Life in UF's CMIR

WUFT's Monday crew! Go gatas!

Hey, everyone! The countdown to graduation is here, and I am SOOO excited. Looking back on the last four years at UF, I can't help but think of all the time I spent in UF's CMIR, or Center for Media Innovation and Research. I spent hours and hours and hours in the Innovation News Center, reporting and working on projects. And my last semester, I even had the opportunity to anchor for WUFT's First at Five. So let's just say, I definitely grew some gray hairs in the journalism building...

Striped socks on live TV!

Post-show pic with my co-
anchors Henry and Nicolette!

Some of my favorite memories come from the stories I reported on for WUFT. One of my recent projects on Tim Tebow's Night to Shine prom event really opened my eyes to the kindness that exists in Gainesville (and globally for that matter). I was able to see how the community worked to make kids with special needs feel great for prom. Another project I enjoyed working on was my story on law enforcement PTSD and suicide rates. It wasn't a happy story by any means, but it taught me so much about reporting and talking to people who are going through hard times.

Monday anchors with our wonderful
producer and director.

Aside from my projects, I've loved all of my time with my lovely co-anchors and reporter at WUFT. I've made some unforgettable relationships and friendships that I'll take with me even when I leave Gainesville this fall. We always joked around and made light of even the most stressful newscasts. I will miss the Monday WUFT crew so much! Until next time. ;-)

Review of Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"

Nowadays, trends pop up in all sorts of ways in the average consumer’s life. From Facebook ads, to viral YouTube videos, to style flares on a fashionista’s blog, trends are everywhere. But how did they get there? And why did they become such huge social attractions in the first place? I recent read the novel “TheTipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” by Malcolm Gladwell, and I learned some interesting things about what Gladwell defines as “social epidemics.” Social epidemics being the trends that emerge in society. I know not everyone has the time (or the interest) to sit down and read a full-length book, but at the very least, use this review to question in some way your own consumer habits.

Gladwell states that there are three different ways to understand social epidemics. Logically, you’d start with the source of the message, or the people who cause the epidemics. Let’s stick with a social media analogy here. The source would be the poster/creator of some sort of internet content, like a video or picture. The second way to understand social epidemics is, naturally, the content of the epidemic itself. So, as I previously mentioned, this would be the video or picture that the content creator published. Lastly, you can also understand social epidemics through the environment or context in which a particular epidemic takes place. In the social media analogy, the environment would be the internet, or the specific social media site the content was published on (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). And just keep in mind, that while my analogy is fairly specific, Gladwell extends this idea to content that isn’t singularly published.

Just like there are three ways to understand social epidemics, Gladwell extended his exploration of trends and created three associative laws of social epidemics. The first is the Law of the Few. This refers to the few people in society who have a large control over content popularity, like celebrities, salespeople, public figures, etc. I think it’s interesting how Gladwell classifies these types of people as Connectors because they do serve an important function in content distribution that often goes overlooked. People tend to follow these people more than lead their own trends. Moreover, the second law Gladwell discusses is the Law of Stickiness. Yes, you read that right, stickiness. Stickiness is what the product has to be to society in order to become popular. It needs to be intriguing and memorable to its audience, which makes a lot of sense. Things actually have to be of good quality to gain traction in the consumer market. And of course, the third law is the Law of Context. This law refers to the consumer’s trends, hobbies, likes, physical location, and so forth.

All in all, I found Malcolm Gladwell’s novel “The Tipping Point” to be an extremely though-provoking read. Since I’m soon going to graduate school for public relations, it was interesting to understand Gladwell’s perspective on social trends. I also find myself asking how something became popular, or for that matter how I can produce content that draws in a large viewership. I suppose at the end of the day it’s all about context, quality and availability. I hope this review was helpful!

Blog Review #2

Well, I was on a roll with my last blog entry so I felt like continuing some more blog reviews! Here are a few more blogs from my classmates:

Isabella's blog is similar to Nicolette's blog (from my last entry). She talks about all the quirky spots and things in Gainesville that you can enjoy as a college student. Isabella and I are both fourth year students, so I appreciate her entries on UF's campus area. Her pictures are lovely too! Visuals are always great to add to a blog like hers.

Shelby does a great job in her blog showing her passion for news and sports. I like that she shares some of her own work in the industry, it's motivating to see how much work she puts in to what she does! Although sports may not be my forte, Shelby does a great job presenting everything in a way even I can understand.

Andrea is another wonderful sports/news student at UF! I get to work with Andrea on Mondays for WUFT's First at Five newscast. Her blog is visually very clean and organized, which I like a lot. Her posts are interesting and passionate.

Blog Review #1

Blogging. I have to say, it certainly pushes me out of my comfort zone sometimes. I like being able to share what's on my mind with you all in a completely open forum. And with this open forum comes unlimited opportunities. This week, I tried comparing my own blog to entries by some of my fellow classmates. Everyone is so creative and original; it's truly inspiring. Here are outlines of some of my favorite blogs I came across! :-)

I was truly inspired by Daniela's blog. I find her blog posts very moving and personal. I like that she shares her own stories, particularly about mental health and wellness, to help others. She talks about relatable topics like stress, school, managing a job, and eating disorders.

Nicolette's blog was also equally as inspiring and helpful! She writes about Gainesville and what you should know if you're trying to take on this bustling college town. Honestly, I wish I had a blog like this to guide freshman-me during my first year at UF. Nicolette's tips could've seriously helped me back then. She does a good job picking topics that are relevant for college students like myself.

Samantha's driven personality can be seen so clearly in her website and blog. I like that she uses her blog as a mixed platform for news and relevant social topics. As a news student myself, reading someone else's perspective on the industry is very intriguing.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of these blogs! These ladies are truly so inspiring to me.

All about me :-)

While I'm on an all-about-me tangent, I thought it would be an appropriate time update my biography! It's always great to have updated information just in case a job or internship pops up that you really want to apply for. Having a strong resume and biography will help you compile an application quickly an efficiently. You always have to be one step ahead of your potential employer, and you always have to put your best foot forward! Here's my "best foot":     

Amanda Grohowski is a senior at the University of Florida double-majoring in Telecommunication News and Music Performance. Driven by her two passions of storytelling and music, Amanda one day hopes to merge her passions in the field of arts media.   

Amanda currently works at WCJB TV-20, a local ABC affiliate news station in Gainesville, Florida as an associate producer, photographer, and web editor. She is responsible for editing content for the station's daily live newscasts and assisting in the successful delivery of news to much of North Central Florida. Amanda also works as a reporter, multimedia journalist, and news anchor for WUFT News and its respective NPR affiliate WUFT-FM 89.1. She has previously interned at WESH 2 News in Orlando, Florida, as well as at the Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville as a marketing assistant.   

Amanda has been playing the violin since she was 5 years old.  She has studied with Dr. Janna Lower, a Juilliard graduate and Head of the String Area at the University of Florida, and Mrs. Cindy Camp, a Juilliard graduate from South Florida. Amanda served as the Vice President of the University of Florida's Symphony Orchestra. She also performed as a featured soloist with the Treasure Coast Symphony when she was 15 years old.   

Amanda has her black belt in American Kang Duk Won Tae Kwon Do and is a strong advocate for healthy living and fitness.

The Perpetual Student: Me

My last semester is coming to an end at the University of Florida, and I have to decide soon which graduate school I want to attend in the fall! So with all of the applications I've had to do recently, I did some reformatting of my existing resume to get my information up to date. Check it out, I'd love some feedback! :-)

Here is my updated resume:

AMANDA GROHOWSKI

Traveling on a tight budget!

Traveling is a dream for so many people but sadly, money restrictions often prevent people from making their travel dreams a reality. I know that's the case for me. I can list you easily two dozen countries and cities that I would love to visit but can't because of my tight budget. I'm a senior in college after all.... paying my grocery bill is hard enough sometimes!

So how can you do it? How can you see your dream location without breaking the bank?

Jaime and Liana looking for money in their
bank accounts... Just joking! They're trying to
figure out the metro map in Paris.

One of the most valuable resources I came across recently is Skyscanner.com. I was able to get roundtrip tickets to and from London Gatwick on Virgin Atlantic for around $600 total, and it was great! For an international flight like that, Skyscanner was able to keep the cost fairly low. Do a quick search for your dream destination and see when tickets are the cheapest so you can book your trip now!

If you happen to travel to Europe, for inter-country travel I would always recommend taking buses between locations instead of flying. It's much cheaper and really easy to handle when you're abroad. The two bus lines I would recommend are Eurostar and FlixBus.

And how about when you make it to your dream location? Eat smart and have fun, but plan ahead! Map out your meals and when you plan on eating out at restaurants so you don't overspend on food. So, if you have a long day of sightseeing ahead, stop at a grocery store and make some PB&J or Nutella sandwiches to take on the go. That way, you can really enjoy running around without running out of steam.

My favorite destinations in Europe

Hey there! I'm back and as promised, I'm here to share some more of my favorite place (and experiences!) from my spring break trip to Europe. My friends and I went to four different countries, and I'm going to break everything down by location. Here are my two favorite sites from each place we stayed in:


Amsterdam, Netherlands:

• Canal Cruise- This is a must, especially if you only have a few days (or just one!) in Amsterdam. We went on one when we visited the city, and it gave us a nice survey of main historical spots in town.
• Heineken- OK, so this isn't exactly a location, but Heineken beer comes from Amsterdam so you've got to pick up a bottle of it from any local brewery while you're there. That is, unless you're not into beer or are not of age of course!

View from the top of Gravensteen
Castle.

Gent, Belgium:

• Gravensteen Castle- Do you love touring castles from the Middle Ages? Well, I do now! This castle is a beautiful slice of history in the center of a modern, thriving city. From the top of the castle, you can catch a neat glimpse of the entire town.
• Belgian Chocolate Shop- Calling all sweet eaters! Belgium is known for it's delicious chocolate and lucky for us tourists, there are chocolate shops on almost every street corner in Gent. Take your pick, they're all delicious!

Attack of the pasta in Paris,
France!

Paris, France:

• Eiffel Tower- I know, this is a given. My friends and I went to take a lift to the top of the tower in the afternoon one day, so we were able to see it in the sunlight and all lit up at night! I would suggest doing the same if you plan on visiting Paris anytime soon, but word of advice, bring extra layers because it gets chilly!
• Food, Food, Food!- Eat your heart out in Paris! The food is so delicious and Parisian wine is pretty great too! The best food can be found in the little cafes scattered around town, but try everything for sure.

Touring London on one of the
tour buses

London, U.K.:

• Choral Evensong Mass- Everyone should go enjoy one of these choral masses at St. Paul's Cathedral in central London. You don't have to have any particular religious affiliation to enjoy the choirs sing in this gorgeous hall. It gave me chills!
• Bus Tour- Just like a canal cruise in Amsterdam, a bus tour in London gives you a nice overview of the entire city. I would suggest though finding a bus tour that you can hop on and off of. That way, if you see something you like, you get right off and do some exploring!

"Abroad like changes you"

From left to right: Me, Jaime and Liana!

The first time I saw Benito Skinner's video about going abroad, I absolutely (and shamelessly) died laughing. Me and two of my girlfriends were gearing up for our spring break trip to Europe, and the video just hilariously mocked our obnoxious excitement for the vacation.

Me feeding pigeons in Amsterdam,
of course.

So, I'll back up a bit. Europe. London. Manchester. Amsterdam. Gent. Bruges. Paris. And then back to London again. Yeah, that was and still is our plan! People either think we're totally crazy or encourage us; nothing in between. Nevertheless, seeing as we are on the second London portion of the trip and none of us have died yet, I think we are doing pretty alright, thanks to the million of touristy travel guides we looked up beforehand.

The classic Paris pic!

I will break down all the details of our trip in posts to follow, but I just wanted to share why we chose to do this trip over break. We all know each other through music classes at UF and for me, it's my last "big break" before I graduate. Of course, I/we wanted to do something worthwhile. We know a group of friends going on a cruise to the Bahamas and while that's great, it's not as exciting in my eyes. An open bar is fun for about one night, but that's pretty much it. You really don't get to see much of the world in the process. That's why Jaime, Liana and I picked Europe.

Me chilling by a random lamp
post outside of the Louvre.

It's definitely helpful to know people abroad if you want to travel around *especially* Europe. Luckily for us, Jaime has a dual citizenship in Belgium and her father knows so many people all over the EU countries. We were babied for the first part of our trip -- picked up from airports and fed delicious meals -- but now, we feel have become seasoned travelers! We safely navigated Paris alone and we found our way back to London (thanks, easyJet).

I'll be posting more to come, but for now, here are some pictures from our trip so far! Bonne nuit, mes amis!

The struggle: Dvorak's String Quartet in G Major, movement 1

At UF, I am in a string quartet with three of the loveliest human beings I know: Duan, Jaime and Ted. Last semester, we were grouped together by our professor to play Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, and wow, was that a challenge. That piece pushed us to explore raw emotion and all that is ugly in the world. Now, I have to clarify something. The piece itself is absolutely beautiful and a masterpiece of darkness; it is not one bit ugly. The emotion that it conjured up, however, was deep and, to some extent, evil. That quartet was a huge work to take on and I think because of how well we handled it, our professor decided to challenge us even more.

This semester, he assigned us Antonin Dvorak's String Quartet in G Major. First off, this quartet couldn't be any more different than the Shosty quartet we played last semester, but it definitely came with its own challenges. This quartet is clean and rhythmic and bright. The first movement at least, is almost 90% related to technical ability and precise delivery of what is written on the page. And for those who are reading this who aren't musicians, believe it or not, "just playing" what's on the page is sometimes a lot harder than it seems. 

Earlier this week, my quartet performed the first movement of the quartet with pretty decent success. We held everything together and had some strong musical moments. But for me, I want to work more on finding emotion in the piece. Yes, it's written in a happy key and has lively rhythms, but it also has its own moments of heartbreak that foreshadow the later movements of the quartet. So, with that being said, here is our performance from Monday! Please let me know what you think; any feedback is helpful. :-) 

2nd Annual VegFest held in Downtown Gainesville

Hey there! I went to the second annual Gainesville VegFest this past weekend, and it was great! 120 vendors spread across the lawn at Depot Park with more healthy and environment-friendly things than I could've ever imagined. Well, I ran into a really sweet nurse that talked to me about the importance of healthy eating, and I wanted to share that conversation with you! Here is my talk with Joti Chawla, a nurse from Jacksonville, Florida:

Q: What brought you out to VegFest today?

Nurse Joti Chawla at VegFest as I was setting up my camera
for his interview!

A: I'm a nurse, and I want to promote healthy eating because my mom died of heart disease. I became a nurse in her honor to help people eat right, be compassionate to themselves and to the animals and to the planet.

Q: So what is your main message here today?
A: Healthy eating! That means low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Studies have shown that eating whole food, plant-based food lowers your risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And it's not only good for ourselves, it's also good for animals because we slaughter around 3,000 animals every second, and that's a lot of cruelty to the animals. Animal farming creates more greenhouse gases, too, more than all modes of transportation combined.

Q: When your patients come in, is unhealthy eating very common? Is that a source of a lot of the health issues you see?
A: Absolutely. What we eat is what we become. 75 percent of our makeup is what we eat and then 25 percent is exercise. Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food. Eating plant-based is in line with our medical mission of preventing disease, so be kind.

Q: So for everyone walking around today, what would you say are the five most important things to eat?
A: So, purple cabbage is the biggest antioxidant for your buck. But eating a rainbow diet is good. Be the rainbow, feel the rainbow, eat the rainbow! Fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds and mushrooms. Add a variety of these in your diet, and you will see dramatic improvements in your health.

Q: So how are you enjoying VegFest so far?
A: Oh, it's great and really well organized. I'm very grateful that all of these people came out and want to learn about healthy eating and being compassionate not only to themselves, but to animals and the planet.

Mental health and why it's the most important thing in the world

I'm not really sure how to start this blog post. It's personal and it's overwhelmingly important. It's also severely under addressed in our society. Mental health.

It's something people toss around so frivolously as being this intangible concept that "needs to be good" and is "super important," but no one stops to think of what mental health actually is or about everything that truly affects it. To me, mental health is your wellbeing, your comfortability with yourself and your place in the world, happiness and satisfaction with your hobbies and daily routines, your social networking, but perhaps most importantly, your ability to be alone and be okay. Mental health and stability is so much about how you define yourself and how you feel about yourself.

I'm in college, clearly, so it's understood that life has it's ups and downs. I have felt minor stressors with school and work that come with a busy schedule and a type-A personality, and I have also experienced largely traumatic situations that have made me rethink who I am and what my purpose is. I'm just realizing something that I've never noticed before: EVERYONE has been here at some time in their lives. And even though it's difficult to overcome, there are resources out there to help.

I hate every time I turn on the news and see reports of another mass shooting, which was the case last night. The tragedies are overwhelming, and I don't understand why incidents like this are happening so frequently nowadays. But, maybe I do. Maybe it's partly related to this idea of mental health. Maybe we can help prevent things from escalating by opening our eyes earlier, looking around, and helping those who are suffering. If we start really understanding the importance of addressing mental health issues, I would hope that these tragedies would happen less often. And on a smaller scale, that peoples' feelings of anxiety and stress and poor self-image would hopefully also decrease.

On that note, here are some resources that can help you. Don't be afraid to use them. If you do, you are showing your strengths, not your weaknesses.

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
• UF Counseling and Wellness Center: 352-392-1575
• NOTE: every campus should have a wellness center like this one! 
• Alachua County Crisis Hotline: 352-264-6789
• https://www.betterhelp.com/

Don't be afraid to research your options. These are just a few immediate resources to get you started.

UF Symphony Orchestra presents spring concert

First, I just have to say how much different it is sitting in the audience of an orchestra performance than it is sitting on the stage actually performing. Of course, you might just say, "Duhh, Amanda," but there is more to this thought, I swear! Hear me out.

UF Symphony Orchestra poster.

I went to the University of Florida Symphony Orchestra's concert last Thursday night, and it was overall very enjoyable. The orchestra is composed of a mix of students, from graduate music majors
to undergraduate students who don't study music at all. Because of this, I think it's safe to say the orchestra has more hurdles to overcome as an ensemble because of the wide range of students and skill levels. I played in the orchestra for three years, so I know what it's like from the inside, too. It's difficult to put the complex repertoire together sometimes.

But on Thursday, the focus was definitely on the solo performances of the concert competition winners, Claire Tendl, soprano, and Pedro Che, piano. Claire dazzled everyone with some playful arias, and Pedro swept the audience away with an extremely virtuosic performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. The performances were so fantastic that I was on the edge of my seat, wishing I was up on stage playing along.

There were always be flaws in musical performances, but if you find a piece that you truly love, it doesn't matter. You forget about that and just fall in love with the music. I saw that kind of passion in some of the orchestra performers on stage, soloists and ensemble players alike. I'm happy I was able sit and enjoy the concert.

Fueling "The Go"

First off, it's official! Here is my new, vamped-up blog! I mentioned that I wanted to expand my website in my last post, so here goes. Feedback is always much appreciated. :-)

On that note, I've been thinking a lot about my crazy schedule, and I wanted to breakdown how I fuel "My Go." Look at me, coining new phrases... Well, what's my trick? Do I obsessively count my macros and track my calories like a super mega fitness guru? NO. I've never found obsessing over food to be helpful for my body image or for my actual daily functioning.

However, healthy eating habits are still important. Choose foods that are high in nutrients (fiber, natural sugars, protein, etc.), and avoid processed foods if at all possible (fast food, pre-flavored packaged products, sodas, etc.). Since I exercise daily, typically an hourlong strength or HIIT gym session, I like to add in additional sources of protein to my diet to keep my energy up and my cravings down. I personally like pre-mixed Premier Protein shakes or Whey isolate protein powder shakes.

My lunch today! Empanadas, yellow rice with red beans
 and half an avocado.

As for my daily regiment, if you will, I typically start my day off with one of these protein shakes and sometimes some eggs or cereal if I have the time to prepare an actual meal that morning. I'll pack a granola or protein bar with me when I go to class just in case I get hungry and then I'll splurge a bit for lunch since this meal probably takes my the furthest in my day (through work and possibly an evening gym trip). I like to bring a BCAA drink with me to the gym for some extra electrolytes and muscle fuel. I finish off my day with a balanced dinner (chicken breast with quinoa/brown rice and some kind of veggie, or some variation of this meal). Since I have to stay up late a lot to do my homework for my classes, I definitely fall prey to the midnight munchies... If I can't kick my hunger, I'll go for another protein shake, some fresh fruit or huge bowl of popcorn and Cheez-Its. As long as your diet is balanced and you don't overeat one particular type of food, splurging is good and healthy!

Of course, these are just my regular eating habits, and I know this diet won't work for everyone. If anything, try to match what you consume with your activity level, and don't be afraid to go for that craving every once in a while!

I'm back! P.S. I performed a Brahms horn trio

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I've been active on this blog, but I'm turning a new leaf and starting fresh. I will of course be keeping you up to date with Gainesville's arts and culture scene, but I want to expand this blog. You'll be seeing more posts related to health and fitness here pretty soon. I've been on a exercise kick recently; new year, new me, right? Well, 2018 is bound to be full of surprises, and I'm ready to make the most of my last semester in Gville!

David, Tane, and I performing Brahms' Horn Trio, Op. 40
in MUB 101 at the University of Florida.

On that note, I was lucky enough to start the school term off with a unique performance opportunity. Along with my friend David LaRussa (on French horn) and pianist Tane Dekrey, I was able to perform two movements of Johannes Brahms' Horn Trio, Op. 40, this past Saturday. The piece is as bubbly as it is lyrical, and it proved to be quite a difficult task to take on. But the contrasting styles of the first and last movements paired nicely together and showed a wide range of our instruments' abilities. Overall, I'd say it was very well-received performance.

Even though I'm not enrolled in violin studio this semester, I'm looking forward to having more performances like this one. Chamber music is always fun because it allows you to explore unique pairings of instruments. It teaches you how to be a soloist and how to be a good ensemble player. You learn how to collaborate with other musicians, and that is an invaluable skill to have. So cheers!