It’s a Fun Life at Florida Tech

By Kate Broderick, Global Strategic Communication ‘13

 To be perfectly honest with you, some of the complaints I’ve heard during my studies at Florida Tech is that the social life is somewhat lacking.

My rebuttal? Lies. Utter and complete lies.

As an undergraduate studying for my degree in Humanities, I approached the social scene with a completely unhealthy mentality. If people want to be friends with me, I thought, they’ll approach me. No effort needed on my part. Yes, this passive approach is marginally effective because Florida Tech is a friendly campus. But I also missed out on the oodles of fun activities Florida Tech hosts.

As a graduate student in the Global Strategic Communication Master’s program, I’ve gained the maturity to be actively engaged in shaping my own life. I struggle against allowing social anxiety and the pressing fear of rejection paralyze me. What does this mean, exactly? It means pushing myself out of my comfort zone and engaging in the activities sponsored by Florida Tech. Let me tell you a secret—it’s easier than you think. Students of Florida Tech share an essential “Florida Techness.” We are all students studying with the same professors, sharing the same hobbies, experiencing the same things. It is unbelievably easy to find common ground for which to lay the foundations of new friendships. Only you can’t simply sit around and wait for it to happen to you. Go out there! Be adventurous! Take charge of your own life!

How has being proactive altered my experiences at Florida Tech? This past weekend I attended a speech by Dr. Ted Petersen regarding the journalistic aspects of Bob Dylan’s music, journeyed to the Morikami Japanese Gardens with 20 of my fellow Humanities and Communication students to have a firsthand taste of Japanese culture, learned to salsa dance with classmates, and enjoyed bubble tea with new friends. This upcoming week promises to be equally exciting—on Friday, the Department of Humanities and Communication is sponsoring OmniMusica, an award-winning world music ensemble (7:30 in Gleason Performing Arts Center!) and on Saturday, ISSS is hosting the exquisite International Festival (12:00 to 5:00pm in the Panther Plaza!). I hope to see you there!

Your experience in college is exactly what you make it—don’t wait for people to approach you! Get out there and experience the multitude of events hosted every day at Florida Tech!