After graduating from college, Florida State University (FSU) alum Veronica Carver turned to her alma mater for a job opportunity. Carver studied abroad with FSU while she was a student there and returned this year to be a Program Assistant, living in the apartments with students and guiding them through their time in the FSU Florence program while creating engaging activities for them to take part in.
Her Campus (HC): So you’re a Program Assistant with FSU, when did you study abroad?
Veronica Carver (VC): I studied abroad in Florence fall of 2021, and I studied in London summer of 2022.
HC: Okay. And when did you graduate from FSU?
VC: I graduated summer 2022.
HC: What did you major in while at FSU?
VC: I majored in public relations and double minored in international affairs and environmental science.
HC: Why did you choose to become a PA?
VC: I really fell in love with Florence the first time I was here. Between the art, the architecture, the culture and the people, plus I wasn’t exactly my next steps, being 22 years old. So, trying to take some time and help, come and give back to this community and being able to be a part of this again was really kind of an incredible moment for me. Not only being a part of FSU Florence, but giving back to it.
HC: So why did you choose Florence over London?
VC: Difficult question. Truly, in Florence, there’s such a community here between both the students and the staff that I feel is just so welcoming and so inviting and a wonderful thing to be a part of as well as there’s just no place like Florence. I’ve traveled to several countries, but I feel like there’s just an energy here and there’s such interesting culture as well as Italian is my favorite food.
HC: What was the process like for becoming a PA?
VC: To become a PA, you apply online, you do this portal that’s on the [International Programs] website, then you have three letters of recommendation that you need to get and you write a few essays that talk about what is your leadership style, what are you interested in doing and giving back to the community? How would you impact FSU Florence? What ideas do you have? Those sorts of questions.
HC: What are some of the main responsibilities that you have as a PA?
VC: The main thing that we do as a PA is we work as a liaison between students and faculty and full-time staff, trying to help students navigate everyday life in Florence as well as any problems that they might run into. We have a lot of freshmen in our program, especially, who have never been away from home. It’s a big step trying to figure out not only how you live by yourself or without your family, but you live in a foreign country with different customs and cultural aspects that you have to adjust to. So we’re here to really help you figure out and find your path along the way.
HC: What’s it like living where you’re working?
VC: I think it’s very interesting and it’s definitely a nice, fun challenge for me. Figuring out how to navigate work-life balance is definitely a daily hurdle that I come across. But I think it’s unique and it’s cool in a way that you really get to know the people that you’re working with and the students that you also work with rather than going home and having a different community there. Because you’re abroad and you’re all new here, you rely on each other, and you get to foster these relationships that you don’t make at home.
HC: What’s your favorite part about being a PA?
VC: My favorite part about being a PA is being able to see how students interact with each other and their relationships blossom. I really love being able to host events that students come up with or that we come up with, and at the end of it they come up to me and they say, “Hey, this was a great idea. We should do this again.” Being able to see people connect from the things that we did is really cool to me. I just love being able to help connect others.
HC: Yeah, karaoke night was a win. I loved karaoke night, it was so fun.
VC: There will be another one in November!
HC: How is being a PA preparing you for future job opportunities?
VC: Being in PA has definitely taught me a lot of things. It’s helped me figure out work-life balance as well as figuring out how to be adaptable and spontaneous in situations where anything can happen with 109 students in a foreign country. You have to be able to jump up and do something and tasks change from day to day. So finding a way to hurry up and wait, you know. It’s “do a bunch of this one day” and then something completely different the next day and being able to just turn on a dime.
HC: What is your plan for after being a PA?
VC: That’s a great question and one I’m still completely figuring out, but most likely I’ll be doing grad school. I’m looking at schools all over Europe right now in sustainable development or in environmental communications. Before I came here, I was working for Rethink Energy Florida, a renewable energy nonprofit, doing environmental communication for them, because I find it interesting to try and help the public navigate the science behind the environment, climate, renewable energy, especially in today’s environment. It’s essential to be able to understand the information that the scientists are finding, but in normal words.
Interested in becoming a PA or in studying abroad? Be sure to check out the FSU International Programs website.
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