humansofuf

[humansofuf]

"I’ve been a pediatrics and genetics instructor at UF's medical school since ’78. So that’s 38 years now — yeah, I’m ancient. When you do your first residency in the world of pediatrics, you’re called a PGY1. So I used to boast and say that I’m a PGY35. But I can honestly say that the students get smarter every year. It’s really incredible. The material we cover in the first two weeks of medical school wasn’t covered in the first three or four months when I was in school. You know what’s amazing? There’s this microcosm of fantastic students here in Gainesville. But there are thousands and thousands of microcosms just like it. In 10 to 20 years, we’ll be living in a whole new world."

[humansofuf]

“What would you tell new students on campus?" "I’m an international student from Bosnia — if someone told me in my freshman year that I would be the Editor of a campus magazine in my senior year, I wouldn’t believe them. English is my second language but now I’m editing it! If you keep an open mind about who you are, what you want to do, and where you want to be — I promise you'll surprise yourself in the best way." “Feeling at home here won’t happen right away. You will struggle — everyone does. But it’s a part of the process. There will be moments where you’re so overwhelmed and nothing seems to be going right, and you’ll ask yourself 'Am I doing this right?' But those moments will be balanced out by all the times you’ll walk around this campus and think ‘Wow, I’m so happy to be here.’”

[humansofuf]

"When I turned 7, I told my mom that I never wanted any birthday or Christmas presents so we could do one huge trip a year. I did ‘couch surfing’ with my mom this summer — we stayed with over 20 different families in 7 different countries. And if we couldn’t find a local to stay with, we would sleep on the train and explore whatever country we woke up in. We went to Thailand last year, backpacked Europe this year, and next year we’re going to Australia. My mom has been all over the world, and now it’s my mission to experience every country I can. I got it from my mama.”

[humansofuf]

"I feel like my whole life has been mixed. When it comes to race, I have caucasian, Korean and African American sides to my family. When it comes to school, I have two very different majors: Mechanical Engineering and Art. My mom loves nature and worked as a nuclear pharmacist for a while — now she’s a sixth grade science teacher on the down low. My dad worked in restaurants for a long time, but he’s very crafty. That’s where I got my love for science and art. So I’m mixed in a lot of ways, but I love it. It’s like coming with your own natural balance."

[humansofuf]

“What’s one piece of advice you would give to new freshmen on their first day here?" “We met at the beginning of our freshman year — and now it’s the first day of our senior year and we’re going into it together, as best friends. Be open. Let yourself be vulnerable. Take a chance. Invest in relationships and the people who invest in you. We may not know where life is going to take us after we leave, but we know we have each other because of the memories we made here.”

[humansofuf]

"When I was growing up, I saw the same thing in every television show: there was a mom, a dad, a brother and a sister, a white picket fence, and a dog. But my family wasn’t like that. It was just me and my grandmother. After raising her own kids, she sacrificed so much of her life to take care of me; so now, I take care of her back in Ocala. We’re not ‘normal.' But I realize now that no family is."

[humansofuf]

"I’m from a very small village called Tucurrique in Costa Rica — there are only about 3,000 people. We only have one high school. Most people are farmers whose lives revolve around two things: farming and soccer. But I received a scholarship to go to high school in Norway with an international program, and then to study here. A lot of people my age leave our village to study in other places — but they don’t come back. Because of that, there’s no progress. I want to go back to Tucurrique, take what I’ve learned, and become the Mayor to take our village to a national scale."

[humansofuf]

When I strolled up to this dynamic duo and struck up a conversation, they greeted me with two things.

First: Two huge smiles. Second: “Very little English. I come from Bologna, Italy.”

With determination in my heart and Google translator in my hand, I wrote out my questions and had Michele type his answers. But, really and truly, the best insight you could get from Michele and Margherita’s relationship was by seeing it live: as she fixed her big brown eyes on her father and copied his every move and facial expression, laughing and telling me an enthusiastic story about the grass in her hand through it all. (Italian or not, the language of cute is universal.)

“What is one hope you have for your daughter?” “Spero che sia felice qualsiasi strada intraprenda." Translation by the University of Florida’s Italian Student Association: "I hope she is happy no matter which road she chooses.”

[humansofuf]

“I remember the first time I saw Kianna. She just caught my eye from across the room. I knew I had to go over there and get her number.”

“Honestly, I was really surprised when he texted me a few days later. When you meet people at a party, you don’t expect them to remember you and follow through — but he did!"

“I never even had the thought of not texting her. I just knew she was different. And hey, I’m so glad I did because here we are today!"

[humansofuf]

"I went to high school in the inner city. I have been homeless. I have been surrounded by poverty in Haiti. I have been in a culture where going to college was out of reach. And if they did go, they all went to the same place: a community college nearby. But I told myself that I was going to break the cycle and get out. When we moved into low-income housing a few years ago, I remember telling my sister: ‘We are going to get out of here. Then we’re coming back and getting our family out of here.’ I’m the first person in my family, going back generations, to go to college — and I never thought in a million years that I would be somewhere as prestigious as the University of Florida. But when one door opens, we need to turn around and open a door for someone else. That’s why I want to become a doctor — so I can open that door for the people in Haiti. There are no second chances for me. Even my dad told me that there’s nothing for me back home, because I will create a better home for myself. I have to make it. I will make it." 

[humansofuf]

“I started at UF when I was 15. I went straight to college from middle school. I was always different from other people my age — when I was little, I would ask my sister to read me entries from the Encyclopedia for my bed time stories. When most people remember something, they remember what they notice. But with an eidetic memory, I remember things exactly. I’ll read a book and remember the words verbatim. I know I live exactly 7 blocks from University Avenue, I know how many steps it takes to get there, and I know how many minutes it takes on a bike. But people are a lot more comfortable when I say things like, 'It takes 3 to 5 minutes,' as opposed to saying 'It takes exactly 3 minutes.' One of the only things I’ve ever had to work at was understanding other people. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends. Most people have natural social skills but have to work hard to develop a base of knowledge, but it was the opposite for me; I naturally had a base of knowledge, and had to work hard to develop social skills. The most challenging part is that you don’t get social feedback. You either get it or you don’t — and if you don’t, you’re weird."

[humansofuf]

"I studied abroad in Hong Kong last Fall to learn more about the culture I’ve never been a part of. So I was expecting to go to China and feel more in touch with my culture, but it did the exact opposite. I’ve never felt more American than when I went to Hong Kong — and not because I was traveling with a bunch of Europeans! Things got pretty awkward when people would look to the Chinese guy to speak Chinese, only to find out that I was just as confused as everybody else.”

[humansofuf]

"When my mom came to this country from the Dominican Republic, she didn’t speak any English — and my dad wouldn’t let her learn because he wanted to be the ‘man of the house.’ Her words were literally taken from her. She’s the most intelligent person I know, but people don’t see that because she can’t voice her thoughts. That’s why I turned to writing. It’s so important to own your words. Because if you don’t, someone else will.”

[humansofuf]

"I can only hope that the music gives someone walking by what they needed at that moment. I sit and play in hopes of making a small impact — whether that’s making a rainy day seem a little brighter, or giving someone having a bad day something to smile about."

[humansofuf]

"I should have died last October. I fell asleep while driving on the Interstate and according to the police report, my car rolled over 15 times. I don’t remember most of that night. But when I went back to school in Tennessee, it didn't feel right. I wanted to start over and finally be the person I wanted to be, rather than sitting around and waiting for the opportunity to come. So I transferred to UF at the beginning of the semester and here I am — taking advantage of each day I have here.”

[humansofuf]

"I’m graduating this semester, and I hope to go on to practice law for people like my brother. He's in jail right now — he’s been there for four years, and he’ll be there 20 years from now. I used to think: ‘If you’re in prison, you’re a bad person.’ And I’d say most people think that. But what really makes a bad person? Do bad people exist, or are there just good people who do bad things?”

[humansofuf]

“This was the date my dad died. He committed suicide when I was 5 years old. I was angry because it was his choice. He made the decision to drink more that night. He made the decision to have guns in the house. He made the decision to take his life. So I was angry because he promised me he’d be there for my wedding and walk me down the aisle. But he’s not, and he’s not going to be. I could choose to resent him, but I can’t: He’s the reason for who I am, why I am, and why I do what I do."