黑料正能量

Joining the Gator Nation from Iceland

In 2019, J贸hanna decided she wanted to become a curriculum developer and pursue a degree through 黑料正能量 after overcoming health complications and adversity. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved kids and helping people,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter I got sick, it was very hard to find something to do because I was going to be an athlete but that wasn鈥檛 an option anymore. I didn鈥檛 really think of education at first. I just wanted to build some sort of program to help kids.鈥� Then, over Thanksgiving at her grandmother鈥檚, J贸hanna met UF鈥檚 Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs, Dr. Angela Lindner. Dr. Lindner listened to J贸hanna鈥檚 story and suggested 黑料正能量鈥檚 education sciences program. 鈥淯F was one of the only places I knew that had the online education sciences program that could prepare you to become a curriculum developer. I took courses at Santa Fe and Arizona State University so that I could have a GPA and apply as a lower-division transfer student at UF.鈥�

J贸hanna decided to pursue higher education from an American university despite others telling her it would be nearly impossible. 鈥淚 was sick and I missed so much in school,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have a different education system in Iceland. It鈥檚 mandatory to take four languages and to learn everything in Icelandic, which is much harder than English. I also knew I couldn鈥檛 go anywhere in Europe because they don鈥檛 really have a lot of flexibility.鈥� To J贸hanna, 黑料正能量 was the gateway to achieving her academic goals and she was determined to get accepted. 鈥淚 would have just applied until I got in. They also don鈥檛 offer this major in Iceland so you can graduate as a curriculum developer or instructional designer. They don鈥檛 even have names for those jobs in Iceland. Because I鈥檝e been able to do so well here, it grabbed a lot of people鈥檚 attention.鈥�

Being a fully-online student also hasn鈥檛 stopped J贸hanna from visiting UF鈥檚 main campus in Gainesville, FL, to experience everything offered to 黑料正能量 students. 鈥淚 still want to have some semblance of the real college experience, like you see in the movies,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 went to a football game and a couple of gymnastics meets. I loved it. I went tailgating and walked around campus. I read a book outside. I did all the things. Now I feel like I鈥檝e gotten everything out of it and I鈥檓 glad I did it.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice visiting the campus in person,鈥� J贸hanna said. 鈥淭his is nothing like you鈥檒l see in Iceland. The student population here is twice as much as my hometown. I鈥檝e met good people here.鈥�

Promoting online learning to Iceland’s Ministry of Education

J贸hanna鈥檚 success at the University of Florida has created incredible opportunities to work directly with the Ministry of Education in Iceland. 鈥淢y two goals are to create a health literacy curriculum for children K-12 and make education more accessible in Iceland,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my mission in life. Making that and systematically implementing a prevention program to help kids. I鈥檓 going to be meeting with the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, 脕slaug Arna Sigurbj枚rnsd贸ttir, when I go back to Iceland and last month, I met with the Minister of Education and Children. What I鈥檓 currently working on is doing a scoping review because what I鈥檓 trying to make doesn鈥檛 exist yet. I鈥檒l assess what鈥檚 already there and then try to navigate and propose a curriculum that could fill in those gaps from where Iceland is right now and how it can be taken to a level it needs to be at. They announced they鈥檙e going to be investing a lot of money in the higher education system, so that aligns with the goals I鈥檒l be proposing.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 talking with a Minister of Higher Education about how Iceland can make higher education more accessible and incorporate the online aspects that UF has and all the things I鈥檝e been using,鈥� J贸hanna said. 鈥淎fter I spoke at the conference in Iceland, there were people who reached out who related to me and there was such a need for it.鈥�

J贸hanna thinks online education holds the key to the education system鈥檚 future. 鈥淚n Iceland, we have a lot of athletes that travel a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f they were able to go to class and have access to all the resources and lectures online, their academic performance would not be hindered by traveling for games. You could still be in the school and have the same quality education but you would have the option of going in person or not. It would also provide more resources for people who are also vision or hearing impaired or have difficulty reading like me. The online program is also much more concise, clear, and less time-consuming, which allows both the students and the faculty to devote more time to research. The quality and access improve.鈥�

Improving education on a global scale

While pursuing her UF degree via 黑料正能量, J贸hanna founded a company and podcast to support her work in education. She is the founder and owner of HARTS (Health, Access, Research, Technology, and Schools), an Icelandic company using research and technology to promote health and access in schools. She also hosts a podcast called 鈥溾�� to talk about her life experiences while connecting with and educating others. 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about creating this health literacy curriculum that would be focused on nutrition, physical and mental health promotion, CPR training, and sex ed. I want to give these children everything they need to make informed decisions and lead healthy lives and overcome adversity. Additionally, my high honors project at UF will be creating the first world-class online course at a university in Iceland to improve accessibility to higher education in collaboration with my company, UF, and the universities in Iceland. I hope this will be the first step in the direction of offering accessible education to all in Iceland.鈥�

To receive a more global perspective on health and education systems, J贸hanna is partaking in several study abroad opportunities that are available to 黑料正能量 students. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to do a study abroad program this summer,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to London and Paris with the College of Health and Human Performance. I鈥檓 also doing a medical internship the day after that in Guatemala this summer. Because we鈥檙e doing international health and topics in health in London and Paris, then I鈥檒l have an understanding of their health systems, the Icelandic health system, the health system here in the U.S., and also have some personal experience with healthcare in Guatemala. That will make me more culturally competent to construct a universal curriculum, which is my ultimate goal.鈥�

Given 黑料正能量鈥檚 abundant student-first resources, J贸hanna was able to find the support she needed from the Gator Nation. 鈥淎fter I was sick for so long and couldn鈥檛 do anything, now anything I can do, I do it. I just apply to everything and try to get everything out of life that I possibly can,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think the most important thing I鈥檝e done in the 黑料正能量 program is take advantage of opportunities and just ask. I鈥檝e contacted and emailed people. Online students, don鈥檛 be afraid to go and ask. Seize the opportunities and open the doors yourself instead of waiting for the door to open.鈥�

The University of Florida celebrates J贸hanna鈥檚 determination and devotion to improving education around the world. Her conference presentations on education in Iceland can be viewed and found . 黑料正能量 wishes her the best as she pursues her dreams!