This interview is from a continuing series of transcript excerpts from the collection of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
Monique Williams [W] interviewed Heather Loran [L] on Oct. 26, 2010. Loran, a first-generation UF student, speaks on what motivated her to come to UF and how the scholarship she received helped. She also gives advice to new students.
Transcript edited for length and clarity by Beth Grobman; a full transcript of this interview is available at tinyurl.com/iguana9874
W: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself – the town you grew up in, your family?
L: I’m from Sumter County. It’s about an hour south of here, cow pastures and a Wal-Mart. I graduated salutatorian at my high school. I was very involved in high school; I cheered and did extracurricular activities and such. I applied to UF and yay, I’m here! I’m a Gator. [Laughter]
W: Did you always want to go to UF?
L: Yes. I applied to here, and if not, I was going to the community college back home. I was like, it’s happening, I’m doing it.
W: Was it that way with almost everybody that you went to high school with?
L: No. I don’t think so. They applied to a bunch of other places. They were just like “Eh, you know, I just want to go to college. I’m not sure.”
W: So why the drive to be a Gator?
L: I guess that I’m only an hour south of here, so I hear about Gainesville all the time. My grandpa loves the Gators. He watches the games all the time and I want to be a PA [Physician Assistant], and so they actually have a really good PA program here.
W: So what exactly is a PA? Explain that.
L: A physician assistant, to me I think it’s a like good moderation between a nurse and a doctor. It’s like less years, you only have two years instead of four years and you don’t have a residency, but you can do everything a doctor can. You can prescribe medicine; you can see the patient; it’s everything. It’s higher than nurse, but lower than a doctor.
W: Nice. What year are you?
L: I’m a sophomore.
W: And you – I assume like UF?
L: I love it.
W: I’m glad you came. How has the Florida Opportunity Scholar Program [FOS] helped you out?
L: Oh tremendously. My grandparents raised me and they don’t have the funds or the financial helping for me. I actually would have to had loans and I’m not sure if I’d be able to come here without FOS. It’s a pretty big deal.
W: Explain a little bit about the program. Like how you came to know about it?
L: They actually said – because I’m a first generation – that’s what FOS is, first generation college students. Neither one of my parents went to college, my grandparents didn’t, and there was something about financial need and being the first in your family to go to college.
They have like mentors – I’m a mentor now actually, but I had my mentor when I was a freshman and it helped me so much. Because I came up here and I didn’t know nobody and I didn’t know what to do and I had somebody I could actually talk to and ask stupid questions. Like if “I need to go here which way should I walk and which way should I turn, what building?” It was really helpful to me.
W: What else are you involved in here on campus?
L: My major is health science and HSSO is like Health Science Student Organization. We do March of Dimes, Gator Babies, we do wheelchair basketball for the Sidney Lanier Disability School, and other stuff like that. I want to be a PA and they have a Pre-Physician Assistant Association. It’s kind of a new organization, so it’s more like meetings and making sure you’re getting your stuff done and your hours for PA and stuff like that. Gator EMS [Emergency Medical Services], I have my first responder and I’m a CPR [Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation] instructor. We’re like the on-call medical help for intramurals through RecSports or like this weekend I did men’s water polo. It’s really interesting.
I’m a FOS mentor. I have six freshmen mentees; they love me … I hope [Laughter]. I coordinate events for them. We have ones geared toward service, and one for like bonding, and emotional stimulus; like I took them to a play at the Hippodrome and it was hilarious and they loved it. Then we volunteered at Angel Food Ministries, like you pass out food and stuff; it’s pretty cool.
W: What are the academic requirements that you have in order to stay involved with FOS and still have that – ?
L: Still be able to keep FOS?
W: Mmhm.
L: After your spring, you know freshman, spring, and summer, you have to have twenty-four credits – that way you’re a full-time student – I believe it’s a 2.0, so I’m pretty good on that. You have to attend workshops each semester.
When I was a freshman, it was financial literacy because for the majority of people that are awarded the FOS scholarship it’s like their first time ever seeing – it was for me – first time ever seeing that amount of money in my bank account. So, it teaches you like don’t go out and blow it – everybody wants to go do that, everybody wants to go just blow the money – and different ways you can put it in savings. That way you can spread it out because that money has to last you for the whole entire semester.
This year it’s about your resume and stuff for, like, grad school. There’s just different workshops that you have to attend. I think that’s it.
W: Does FOS carry over to grad school? Are you thinking about it?
L: No. I’m part of the UF Tomorrow Campaign; they raise money for FOS. I actually just did an interview for them and I’m gonna be in the big campaign newsletter that gets sent out to donors. They actually contacted and are trying to get – like the UF College of Medicine is trying to get a program that’s like FOS, but no, it’s only for your undergrad for four years.
W: FOS helps all majors, so anybody – so I’m like an English and history major …
L: Yeah, it could still go for you. It’s not geared toward anything. One of my mentees is criminology major. One’s an art history major. I’m health science; they can be totally different. It’s not geared toward – it’s whatever you want to use it for [Laughter].
W: You said your grandparents raised you, how did that come about?
L: My dad actually went to prison when I was young, like I remember him, but not really. My mom, when I was in sixth grade – it’s fifth or sixth grade – she actually decided that she wanted to go do drugs instead of take care of us, I guess.
My brothers actually have a different dad and me and my sister have the same dad. So me and my sister went to live with my grandparents and my little brothers went to live with their dad, and my grandparents have been a godsend; they’re amazing. I love them.
W: That’s wonderful that they were able to step in like that.
L: Yes, they were. Because my grandpa was retired, so my grandma was the only one working. I wanted to go to college; I was set. I was doing it. I was like, “I know you guys can help me, but I’m gonna do it” [Laughter].
W: So your younger siblings, how does that work? Are they as motivated as you are to go college and further their education?
L: They don’t seem like it. I don’t get to see them as much. They live in Alabama right now. Houston and Dallas are my two little brothers, but they don’t seem motivated at all. They hate school. I’m like, “No, no, you have to love it.” They’re like, “There’s no way; once I get graduated there’s no way I want to go to college. ” But I will get them talked into it and they will know.
W: That’s amazing that you can be that role model for them. How do you think you’ll be able to give back to UF after you graduate?
L: I become a very successful PA and hopefully, I wanna become one of the FOS donors. They’ve been so much help to me; I just wanna give someone else the opportunity they gave me. Like I don’t have to have loans; it’s amazing. I don’t know. I just wanna be able to do that for another student.
W: Awesome. Whenever you first came to Gainesville, how was the transition for you personally? I know FOS made it a lot easier.
L: It was very depressing [Laughter]. I actually knew a person that lived up here and he was graduating, so his apartment lease, he still had it. So actually I started here over the summer – 2009 summer B – and he moved; he had a job opportunity, and I stayed at his apartment for free. So that worked out very good, didn’t have to pay rent.
But that means I lived by myself [Laughter] and it was really upsetting. I made my sister drive up here like all the time. My little nephew, she’d bring him up all the time. I’m like, “You guys have to come up.” She’d be like, “I have to go to work.” And I was like, “I know but I can’t do this” [laughter]. It was very depressing.
But I got to know people, I got involved and I barely go home on the weekends anymore.
W: How does that affect the family?
L: My grandparents are actually in Ohio right now because that’s where my great grandpa lives and he’s having little bit of a problem, so they’ve been up there since May anyway, so I can’t really go down to see them. But my sister comes up often to see me. So it works out.
W: Before we wrap up, are there any words of wisdom you’d like to leave to future Gators aspiring to come to college who were in a similar situation as you?
L: I know academics is a huge thing at UF and you should stay on top of your academics and study, but make sure to get involved. That’s made a huge difference to me.
I like being involved, as you can tell, in different things and helping other FOS students or Gator EMS; make sure you get involved. It makes being a Gator that much more fun. There’s so many opportunities here, it’s endless. I’d say get involved.
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