Student Profiles

By Tracy Wright, B.S. Public Relations 1999 In her young life, Journalism junior Mackenzie Behm has already been through a lifetime of adversity, triumph and success. Growing up in an abusive household, the one thing she maintains is that she does not allow her setbacks to define her. Rather, she…

By Denise Trunk Krigbaum, M.A.M.C. 1997 From the time Erin Jauch could walk, she was in the gym. Sure, it was her mother’s gym, so Jauch felt at home there. But, from the get-go, she took to tumbling and gymnastics. She said she kind of fell into it – a…

By William Clewis, B.S. Journalism 2020 Senior Journalism Major Christopher Cantrell is looking forward to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019 season. He never played high school basketball. He never played for the Gator basketball team.  Instead, he earned his way to the big leagues through dexterity, quick…

By Lenore Devore , B.S. Journalism 1984 Bhakti Sharma set a world record for swimming in the 34-degree waters of Antarctica, left her family behind, moved to the United States by herself to attend college, and has given motivational speeches to thousands of people. But competition scares her. The 28-year-old…

As a superstar softball pitcher, Kelly Barnhill has become a household name, at least in Gator Nation households. And she continues the legacy of star UF athletes pursuing communication careers. Since her commitment to UF, the rising Public Relations senior has notched eye-popping numbers. She holds the UF record in…

By Alexa Asendorf, B.S. Public Relations, 2013 A perfect GPA and nationally ranked athlete. An academic unicorn? If so, we found one at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC). Twenty-two-year-old Mary Josephine “Josie” Kuhlman is a UFCJC public relations senior with a 4.0 and a national…

Brett Ball watched the time tick by as she sat on the couch of her newly assigned sports psychologist. It felt like she had lost everything. She spent her entire life preparing to be a basketball star, following a legacy of professionals in her family — both of her aunts…

“As a communicator, my dream is to positively affect the narrative surrounding immigrants,” said University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Public Relations senior Eugenia Blaubach. Born in Venezuela, she came to the U.S. with her parents when she was seven years old. After high school, she wanted to…

“Can you combine journalism with computer coding? Well of course you can,” claims Andrew Briz, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Telecommunication senior. “No not only can it be done, but it can be done easily with a new web application I designed.” “LongForm is my crowning achievement.…

By his 20th birthday, Merrett Fay had traveled to and photographed over 22 countries. Self-taught, he has a knack for capturing the moment wherever he may be. Fay, a University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Innovation Academy Advertising sophomore, discovered his talent and passion for photography at the…

Learning about mistreatment of workers and harmful environmental practices by some clothing manufacturers inspired Morgan Gill to pursue the “slow clothing” movement and make a difference for women in developing countries. Q.  What are you studying at CJC? A.  Advertising with a focus in health communications. Q.  How did you…