If you’ve ever been in the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE) office in the Vaughn center, you may recognize Jennifer Allison, as she is the student coordinator of marketing for OSLE.
Jennifer is currently a senior biology major at the University of Tampa, graduating in May. After she graduates, she plans to move back to her home state of New Jersey to attend Cooper Medical School in Camden. Her main focus now, she says is to get through medical school.
She describes her favorite part about working in OSLE is the support system provided to her by her co-workers, referring to the administration as her second family, especially since she is an out-of-state student. Jennifer appreciates the staff at UT, and the experiences she has had with them throughout her four years here.
”The professors really want to get to know you,” she says. “I think that’s something that’s unique to our school. Given the small size, the professors really take an interest in each student.”
Jennifer is a participant in the leadership exchange program, which focuses on the issue of homelessness in both Memphis, Tennessee and the Tampa Bay area. She is the moderator for PULSE institute, and a member of the French club. On top of this, she is currently working alongside the wellness center to coordinate the health fair.
She is also very involved with Greek life on campus: Vice president of Alpha Epsilon Delta (the pre-health honor society), a member of Order of Omega (Greek honor society), and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
Through her hard work, Jennifer was elected to serve as president of Panhellenic. One of the main responsibilities as President is overseeing six of the largest sororities on campus. This was a challenge for Jennifer. After being elected, she realized that she is a representative of 700 women, and everything she does effects a large amount of people. She learned to accept that pressure, and to put aside what she personally wants to do, and focus on what is best for the organization as a whole.
One of the quotes she lives by is, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” The single piece of advice she would like to leave with freshman is to take initiative.
“Look for organizations to be involved with,” she says, “go to meetings by yourself, no one is going to think you’re weird, because you don’t have your friends there.”
Regardless of how busy Jennifer’s schedule may seem, she still gets to enjoy occasional downtime. Her favorite way to unwind is to workout, whether that be by boxing, or going for a run. She likes to explore the neighboring neighborhoods surrounding Bayshore Boulevard and Hyde Park. “They’re really unique, and really beautiful,” she says.
If you see Jennifer around campus, don’t be shy- say hello, and wish her luck as she begins to prepare for medical school!