Crossing the finish line: Student completes NYC marathon while earning college degree
Alexa Trout
This is one profile in a series featuring the first Gator graduates who were admitted to UF through the PaCE program.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. 鈥� Chest pounding and legs about to give out, crossing the finish line of the New York City Marathon was the best feeling of her life, said Alexa Trout, a public relations major and communications studies minor.
If it weren鈥檛 for the flexibility of the PaCE program, Trout said she never would have been able to reach one of her greatest accomplishments.
Trout stayed in her hometown of Wesley Chapel her freshman year to complete online coursework. Because her course schedule was up to her and she had the freedom to control her time, Trout also began training for a marathon.
鈥淚 got to run the New York City Marathon as a 19-year-old,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淭hat was one of the best experiences of my life, and it was because I was a PaCE student that I was able to do that. [The program] just opened a lot of doors that the traditional route wouldn鈥檛 have been able to.鈥�
During Trout鈥檚 first semester in PaCE, her day began with a run at 4:30 a.m. By 6 a.m., she鈥檇 be back home for breakfast, a shower and a quick nap. The rest of her day was spent working on classwork for her 18 credits. She was in bed by 8 p.m.
鈥淲hen I finished the marathon, I was in tears, I just couldn鈥檛 believe it,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淭hey say that a marathon is actually hundreds of miles, and the last 26.2 is the sweetest because I had run 500 miles in the past four months, so it was just so much hard work paid off.鈥�
Trout compared finishing the marathon to her experience graduating from UF in three years.
鈥淧aCE was a lot of work. It鈥檚 hard enough to pass traditional classes, let alone where it鈥檚 completely self-driven and you have to motivate yourself,鈥� Trout said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 glad I did it because I鈥檓 about to graduate with a degree from the University of Florida.鈥�
Besides allowing Trout the chance to train for a marathon, the flexibility of the online course format also gave her the time to pursue an internship with The JOY FM, a contemporary Christian radio station, where Trout did some voice tracking on air.
After graduation, Trout plans to continue voicing for The JOY FM鈥檚 morning show. She hopes to combine her public relations skills and passion for radio to work in the radio industry.
鈥淚鈥檓 just really happy I did PaCE; it鈥檚 such a great program,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gives so many more students the opportunity to be a Gator, and it was the best choice I ever made.鈥�
Learn More About UF鈥檚 PaCE Program as an Alternative Path to College
Offering flexible and accessible education, the Pathway to Campus Enrollment (PaCE) program enables the University of Florida to invite more students to the Gator Nation. In this unique college transition program, students take UF courses online for the first two years of their education and have the option to either complete their education fully online from anywhere or on UF campus for their junior and senior years.
While this digital college pathway offers students a 25% reduction in tuition and fewer fees than their on-campus peers, PaCE students can get involved on campus and join UF clubs and organizations. Request more information about a PaCE major today.