Nicole Ion, a typical University of South Florida student who isn’t so “typical.” Ion, or “Aussie” as her friends call her, had moved to Florida about this time last year, from Australia, and has loved living in the states so far. She is a sophomore, majoring in mass communications with a focus in broadcast journalism, can you picture her Australian accent hosting “E! News”? She sure can. And what great goals Ion has set for herself at such an early time in her college career. She has already accomplished her goal of studying in another country, and in her interview, Ion revealed exactly how she ended up here in the United States.
Ion’s “mum” fell in love with her current stepfather while he was in Australia on business, and held together a long distance relationship until 2010 when they got married. Her mother did not want to move away that year because it was Ion’s last year in high school and leaving before her last year would have been heart breaking. She was the senior Class President and already had scholarship offers to a college in her hometown. However, she later made the decision to follow her dream and her mother and moved to America to attend college. Orlando was her first place of residence in the states and when she began applying to schools she saw USF and not only loved the mass communications program, but also loved the look of the school and how much spirit came along with it. Ion said; “It was a bonus that it was close to my mum but not too close”. Florida is the first place Ion has lived in “the states” as she calls America, but she has traveled around to various parts of the U.S. including Las Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and her favorite place, New York. She is determined to live there after she graduates from USF, a perfect setting for her future career in the mass communications field.
Her mass communications major stems from Ion’s passion to be a journalist ever since she was a little girl. She has looked up to female news reporters and their impact on the news world as a tough field of work to break into as a woman. Her main inspiration is Giuliana Rancic, the lead anchor of “E! News”, she has a story that Ion can easily relate to. Giuliana Rancic also moved here from another country, and Ion appreciates her charisma that so easily translates through entertainment television. Her goal is to work with E!, but she does not close her options to just that and is open to working with other corporations like CNN, ABC, ESPN and many more.
The college lifestyle that seems so typical to Americans is something that Ion has true appreciation for. In Australia, people don’t move away from home to experience something new. College is almost no different than high school; it’s almost a continuation, she told us. “Here, it’s totally different, but I’m so in love with it,” confesses Ion. She is constantly learning new things about the world and finds herself growing up and finding more independence. This lifestyle is “a movie lifestyle,” and she is grateful to have the opportunities to experience college, and break all the stereotypes she’s seen in movies. She was bit timid to get involved her first year, but this year she has big plans to get involved in various organizations around the University. For example, she intends to go through formal recruitment this fall to join a sorority, as well as being involved in the Make-a-Wish Foundation. She has big plans for her time here at USF, and her interest in getting involved on campus is inspiring to anyone. Nicole Ion is her own definition of a campus celebrity.