Personal Reflections of the Trip
"From the moment I saw this program advertised, I knew I had to be a part of it. Now, I am still in shock that it’s over.
Looking back, I have realized I am walking away with more life-long investments than I could have imagined. This program challenged me professionally and allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone, while doing what I love. It also changed my perspective on many things in life.
Going into this trip, I only knew two people who were involved/attending. But now I can definitely say I have formed life-long friendships and that this was, by far, one of my most memorable and formative college experiences.
The professional lessons I learned from this program were how to think on my feet, how the real industry will be, and how to be a real journalist without the help of Google or cellular data.
The story I had the opportunity to work on for this program was about female boxers and their struggle to compete at a national level. Females are not allowed to compete in Cuba, but that doesn’t stop them from training alongside the men.
I was drawn to this piece because I hope to pursue a career in sports reporting after graduation and what better way to gain real world experience, while pursuing my passion?
On our third day in Cuba, my group and I were fortunate enough to sit in on the men’s training for 2.5 hours at the Rafael Trejo Gimnasio de Boxeo. We were able to talk with some of them, including Noel Hernandez. In 2005, Hernandez won the light-heavyweight title in the World Cadet Boxing Championship.
In addition to meeting the men, my group and I were able to meet up with two of the female boxers and learn about their struggles to gain recognition from the government to compete.
From this experience, I took away more awareness and gratitude for my freedoms, the ability to work with intelligent individuals such as the students and professors at UF, as well as the athletes, and it gave me more perspective on life. Overall, this piece came together beautifully and inspired me to look into more international sport stories."
Looking back, I have realized I am walking away with more life-long investments than I could have imagined. This program challenged me professionally and allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone, while doing what I love. It also changed my perspective on many things in life.
Going into this trip, I only knew two people who were involved/attending. But now I can definitely say I have formed life-long friendships and that this was, by far, one of my most memorable and formative college experiences.
The professional lessons I learned from this program were how to think on my feet, how the real industry will be, and how to be a real journalist without the help of Google or cellular data.
The story I had the opportunity to work on for this program was about female boxers and their struggle to compete at a national level. Females are not allowed to compete in Cuba, but that doesn’t stop them from training alongside the men.
I was drawn to this piece because I hope to pursue a career in sports reporting after graduation and what better way to gain real world experience, while pursuing my passion?
On our third day in Cuba, my group and I were fortunate enough to sit in on the men’s training for 2.5 hours at the Rafael Trejo Gimnasio de Boxeo. We were able to talk with some of them, including Noel Hernandez. In 2005, Hernandez won the light-heavyweight title in the World Cadet Boxing Championship.
In addition to meeting the men, my group and I were able to meet up with two of the female boxers and learn about their struggles to gain recognition from the government to compete.
From this experience, I took away more awareness and gratitude for my freedoms, the ability to work with intelligent individuals such as the students and professors at UF, as well as the athletes, and it gave me more perspective on life. Overall, this piece came together beautifully and inspired me to look into more international sport stories."
For more student reflections on the trip to Cuba, click here.
