April is a 20-year-old dancer born in Miami, Fla. April is currently bilingual in English and Spanish, but aspires to become trilingual in French. She is often told she has a laughing problem, but the other students and professors at the University of South Florida appreciate her humor and light-hearted attitude. April entered USF as an out-of-state student her Freshman year of college. She is originally from Florida and when her family moved to North Carolina she knew she had to return for college. She chose to attend USF even though it was not her first choice school because she loved the weather and the diversity. “At first I had only applied to USF as a safety school but ended up loving it when I visited,” April says. April’s first choice university was American in DC. She ended up being accepted but just couldn’t give up USF because it really felt like home to her.
April is majoring in mass communications with a minor in business and dance. When April had to choose a major she did not give much thought to it other than that she loved to read, write, be around other people and stay up-to-date on current news. “Mass communications encompasses these characteristics and so I chose to follow this career path,” she says. When April was in high school she would assist with writing articles for the school newspaper. She has had the opportunity to conduct interviews and has been interviewed several times–she enjoyed both experiences. While April plans to take the public relations route of mass communications, she still aspires to become a news or sports anchor or reporter. Her back-up plan consists of event planning! April would love to plan sporting events or even weddings. Like any other college student, April has a dream job. Her dream job would be to travel the world as a professional choreographer/dancer. “I feel like if I could get to this point in my life, it would be a dream-come-true,” she says.
To help April reach her dream job, she is currently working at a Chicago-based company, Urban Beat Dance, where she is a dance instructor. She also hosts events and workshops, here in Florida, for the company. April is hoping she will have the opportunity to choreograph and perform for them later down the road in Chicago.
April is taking on quite the load of experiences and it is her faith, dreams and father that motivate her the most. “First and foremost, I get my motivation from God,” she says. April’s strong faith helps give her the strength to overcome obstacles and conquer her fears. On a daily basis, April ponders the thought of being successful to help her work hard to reach her dreams. April also says that her father came from a large, poor family. He had nothing, but became a well-accomplished professor, attorney and businessman. His example of a healthy balance of success and happiness in his career is what keeps April moving towards her goals.
April has not had any internships yet, but she did work for Bulls Radio during her freshman and half of her sophomore year. “I definitely plan to do internships in the near future,” she says. April says that before she can decide on an internship she needs to narrow down her career choice. April is scheduled to graduate in the fall of 2015 and will spend her days until graduation soaking in the college experience at USF, deciding her career path and gaining experience in the field that she chooses.