• Donald Wedington

To think that a person's life can be summed up in a paragraph seems both impossible and inaccurate. But if one has to be done on me then it should say at the very least that I am 23 years old, a graduate of UF (Advertising 98'), and currently a graduate student trying to one day do Advertising in an international capacity. I have hopes and fears like most everyone but also know that things have a way of working out. I am a realist which sometimes translates into pessimism, but not much. I think that the only important thing that I have to do in my life is to call my mother at least once a week, she is truly me strength.

• Virginia Rada Herrera 

Caracas, Venezuela is my beautiful and much missed hometown.  There I studied Mass Communication in the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello with a specialization in journalism.  Temporarily I am in “Gatorland” with the objective of getting a masters  in Latin American studios-International Communication.  My  experiences here have been a mixture of emotions, but definitely all positive.  Adapting to a new country is not always  easy,  and less so  when  one has to master English as a second language.  Still, the point is always going ahead and to reach our goals! 

What I most enjoy in life, after my family and friends, are arts in general,  especially music.  I studied music for many years, in fact in a moment of my life I really thought to be a professional musician but ...  I don’t know, I suppose I didn’t figure myself being a great musician.  Another thing that I really enjoy is to travel and fortunately I have had the opportunity of travel and live in different places, and the best thing that I have ever discovered is that in everywhere, always a smile is responded with other smile.  

After graduated at UF, I plan to go to Mexico and work in a university there for a while.
 
 

• Christy Gourley

My name is Christy Gourley. I am an International Communications graduate student, with a focus in Latin American Studies. I hope to work in Latin America when I graduate.  I have my undergraduate degree in Media Writing from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  I went to a number of schools before JMU, but this is my first time living south of Virginia. I miss the cold weather and the changing of the leaves. One of my favorite things about autumn is crunching leaves under my feet, and you can't really do that in Florida.  Instead, I have to worry about alligators wandering out of Lake Alice onto campus.

• Jerry Stewart
I am a 31 year-old graduate student here at the University of Florida. I received my Bachellors Degree in History from UF with a concentration in US and Middle Eastern History, and I also minored in Geography. I am a former Arabic Linguist for the United States Air Force, and after graduation with my M.A. in International Communications, I intend to return to the Air Force with a commission as an Air Force officer in Political/Military Affairs

• Alina Diaz 

 In the past three weeks, I’ve been quite surprised with what I’ve learned in this class.  I’ve come to a better understanding of the world we live in and who I am.  Having been raised in Miami, I felt I had an understanding of different cultures and how to relate to them. I was wrong.  The only culture I can truly say I know and understand is my own.  I hope that by the end of this term, I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learned in this class and become a more effective communicator. 
 Keeping my culture alive has always been very important to me but I didn’t understand why it was so important.  Being in this class and interacting with others has been a great learning experience.  Now I understand how one’s culture shapes the way one thinks, how it also affects interactions with others and how it colors our perceptions of the world and people from other cultures.  I also understand more clearly, why other cultures as well as my own clash.  We all have to learn to talk to each other and not at each other.  This I’ve learned from personal experience.  It is a common misconception that all Hispanics are alike. This can be applied to any ethnic group.  Just because I’m Hispanic doesn’t mean I understand every other Hispanic in the world.  For example, my husband’s family is originally from the Dominican Republic.  There are times when we can’t seem to communicate or understand each other. This has been a true eye-opener since we speak the same language and share similar cultural traits. Now I see every person as a new experience.  When I don’t understand a word, phrase or gesture, I ask the person, “What did you mean when you said”, I don’t wait for misunderstandings to occur.  I also have a greater respect for other cultures as well as my own.

• Eric Burroughs

I'm a native Floridian, and from my many golfing days alone next to eerily
silent ponds at dusk, I'm used to having to run and skip to escape the clutches of an agile gator.  I'm from Bradenton and went to school at Flagler College in St. Augustine where I majored in English and Psychology. From there, I tried my hand as a Wilde-ish Parisian dillentante under the pretense of studying the language, and was much better as a student than a dilletante, though I'll have you know I did have my share of fun. Paris did open up my eyes to the world, and I hope to turn that experience into something useful in exploring international communication, and in particular journalism and foreign correspondence, for the relative near future ­ because I don't like keeping my life under to strict a sight, prefering the path of endless tangents chosen with little discretion but eventually leading toward something unknown but wholely fascinating.

• David Coffey

My name is David Coffey.  I am studying for my masters in communication.  I graduated from Syracuse University in 1994 with a degree in political science.  Since then I've lived in my hometown of Binghamtom, NY; Pusan, South Korea; and Taegu, South Korea.  I study journalism and hope to one day return to Korea to work as a newspaper correspondent.  I recommend you read the book "A Fan's Notes" by Frederick Exley.

• Michelle A. Barth

Michelle Barth began her Master's work in International & Cross-Cultural Communication in 1998 and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Education (English) from the University of North Florida in 1990.  She is employed as a Writer/Producer for White Hawk Pictures, a leading film and video production and post-production company located in Jacksonville where she works with clients such as The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, Burger King, The William Cook Agency, Florida Girl Scouts and STF Productions/America's Most Wanted.  Michelle currently serves as the President of the Jacksonville Chapter of Executive Women International and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Jacksonville, a provider of transitional housing for homeless women and families.

• Jeneen Szajkowski

Hello, web browsers.  My name is Jeneen Szajkowski and I am a graduate student here at the University of Florida.  My major, which I do not believe is the correct term when one refers to graduate study, or tract is International Communications. I am specializing in the field of Latin America. Although I do not speak Spanish fluently, I studied the language for all 4 of my years in high school and it was also one of my two majors while in college.  I hope to recapture my command of the language next semester as I am hoping to relocate to Miami to pursue some personal as well as professional goals  (I have 2 courses left in addition to my thesis, but I can get that knocked out of the way by coming up here once a week).  I figure that by living there and by immersing myself in the colorful, dynamic, and polygot communities that Miami is home to, that I will be able to learn to read and write in Spanish without hesitation and without the aid of a Spanish-English dictionary, speak Spanish flawlessly, and dream in Spanish.  If I can accomplish this much, I would make my great grandmother who was Mexican very proud.  You would never guess that much by looking at me.  My Czech, German, English, French, and Welsh genes dominated in the evolutionary process.
When I graduate, which will hopefully happen in August 1999, I would like to pursue a number of goals.  I am very interested in foreign  correspondence yet at the same time I have a keen interest in international investment banking, something that grabbed my curiosity when I worked for an investment firm in downtown Washington, D. C. a few years ago.  I am also interested in acting, as I did quite a bit of this when I was in high school.  This is quite diverse, I realize, but I would definitely love to live in a place where I can try all 3 of these things, if not as professions, then as hobbies.  I love to read, write and travel.  And I am a freak about health and fitness.  I hail from the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area, though I can guarantee you that I will not end up there (I’ve had my fill of overcast skies, cold weather, and conservative yuppies!).  There is much more, but I will not bore you.

• Paul Harris 

• Keuk Young Kim

My name is Keukyoung Kim, and I was born in Seoul, Korea.  I have received a BA degree in Communications Studies from the University of Iowa.  Currently, I am a graduate student in College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Florida.  After I receive a MAMC degree, I will (have to) join the ROK (Republic of Korea) army.  It is a duty for all Korean men, and I am happy to have an opportunity to serve my country.

Rhina C. Lopez


I came to United States when I was 11, and have been caught between two worlds or two cultures ever since. I was born in Nicaragua, and perhaps the biggest culture shock of my life was when I arrived to this country in 1985. Back home, I knew the lyrics to Menudo songs (yes, I confess, I liked them, ok). Here, I had to first learn English to enjoy Madonna. I did not speak English, had never been in a co-ed, public school, and never knew that Fred Flinstone could speak in English until I discovered morning cartoons here.
My grandfather used to explain to me the Nicaraguan current events on the news before I left my country, and I think that is how I fell in love with journalism. So in 1997, I graduated with my B.S. in Journalism from UF's College of Journalism and Communications.

Although I have adapted pretty well to living in the United States, I don't think I have ever lost my Latin roots. I still speak to my God in Spanish, (and do Math in Spanish too) but I feel music in both English and Spanish.  I miss lots of things about my country. My family, the landscape, the food, the people, the music, etc. But this year, I have learned that my American citizenship is not just a paper any longer, and that perhaps, part of me now is more Nicaraguan-American than I thought. 

I am currently getting my Master's in Latin American Studies and doing a specialization in International Communication. I am glad to be in this class with all of you people because we all seem interested in investing time and love in what needs a lot of attention in our shrinking world right now: inter-cultural communication.

• Kathleen Ragsdale

• Mara Benjamin 

• Kezia Awadzi 

My name is Kezia Awadzi, of Ghana, West Africa.  I add "West Africa" because people confuse "Ghana" with "Guyana."  I am a graduate student in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and specialize in journalism.   I am also interested in courses that analyze culture, race, and gender issues. In the past year, I have  become fascinated by the Internet; both publishing online and the legal issues involved. The Internet is an area I would very much like work with in the future.  Before I got diverted, my dream was to be a managing editor of a magazine/publishing house.  I will find a way to merge both dreams.
PS: Reading and writing are my hobbies.

• Dana Littlefield

My name is Dana Littlefield and I am a first year student in the master's
program Mass Communication. My specialization is in journalism but I am
very interested not just in journalism in general, but journalism as it
pertains to the international media. I am originally from San Diego,
California, but I moved to Florida from Los Angeles, where I lived for the
past five years. I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles
just this past June with a B.A. in English and I hope one day to have a
career in print media. I would especially like to work as a correspondent
in one of the countries in Latin America.

• Kerry Hinkle

I was born in Illinois, but have since moved around quite a bit, both overseas and within the continental United States.  I recieved my B.A. in Communication Studies from Clemson University.  I am currently a telecommunication master's student. I hope to eventually work in the field of television broadcast journalism. 

• Michelle Calcote

I am a graduate student at the University of Florida working on a master of arts degree in international communications. I received my bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Florida in May 1998 with a minor in Spanish. My graduate studies will focus on the global aspects of communication in Latin America and the United States. To fund my graduate studies, I work as a graduate assistant in the office of Student Services in the College of Journalism and Communications. In this position, I advise freshmen and sophomores on academic issues.

• Orlando Sanchez

I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica which makes me a "Tico." I moved to the U.S. in 1989, just in time to suffer though puberty and high school along with the process of adapting to a new home, language, culture and people. It was fun. No it wasn't. I got my bachellor's in political science from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I minored in creative writing and Latin American Studies. I have worked for a variety of publications -- the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale), the Central Florida Future (editor), the UCF InPrint (editor), as well as some magazines. I am currently a master's student in Latin American Studies (Political Science) and work as editor of The Latinamericanist, the Center for Latin American Studies bi-annual newsletter. I am also one of the people guilty for this site!

• Charlie Williams

My name is Charlie Williams and I am first year graduate student in International and Cross-Cultural Communication.  I received my bachelor's degree in May of 1997 with a major in English Literature and a minor in Spanish.  I have been interested in the culture and diversity in Spain and Latin America for many years.  My future career goals include entering into foreign diplomacy.