UWF Expands Opportunities for Alumni
By Kelly Dieckmann, University Marketing Communications
At each University of West Florida graduation, soon-to-be alumni walk across the stage to make the transition of a lifetime. There, they receive much more than a slip of paper stating they have earned a degree. As UWF graduates, they have gained a unique set of skills to contribute to the world along with a solid support system to help them make those first few steps into the work environment successful ones.
UWF offers the resources of a large university with the intimacy of a small school environment. Because of this, students have the opportunity to develop personal relationships with professors who are devoted to giving them not only the best classroom instruction they can provide, but also the practical experience to succeed after graduation.
“The relationships you build with professors open doors,” said K.C. Etheredge, UWF director of Alumni Relations as she reminisced about her days as a UWF student and the invaluable assistance from her professors in finding internships while in college as well as jobs post-graduation.
Deondre Boynton and his friend Ryan Henry are two UWF students who joined the ranks of alumni in December 2009. Their majors were respectively sports management and exercise science. Since graduation, Boynton was hired by Impact Sports where he works one-on-one with professional athletes. Henry has pursued a career as a personal trainer at 24-Hour Fitness in Pensacola.
When looking back on their UWF experience, both immediately recalled specific teachers who influenced them and spent priceless one-on-one time helping them develop the skills they would need for life after college.
“I feel like it went by too fast,” said Henry, “but UWF made me feel ready for the work force.”
UWF alumni enjoy the benefits of an education and they embrace opportunities to give back to their alma mater. The university boasts eight alumni chapters located not only throughout Florida but also locations such as Alabama and Washington D.C. Events, newsletters, grants and networking opportunities further the support system beyond just the years spent as a student.
The impact of an educated work force in Northwest Florida expands opportunities and UWF is committed to providing the means of obtaining and maintaining just that.
For more information, visit the UWF Alumni Web site at alumni.uwf.edu or to contact the Alumni Relations office at (850) 474-2766 or e-mail alumni@uwf.edu. To learn more about how UWF expands opportunities for alumni, visit uwf.edu/impact.