One of the things I really think is great about the university culture is their intercollegiate activities. Being part of a team is a wonderful experience and I had the great opportunity to be part of several teams in my college career that not only has made an impact on me personally, but also professionally as well. Football is one of the sports I personally love following, and it is exciting to see two of my teams playing against each other in the Sugar Bowl. The University of Louisville will be playing the University of Florida in the upcoming Sugar Bowl right after New Year’s. Not only is it a great athletic location, but a wonderful place for amazing cuisine! Cafe Du Monde and Delmonico’s are must go to places in New Orleans! 🙂
I have a strong connection with both universities. I was a student-athlete at the University of Florida and competed on their track and field team from 2002-2004, where I was a 3x time All-American in the shot put, 2x SEC Champion, and a finalist in the 2004 Olympic Trials. It was during my time at Florida where I was also first introduced to Public Relations. I took my first class (Introduction to PR) after the suggestion of my academic advisor after she saw my work in high school with my website. I of course immediately feel in love with the profession and have been involved ever since. This also allowed me to create my own email newsletter that was sent out covering behind the scenes of what it is like to be an athlete at Florida called Kmail.
I graduated from Florida during the summer of 2005 and immediately moved from Gainesville to LA to start the Master’s program in Strategic Public Relations at the University of Southern California (Fight on!). A few years later, I graduated with my MA and headed to Knoxville for my Ph.D. in Communications.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee with my PhD in 2011, I became an assistant professor at the University of Louisville. The University of Louisville has been my home for the last year and a half (amazing I have been there for almost two years!) Time flies by when you are having a great time. 🙂 I have been extremely impressed not only with the strong research and academic community at the university, but also what UofL is doing with social media. They have been strategic, innovative, and always engaged with establishing a strong digital community at UofL. This is due to the hard work and dedication of Jeff Rushton, the Director of Digital Media at UofL, who has been a great resource for all of us at UofL. UofL is not only engaged with social media at the university level, but also in athletics as well. From creating ptchs to taking real-time photos and videos to share inspiring stories, this is due to Nick Stover, the director of social media and engagement with the UofL Athletics Department. I’m sure we will see lots of great updates via social media from the Sugar Bowl. Keep up the great work Jeff and Nick!
Even though I am not going to be able to go to the Sugar Bowl, I think it is going to be an exciting game and I can’t wait to see how the teams play. 🙂 Go Cards and Go Gators!
Hope you all are having a great evening.
Best Wishes,
Karen
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