Meet Amanda Lankford, a senior at the University of South Florida majoring in public relations. She was born in Wichita Falls, Texas but moved to Brandon, Florida when she was 12, where she still lives and makes the 30-minute commute to USF. I recently had the chance to have a quick interview with Amanda to better introduce her to the girls of Her Campus.
What is your major and what year are you? “My major is Public Relations. I am a second year senior (basically starting a fifth year) and will be graduating in December.”
Why do you want to be involved with Her Campus? “Mostly for the experience that I hope to gain from it. I’m graduating in four months and I do not feel like I have much experience with my field. Also, in my time at USF, I have not gotten involved in any organizations except PRSSA. During the semester, my time is spent on schoolwork or at my job, so I never made the commitment to an organization. I want to get more involved with my school and meet new people!”
What position are you applying for? What experience do you have in that area? “I applied for Event Coordinator and Publicity Coordinator. I have a little experience with event planning. I just completed a summer internship with the American Diabetes Association. My internship’s focus was on their annual walk, which is coming up in November. I really enjoyed it and after graduation, I hope to do something with event planning. I do not have any publicity experience, but since you have to publicize any event you have, I also have an interest in that.”
Are you interested in fashion? Who is your favorite designer? “Honestly, I’m not real big into fashion! For the longest time, I would only wear jeans and t-shirts. Lately I have gotten a little more into wearing dresses and cute tops. I think I get most of my fashion inspiration from Pinterest or my friends. I don’t look at fashion magazines or follow any specific designer – although, I am obsessed with Vera Bradley items.
What is your number one played song on your ipod? “My number one played song is “Here’s to Us” by Halestorm. I had never heard of that band and that is not a song I would typically find on my own, but it was on an episode of Glee. After that, I fell in love with it. I downloaded the Glee version and the original version and listened to them constantly. I mostly use my iPod while I’m running, so most of the songs I play on it are fast/upbeat and all different genres.”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? “Wow. In 10 years I’ll be 32 and it’s hard to think of myself as being in my 30’s. Hopefully then I will be married and starting a family. I hope to have a career I love – right now I am hoping to be an event coordinator for a sports team or something like the zoo or aquarium (entertainment related). As for where I will live, I am clueless! A part of me wants to stay in Florida because half of my family is here, including my mom, who is my best friend, and my 4-month-old niece who I want to watch grow up. However, I do want to get out of the immediate Tampa area. I’ve been in Brandon for 10 years, so I want to experience somewhere new.”