDS. I’m still learning from the experience, even years later, and encourage every student to include an international experience into their time as an undergraduate.

Jacob Watson
Research
jacobwatson@advising.ufl.edu
Jacob coordinates undergraduate research with the Beyond 120 Program and administers the CLAS Scholars Program. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to the University of Florida in 2020, he taught a wide variety of research-oriented, writing-intensive courses at UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of Georgia, and Duke University. Through Beyond 120, Jacob connects undergraduate researchers with opportunities and helps them hone their skills.
Courses: Professional Pathways in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Introduction to Research in the Liberal Arts and Sciences

Watch Dr. Jacob T. Watson give a “Tiny Talk” called “Learning How to Learn (from Cats)” for the Center for Undergraduate Research: