Jessica Watson always thought a student needed to become a Florida Cicerone, work as a Preview staffer, rush Greek life, or a combination of the three in order to be successful at UF. But the public relations senior said her college experience has gone a bit differently from what she expected.
There was no rushing for a sorority and no desire to become a Preview staffer, but there were three applications and interviews to join the Cicerones, followed by three rejections.
Today Watson is, among other things, president of the Reitz Union Board of Entertainment, the 2012-2013 UF Student Organization of the Year that brings free speakers, concerts, and other events to campus.
As president, Watson said she is the face of RUB.
“Literally,” she said. “My face is on the website.”
For Watson, RUB is her niche on campus, and it wasn’t until about two weeks ago that she realized the success she built for herself at UF was better than the stereotypical path she’d imagined for herself as a freshman.
“I love UF,” Watson said. “I bleed orange and blue.”
Still, Watson said she felt uprooted moving to UF from her home in Weston, FL. She came to the university wanting to find a home, and for her, that home is RUB. One of Watson’s friends found out about RUB during the Fall semester of their freshman year, and they decided to join together.
However, Watson said she never dreamed she would become president just a few years later. Never having had that much responsibility for so many people before, she had a real fear of failure.
It was a stressful time, she said. Watson had the opportunity to rush Greek life and become a public relations representative for TEDxUF and the president of RUB.
“I could only pick two,” she said.
On top of schoolwork, she had one day to make a decision between TEDxUF and rushing because the information sessions were on the same day, and she was sick with a 102-degree fever.
In the end, Watson said she chose TEDxUF and RUB because of a combination of love for TED, commitment to RUB, and finding the expenses associated with Greek life daunting.
But these days, most of Watson’s time still goes into RUB.
“When I’m not doing something for RUB, I’m thinking about it, letting it marinate,” Watson said. “I have an obsessive personality, so I’m always thinking about RUB.”
In the future, Watson said she wants to plan corporate retreats and help companies with leadership development and training. She said loves event planning and came to that realization largely because of RUB.
She said there is an 180-degree difference between what RUB is today and what it was when she first joined. It didn’t have as much of a presence on campus, she said but after having events where it brought bands, such as Of Montreal and Passion Pit, the organization has become more popular.
“Today, every time I tell my mom about something cool RUB is doing, she says, ‘Think about how happy you are that you got this,’” Watson said.