Pictured above: (from left to right) Olivia Smith is a creative and an ocean lover, she loves giving back in ways to help our waters become fresh and hazard free. Isabella Engleman is really into art and enjoys her coffee homework outing with her friends. Ella Funk of Filipino descent admires her college experience and is eager for her time here in Florida. She is very sociable and enjoys the liveness atmosphere of the college campus.
Courtesy of Oliva Smith, Isabella Engleman and Ella Funk
By Audrey Ward
For many students, the first week of classes means leaving home for the first time and beginning a new chapter of their life.
USF St. Petersburg’s freshmen and sophomores can officially experience a college life and leave behind the online/hybrid learning from high school. Or like many upper-class juniors and senior students, this is their first time back on a college campus after a year of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With class work, new routines and a return to a semi-normal social and learning environment, St. Petersburg’s Bull community is back with a diverse and lively atmosphere.
The expectations might have been high for some students returning to in-person classes, but for others, not so much.
Isabella Engleman, a senior speech and language pathology major at USF Tampa, lives on the St. Petersburg campus and is involved in several student organizations. With a full schedule and lengthy commute to Tampa-based classes, she anticipated the first week being a busy one.
“The first week of classes went pretty well, especially considering I’m a commuting student. I drive to Tampa twice a week and I also work 2-3 times a week waiting tables, so I thought it would be a lot more hectic,” Engleman said. “Overall, I’d say my in-person classes were worth the drive. In my opinion, anything beats trying to learn over a tiny screen.”
Olivia Smith, a sophomore environmental science and policy major at St. Petersburg, is a part of the Marine Adventures Club and Student Green Energy Fund on campus. Like her fellow sophomore class, Smith had to deal with her college experience shifting online last fall and this past spring.
“As a student that was on campus in the spring, it was really nice to see so many people back on campus. Having in-person classes has also been a new experience that I have come to enjoy,” Smith said. “It gives me structure and I find I have much better communication and discussions with professors and other students in a classroom. It is going to be a very interesting semester with COVID-19 still active, but I’m ready for the challenges that are yet to come.”
St. Petersburg freshman biology major Ella Funk said that her first days living and learning on campus have been a positive experience.
“I felt very welcomed, and all of my professors seemed amazing,” Funk said “I was very happy to see there were welcome events. My classes went smoothly, and I was able to find everywhere I needed to be easily. I had a very nice first week of classes.”
Audrey Ward is a junior mass communications major at USF St. Petersburg.
