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!

In Katherine鈥檚 career of more than seventeen years, there was still something missing from her stellar resume: the bachelor鈥檚 degree that she never finished. Katherine knew she wanted to start her own business in instructional design, but she also wanted to earn a degree to increase her knowledge.

The promise Katherine made to herself was that she would finish what she started when there was a degree that was meaningful to her. After over a decade away from her studies, Katherine came across 黑料正能量鈥檚 program. Once Katherine learned that the College of Education鈥檚 Education Sciences major was offered via 黑料正能量, she immediately knew that it was the right time to become a Gator again.

Returning to school after starting a career

In the early 2000s, when Katherine first started school as an on-campus student at UF, she found herself bouncing from major to major. Katherine finally landed on majoring in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences with a plan to become a family therapist. While this is a career where she could help people, Katherine ultimately decided not to pursue this path.

When Katherine landed a job as a Regional Director of Training for service and beverage at Bloomin鈥� Brands鈥� popular chain Bonefish Grill, she never expected to find her passion and start a lifelong journey. Katherine moved her way up the ladder, earning positions like National Training Manager and Training Content Developer in her thirteen years with the company. Eventually, she came across the opportunity to work for Hard Rock International, in Hollywood, Florida, as the Manager of Beverage Operations, which she couldn鈥檛 pass up.

At Hard Rock, Katherine was in charge of creating employee training materials around beer, wine, and spirits for all of Hard Rock Cafe鈥檚 international locations. Like many working in the hospitality industry in 2020, Katherine lost her job due to the prolonged shut down of Hard Rock Cafe鈥檚 locations worldwide. Katherine took this as an opportunity to do two things she has always wanted to do 鈥� finish her bachelor鈥檚 degree and start her own business.

鈥淚 looked at a few other online programs before I saw the Education Sciences program at UF,鈥� Katherine said. 鈥淲ith UF, I was really interested because of the national rankings. I was ultra-invested because not only the pride of being a Gator, but knowing I was getting a quality education and a quality chance at it. Doing the research on UF鈥檚 ranking made me more comfortable going back.鈥�

Katherine was particularly interested in the  specialization offered through the Education Sciences major. This specialization gives students extensive knowledge on research findings of learning theories, making Katherine more relevant with current educational multimedia and technology to produce more captivating and effective instructional materials.

With countless opportunities ahead, Katherine was eager to apply and become a Gator again. After getting accepted, she immediately knew this was the right decision to pick up her education again.

鈥淎 lot of people regret leaving school, but for me, it was the best thing I could have done because I got to do exactly what I love doing and found my way doing it. Now, I鈥檓 back in school and really focusing on becoming better at it. The passion is already there,鈥� Katherine added.

Finding support through the Gator Nation

While Katherine resides in North Palm Beach, FL, over two hundred miles from Gainesville, she always felt connected to the Gator Nation right through her laptop. From day one, Katherine was filled with support and encouragement from her dedicated professors and her advisor, Aaron Ganas.

鈥淎aron, my academic advisor, has been instrumental in helping guide me and making me feel supported throughout this whole process,鈥� Katherine stated. 鈥淲hen I was registering for classes, he would reach out and ask me how things were going. I could talk through things with him, and he helped me assign the speciality for education technology pretty early on, so I didn鈥檛 waste any time and was able to go directly into what I wanted to do.鈥�

Katherine found similar support in her professors. Katherine鈥檚 multimedia education professor went the extra mile to leave comments on assignments and send more resources to her. Another one of Katherine鈥檚 professors was big on connecting by always reaching out and providing quality feedback to her. 鈥淚 was able to graduate efficiently with all the support of my advisor and professors,鈥� she said.

As an enthusiast for instructional design, Katherine thought that going through her 黑料正能量 courses, which are created by expert instructional designers at , was an awesome experience. 鈥淚 geek out on course design and the way things are structured because I feel that I鈥檓 learning the most efficient way possible,鈥� Katherine said.

In Katherine鈥檚 黑料正能量 courses, she is able to pause and revisit lectures, interact with her classmates through discussion boards, and easily plan out her schedule through the calendar function. She admits that the discussion boards through her online courses make her feel more engaged. Whereas in a face-to-face course, she would likely not participate in class discussions or engage with classmates since she doesn鈥檛 have the time to reflect on lectures.

鈥淚 love the asynchronicity of 黑料正能量 and the fact that I can do my work at my own pace.鈥� Katherine went on to say, 鈥淭hat has allowed me to work full-time and focus on my life.鈥�

Starting her dreams as a Gator grad

Now a UF graduate, Katherine is ready to accomplish new goals in life. This includes gaining more clientele in her instructional design business called GUIDE (Global Unlimited Instructional Design & Education) and earning her Master of Education degree in Education Technology through UF. In her free time, Katherine also plays and coaches a beach volleyball team where she helps train individuals on technique and teamwork. In addition, Katherine is also a Master Gardener Volunteer through UF IFAS Extension office in Palm Beach County. Her and a team of volunteers help educate and provide research-based information to the community regarding planning and maintaining suburban, rural, and urban landscapes focusing on environmental care.

Katherine鈥檚 advice to students interested in the Education Sciences major via 黑料正能量 is to take advantage of the technology and make the most of it. 鈥淟everage the fact you can go back and rewatch items, engage in the discussion boards,鈥� Katherine mentioned. 鈥淚 feel as though I got a better education than I would have in-person since you have a chance to reflect, try out different methods, and get responses versus just sitting in an hour-long class.鈥�

We congratulate Katherine on her accomplishments and finishing what she started. Katherine鈥檚 story illuminates the determination and grit our Gators exhibit to achieve their goals. In a time of hardship where Katherine lost her job, she built the momentum to finish her degree and start a business. Gators always prevail, and we wish Katherine nothing but success. Go Gators!