This fall, Elayna Fenelon started her first semester of her junior year at the USF. Not only is she double majoring in criminology and political science, but she is also double minoring in sign language and psychology.
Elayna is African American, of Haitian descent and can be described as a very outgoing and energetic individual. She is ambitious and headstrong as well – when she puts her mind to something, she gets it done right away.
Elayna came to Tampa all the way from Miami just for college and loves it. She chose USF over other schools mainly because she didn’t want to pay out of state tuition, plus all of her aunts are alumni and her best friends got accepted as well.
“College has been a learning experience for me,” she said. “It started out a little rough, but once I adapted it became a smooth ride.”
Her favorite college memory so far is when she lived on campus. It was much easier for her to get to class, become more involved and an awesome way to socialize with and meet many different people. The one thing she didn’t like was the dining services, which is understandable because you could only visit Andros a few times a week without getting tired of French fries and pizza.
She is a very active student and is involved in other organizations on campus such as SISTUHS Inc, Relentless Dance Troupe and NAACP. She joined Her Campus in the beginning of the fall semester, but wished she had known more about the organization last year. When she’s not at school, Elayna can be found at her part-time job as a camp counselor at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club.
Elayna is very athletic and has been a cheerleader since the age of four. She did gymnastics even before that and automatically switched over to cheer when she was a little older and knew what she was doing. She still keeps up with it and stays in shape by doing free-tumbling at a nearby gym. Elayna also spent five years dancing contemporary ballet for Addiction Dance Company, now called Young Contemporary and Dance Theater. She became involved with ballet as she matured because she realized her dancing lacked technique and taking some classes would be the best solution. Plus, in the dance world there is always, always, always more room for improvement!
In her spare time, Elayna teaches herself how to play the guitar. She is interested in fashion, traveling and singing. She also has an adventurous side and enjoys activities such as swimming with dolphins and go-kart racing. Some of her favorite television shows right now are Law and Order, Pretty Little Liars, Glee, Switched at Birth, NCIS, among many others.
After graduation, Elayna plans to go to law school to earn her Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology). She’s not exactly sure what direction she wants to go in just yet, but hopes to figure it out this semester.
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