Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry, Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, talks to Nicole Boisson, an Environmental Studies and Political Science major who serves as the Sustainability and Innovation Coordinator for UCF’s Student Government, and Katia Destine, an Interdisciplinary Studies major with concentrations in Behavioral Sciences, and Letters in Modern Languages. Destine is also minoring in Mass Media, and is pursuing a certificate in Diversity Studies Leadership. Together they discuss their academic journey, challenges for them in acheiving their aspirations, and the things that have brought them joy over the last few years as they have engaged in the opportunity to be students here at the University of Central Florida.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Welcome to Academically Speaking. This podcast is designed to provide our listeners with an opportunity to engage with subjects and topics related to student academic success. How we think and what we do is important to how we become citizens of this country and of the world. Hello, everyone, this is academically speaking. I’m Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry, Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies. And today our topic is “Unleashing Potential: Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning.” Our guests today are two of our students in the College of Undergraduate Studies and I can’t say that I am more excited about anything than having opportunities to talk to students in my college. It is really going to be such a joy to hear from each of them as they discuss some things in relationship to their academic journey, the things that have been challenging for them in relationship to aspiring to their goals and ambitions, and the things that have brought them joy over the last few years as they have engaged in the opportunity to be students here at the University of Central Florida. Our first guest is Nicole Boisson, who’s an Environmental Studies and Political Science major and serves as Sustainability and Innovation Coordinator for UCF’s Student Government, and our other guest today is Katia Destine. Katia is an Interdisciplinary Studies major with concentrations in Behavioral Sciences, and Letters in Modern Languages. She is minoring in Mass Media, and is pursuing a certificate in Diversity Studies Leadership. Welcome to both of you.
Katia Destine
It’s nice to be here.
Nicole Boisson
Thank you so much for this opportunity.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Excellent. You’re in the College of Undergraduate Studies, which I have to say quite selfishly is the best college on campus, and really excited to have such a diverse group of students who are aspiring to all kinds of things. But now let’s get to some basic things first, why did you select your particular major?
Katia Destine
Yeah, so um, I have been always interested in pursuing art. I’ve done film, and dance, and theater throughout like most of my life. But I’ve also been interested in the activism side when it comes to helping marginalized communities, working with LGBTQ and disabled, and just minority communities and how art has impacted their life, as well as how representation and how these people are represented in media, and in news, and just in general, the stereotypes and policies that are like that are affecting these communities. So, I wanted to have a major that essentially combined my different passions, but I couldn’t find anything that had that similar path that I could go down. So, I realized that essentially, I needed to create my own. So, initially, I wanted to double major, but I knew that that was something that I probably couldn’t have embarked on. And then after doing some research into UCF, I found about like the IDS major, and I realized that this was something that I wanted to pursue.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Excellent. Nicole, tell us about how you select the your major?
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So, the College of Undergraduate Studies is very special, because not only does it have that interdisciplinary side where you can build your own major, but it also holds the Environmental Studies portion as well. So, that’s what I’m majoring in. I chose it because ever since high school, I’ve been very passionate about not only the environment physically, but also how changes in the environment have impacted people, marginalized people, as well. So, I wanted to go into that path where I could also be in a college where I could choose sort of where I wanted to add other classes and things like that. So, I have thought very hard about if I wanted to change to be more interdisciplinary, but I love environmental science. I love the coursework and I think the college is very special because the faculty that teach it have also have very personal connections to students, and they really have helped us in our journeys have helped us find volunteer opportunities, internship opportunities, so it’s very special.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
So, it sounds like both of you both Nicole and Katia have embarked upon majors that speak to your passions, Katia to tell me how passion has also found its way into other things that you’re involved in.
Katia Destine
Yeah, so I had the opportunity to do like numerous amounts of research with a lot of the faculty members within IDS and also outside of IDS. And it has been one of my greatest pleasures because I’ve just I’ve always been interested in just learning more about like specific topics. And I never would have imagined that I would have, I’ve never would have imagined that I embarked on this. Because when it comes to arts, it’s it’s specifically, arts is such a passionate discipline to go into. So, just learning about the art aspects of it, but also the communities that are heavily involved in it, the people that work in those communities, and how to better help and serve them, as well as how to make art more accessible to people who are in need of it the most has been just a general joy that I never really thought that I would get into. But getting into it has just been like really just one of the most amazing things about what I’ve been doing. And my greatest pleasures about my major.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Okay, Nicole, tell us a little bit about some of the things that you’re involved in that speak to your passions.
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So, I like you said earlier, I’m the sustainability and innovation coordinator for student government. So in my role, I have the opportunity to educate students about what sustainability means at UCF, I also get to talk to hire faculty and staff about how to make UCF more sustainable and make sure we’re on track with our strategic plan and things like that. So, I have the opportunity to be part of the conversation. And so that has also been one of my passions is educating people, meeting people where they’re at, because to me, sustainability is very new to the common person, we see it a lot in the news and things like that. But when it comes to just talking to everyday people about the groceries, they buy, do they buy plastic things like that are very new to people. So I get to be involved in those conversations when it comes to educating students and staff. And then I’m also a coordinator for the Community Farm and Garden at the Arboretum. So the Arboretum is a very special place to me. And I found that I’m very passionate about growing my own food, teaching people how to grow their own food, and all of our donations go to Knight’s Pantry. So I think we’re also impacting Food-Insecure Students, which is also part of sustainability as well.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
That sounds great. Um, so now I’m gonna pick a little bit out of your bios here. And Nicole, you had an opportunity to serve as an intern for State Representative Anna Eskamani, who was also an IDS grad from from our college, tell us a little bit about that experience and how it connects to your passion?
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So Rep. Eskamani, I had the amazing opportunity to intern with her last summer. So, during the summer session, it’s a little bit different than if it was during the legislative session. So it was just right after the legislative session. So, what we were doing was more looking into a new policy that she would introduce to the floor, but also we were doing a lot of behind the scenes that you wouldn’t normally know your representative does, which was what really impacted me. So, some resources that I helped her offer to other people in her constituents were things like food stamps, things like making sure they know where the food pantries are or helping file things for their taxes, for the rent, helping people that are getting evicted, reaching out to their communities, asking why. So I did so much behind the scenes work that honestly falls within my passions of just being a servant leader that you normally don’t see your representatives do. So that was something very special to me. I wouldn’t say we did a lot of environmental sustainability things, but I think that it definitely still falls under being sustainable when it comes to helping people under those circumstances. And it was just very special being a part of helping people in these communities that don’t know how to do things, or they don’t speak the same language. We also helped at translating documents and things like that. So that falls under my passions.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Thank you. So Katia, I understand that you have a Caribbean background as do I. And one of the things that you did this past summer was to get involved in the College of Undergraduate Studies Study Away Program in New Orleans. Tell us about that experience and how it speaks to your passions.
Katia Destine
Yeah, it was a it was a really eye opening experience. I did a research project with one of our professors here at IDS, Dr. Leah Gaines, and I research the connections that Haiti and the Haitian Revolution shares with New Orleans. And it was very fascinating learning not only more about my specific culture, but about the many like erased histories that it comes with black history and how New Orleans is such a predominant black city that has a lot of rich culture and rich background and how that connects with my people and how my ancestors influenced the city and influenced the liberation movements that happened within the city. And it was just nice hearing from the locals and hearing from people who have been living in that city for years and affecting going on the ground and organizing and affecting legislation and also helping the communities within that. It was really nice just like looking at the city because the city is beautiful. It’s such a beautiful city. And then also just being there with other students, who are also passionate about learning about the history of the city. And then also learning about marginalized communities and how those histories have been erased, and then, like resurfacing it, and then studying, the literature. So I think just in general, I had such a great experience. And it was something that I think will probably affect me throughout like the rest of my years here at UCF. And something that I will definitely include when it comes to the other research that I hopefully plan to do.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Okay, excellent. So tell us a little bit more about some of the other activities that you’ve engaged in in the past or that you’re currently engaged in now that you’re excited about.
Katia Destine
So I’ve been trying to volunteer more, I’ve been working with UCF Volunteer, as well as the Alternative Break program. And we’re currently planning on going on a spring break trip to Atlanta, where we’re going to help food insecurity. And we’re going to be working with an organization that reads bedtime stories to like low-income kids in need. And then we also, yeah, so we also have a bunch of stuff, playing with the UCF Volunteer where we’re doing services events throughout March and throughout the rest of the year. So hopefully, I plan to get involved in that. And then I’m also working with the Young Democratic Socialists of America. And we’re currently we’re currently organizing and we’re currently working on we’re currently working with, like, what’s currently going on in Florida, with the whole Stop W.O.K.E Act and all the other legislations that we’re trying to essentially fight against and organized againt, . and protest against. And I’m also hoping to start doing more research. I’m hoping to start my honors thesis in the fall. Hopefully, I’ll get a professor who will, you know, help me along my journey and mentor me. And that’s pretty much what I’m planning on doing.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Now, Nicole, you are a graduating senior. Talk to me about some of the things that you’ve done that you think will contribute to your marketability as you go into your career field.
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So I actually will be graduating next year. So I am soon though I have been thinking about it a lot. So I’ll answer that and then I’ll also add in that I’m starting to do research in the Bio Building. So with the Bio department, I’ve been working under the Aquatic Biogeochemistry lab under Dr. Chambers. It’s been very amazing. And so that’s something that I’m hoping to do all my senior year. But past college, I have been thinking about it a lot, because I have a very unique passion where I’m very passionate about the environment, but also the political side of it and policymaking. So, I’ve been working with a lot of state and federal representatives recently, specifically, Rep. Darren Soto. And so one of the goals is that I might intern with him once I graduate, and then maybe move to DC and, you know, understand how this big policy is made and how we still have to think about you know, the communities that it affects that the ones that they don’t affect, and why don’t they affect them and things like that. So that’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. But coming into my senior year, I think one of the greatest opportunities that being Environmental Science or in the Biology department as well is doing research. There’s so many different labs out there that students can be a part of. And I think it’s very important that they, you know, are interested in that because having your name in a published article means a lot when it goes going into grad school or going into the work field and things like that.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Excellent. So a big part of being a college student obviously is going to classes and learning new information from faculty members, and getting involved with some of the things connected to the curriculum of your courses. If you had to say that there was a particular course or professor who impacted you the most in relationship to your academic journey, what course or professor would you say did that and I’m gonna start with you, Nicole.
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So I would say it was Dr. Richard Plate, who is one of the full time faculty for Undergraduate Studies. He is an amazing professor, he teaches all the way from the foundations of Environmental Science, so your very first class that you would take up to the Capstone, which is the class you have to graduate with. So he is somebody that is there for you during your entire journey. He has helped me whenever I come to him with these crazy ideas, such as a composting idea that I recently started. He was there the entire time, he’s helped me gather volunteers for all my initiatives. And he’s also just helped me understand the coursework in a more meaningful way and how we can apply it to real world situations. I think that’s something that’s very special about the College of Undergraduate Studies is not only are we getting the academic side of it, and we’re learning things in class, but we also have the opportunity through service-learning classes to apply it and to apply to real world problems. So I would say he’s mentored me to being able to do that and he is somebody that I can go with for all my questions, for advice, for post graduate, I honestly do see myself reaching out to him once more once I graduate, and I think he’s he’s just influenced me in a very positive way.
Katia Destine
Okay, I actually have three? Is that okay?
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
That’s fine!
Katia Destine
So, I first want to start off with Dr. Woodill. She has been amazing. I initially met with her during my freshman year, unsure of what I wanted to do. And I presented a project to her. And she essentially ignited a passion that I had for research where she saw something in me, and then helped me complete an independent-directed study, where I completed a paper I’ll hopefully published it, who knows? But that was such a great experience for me, because she was essentially the first professor I met at UCF who like fully believed in me and what I could do. And then we have Dr. Gaines, where I do Study Away course, and I’m currently now doing her Diversity, Popular Media, and Representations course. And that has been just an amazing experience. Because representation is just something that I’ve always been interested in. And just having a course where I could just, I would I will literally turn in assignments, it would just be pages, and pages, and pages just writing notes and notes. And I think she’s, I don’t know if she’s annoyed by it, but I’m doing it regardless. Like I’m gonna write like essays and essays about all of her assignments and the stuff that we’re learning, because I’m so interested in it because it’s so fascinating. And then there’s Dr. Eaden’s where I’m now doing her Embracing Disability Diversity. And I think this is her first time doing a course. And I think that it should be a permanent course within the IDS department, because it’s teaching us about so many different things when it comes to the disabled community. And it’s so important to learn. And I’ve just enjoyed reading the stuff that she has assigned to us and just learning more about that community.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Excellent. So if you had any advice to give to fellow students about why they should participate in things like research, student organizations, internships, what advice would you give to your fellow students? We’re going to start with you, Katia.
Katia Destine
So advice I would give is, I think, to try and follow what you’re interested in, because I think what’s so great about specifically the IDS major is that it’s supposed to be catered to you and towards your needs, whether or not it’s something, it can be taken completely online, if you can’t attend campus, and it can be catered to whatever, whatever hobbies or whatever disciplines you’re interested in. And I think the IDS major is such an accessible major to people who are coming from, let’s say, a low income community, or marginalized community, people who have kids, people who can’t attend school full time, it’s such an accessible major that you can incorporate into your life. And you can build into specifically what you want, and what you need to do. So I think just it’s okay to follow your passion when it comes to the specific major
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Nicole, advice that you would give to fellow students?
Nicole Boisson
Absolutely. So my biggest piece of advice is to really try your best to get involved, really try to volunteer wherever you can, whenever you have a spare weekend or a spare a few hours during the week. I think it’s very important to try your best to get involved because then you make so many connections, and then those connections lead you to somewhere else, which will lead you to somewhere else. So that’s my biggest piece of advice using KnightConnect, which is where I found all my volunteer opportunities to begin with. That’s how I really got involved, RSOs, the departments post all their volunteer opportunities on there. So I would definitely take a look. I look every Sunday just to see what’s happening during the week and see where I can volunteer as well. So that’s my biggest piece of advice. And then within IDS, we also have so many opportunities as well within your college. Things like meeting your dean, making those connections, networking as well. We have so many workshops, for your resumes, for things like that, I would definitely say get involved, and continue to build your resume and make those connections as you go along in your college journey.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Thank you both. So now this is what I call the speed round of our podcast where we get to learn a little bit about our guests who are participating in the podcast, and we’re gonna start with you, Nicole. I’m going to ask a series of questions. You give me the answer that comes first to your mind in relationship to the question. So here we go. Favorite color.
Nicole Boisson
Pink.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite song?
Nicole Boisson
Red by Taylor Swift.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Okay, favorite movie?
Nicole Boisson
Lalaland.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite actor.
Nicole Boisson
Tom Cruise.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite TV show?
Nicole Boisson
New Girl
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite actres?.
Nicole Boisson
Emma Stone.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Okay, good choice. Favorite thing to do on your free day?
Nicole Boisson
Hike.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Alright. Your turn Katia. Okay. Favorite color?
Katia Destine
Also pink.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite song?
Katia Destine
If it’s song right now Over by Lucky Day
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite movie?
Katia Destine
Movie? Penelope.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite actor?
Katia Destine
Actor? Oh, right now Pedro Pascal.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite TV show?
Katia Destine
TV show? The Leftovers.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Okay, favorite actress?
Katia Destine
Actress? Angela Bassett
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Favorite thing to do on your free day?
Katia Destine
Sleep.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
That is the answer that at least 50% of college students are going to give, is sleep. Okay. Recently I have been watching a TV show and title, If We’re Being Honest with Laverne Cox, and it plays on HBO Max. And one of the things that she does at the end of her interviews is to ask her guest, if there’s something that I should have asked, I didn’t ask. And so I’m gonna start with Nicole and ask you this, is something that I didn’t ask that should have asked?
Nicole Boisson
Well, I think this is wonderful. I think you’ve really got a sense of who we are as people and our interests and how the college has impacted us. So maybe something you could have asked might be our favorite course overall, because I think there’s always that one course that really impacts us and really has told us to keep going. Because sometimes you take all these courses, and some can be very hard, something be very easy. And sometimes you want to switch sometimes you want to just end it, but I think that one person that really keeps us going is a question you might ask next time.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
So what is that course for you?
Nicole Boisson
So for me, I would say that it is GIS. So GIS is taught by Dr. Gilbrook, who I believe is also in the IDS program. And that has been something that is so hands on that it really makes me keep going because I’m always I’m always on my feet with it. So it always makes me like I said on my feet, and it’s very hands on. So I would say that that’s the force that keeps me going because it’s very used in the environmental field right now. And so we offer a certificate and it which a lot of colleges don’t. So that’s something very amusing that I’m also trying to pursue. So I would say that has kept me going.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Excellent. So Katia I’m actually going to ask you that question first, and then let you answer the first question next. So what is that course that has kept you going?
Katia Destine
Oh, I would say it’s Dr. Gaines Study Away course. I think it’s because it’s the only few times where I get to leave Florida. And um, yeah, just just being around different communities. It’s such a nice place to be in, because I don’t know, because when you’re here in Florida, Florida is a beautiful place, but also just experiencing new environments and meeting new people. I just think it’s such, it’s something that you can’t really put words to, and I’ve just enjoyed being around that.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
So shameless plug this summer, the IDS research course that incorporates Study Away, students who will get to go to Puerto Rico in June. So we’re super excited about that. So what question did I not ask that you think I should have asked?
Katia Destine
I think it would be interesting to ask, like, how do you manage it all? I think just in general, being in college is crazy. And then being involved in like so many things is also crazy. So I know that not every student can get involved in extracurricular activities, whether you know, you have a job a full time job, whether you have children to take care of, and things like that. So I think just in general, managing the whole college experience, it’s such it’s very difficult. But I think what makes it easier is definitely having community having people there to not only uplift you but help you when it comes to basically anything that you do. So I think just in general, obviously pay attention to your mental health. But also UCF has so many resources that you can utilize to make the college experience more accessible and just better overall.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
So Nicole, how would you how do you manage it all? You do quite a few things?
Nicole Boisson
Oh, absolutely. I asked myself that every day, I would say that. I say I definitely have to have a physical calendar with me a Google Calendar all the time. So physically, that’s how I handle all of my course load hour by hour. But also mentally, just just like you said, definitely having a community, my roommates, my partner, they’ve always been my backbone, and I can always count on them to help me whenever I have to be in two places at once. So I would definitely say that finding friends, having that community and that can also be through joining RSOs that are more culturally based. So I’m also part of the Colombian Students Association because my family is Colombian, I’m Colombian. So I’ve been able to make a lot of friends through there as well that are from all sorts of majors all part of the university that normally wouldn’t have met So I would definitely say that getting involved also helped me make those connections and help me make that backbone that I can rely on whenever days get hard.
Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry
Well, I certainly have learned a lot from the two of you. Thank you so much for joining us today on Academically Speaking, Nicole Boissin, who is an Environmental Studies major, and Katia Destine, who is an Interdisciplinary Studies major, both in the College of Undergraduate Studies. We thank you for joining us today. I’m Dr. Theodorea Regina Berry, this is Academically Speaking. And thank you for joining us.
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