We all know how difficult college can be! It’s easy to let a class or two slip by, but not for this jetsetting fashionista! Tanya Ard has recently been named Student of the Year for the College of Arts and Science. As a senior graduating this month, she has managed to stick to a 4.0 GPA her whole college career, as well as bagging some serious awards (such as best paper in the Political Science department). With a major in Political Science and minor in Spanish, her peers as well as her professors know she will go on to do great things! Did I mention she speaks FOUR languages (Ukrainian, English, Russian, and Spanish)?!
Name: Tanya Ard
Major: Political Science with a minor in Spanish
Hometown: Valdosta & Bezahany (Western Ukraine)
Classification: Senior
How did you get chosen for outstanding student of the College of Arts and Science?
Well I got an email saying they were looking for candidates for this awards and based on my GPA I was eligible. They asked me to send in my resume. So after I sent them my resume and they looked over it, I got a call on April 1st. I thought it was a joke [laughs]. But I guess the committee looked over my résumé and chose me based on GPA, my participation, and previous awards that I have won.
What was your hardest class in college and why?
Ahhh! My spanish 4010! Because Dr. Bejarano is a really hard teacher [laughs]. No… he just expects a lot of his students and it kind of pushed us. It required a lot of work and dedication.
What advice would you give to students trying to excel in academics?
Go to class. I’m serious! Go to class, attempt to do your readings, do your work and don’t turn in stuff late. Make friends with your teachers, they’re usually helpful.
Why did you pick political science with a minor in Spanish?
Well my friend inspired me to take Spanish. And I wanted to learn another language; the more languages you know, the better. And [as far as] political science, I just enjoy the subject. That’s what I wanted to do, so I picked it and I just stuck with it. I enjoy learning about different cultures and governments in different countries. I’ve never really focused on American government; mostly just international.
What do you want to do with your degree?
I’m going to law school. I actually just got accepted into Florida Costal School of Law in Jacksonville and they offered me a scholarship, so we’ll see after that. I’m thinking about doing immigration law, but that might change.
What do you see yourself doing in 15 years?
I don’t know what I’ll be doing in 15 days! I honestly don’t know… hopefully being successful, traveling the world. Just being succesful in my career; that’s all I can hope for right now.
So what do you like to do in your spare time?
[My cat] Umo [laughs]. I don’t know, I like to spend time with people mostly. I like to go shopping. I like to go places when I get the chance. In the past year I’ve gone to New York, Washington, England, Ukraine and I’m about to go to Colombia with my boyfriend in a month!