Hello, my name is Ashley Duncklee and I am an out-of-state student at the University of Georgia. I did not have to travel too far to reach Athens, Georgia as I am from Cocoa Beach, Florida. Back in Florida, I grew up living five minutes away from the beach, but eventually decided to trade my tropical paradise for the steep hills of Athens. As an out of state student, I am frequently asked why I decided to come to UGA? My answer is always so simple, “I have a bulldog.”

I found this university due to the love for my own bulldog, Brutus. Before I discovered that the mascot at UGA was a bulldog, I was very persistent about going to an in-state college. Florida offers a variety of college options, and I was not picky about where I would go. That was until my parents accidentally stumbled upon a UGA football game and saw that there was a live bulldog mascot for the team. They started watching the games solely for sightings of the bulldog on the sidelines which eventually took up our Saturday evenings. It might sound a bit silly to choose a school based on the mascot, but I really like bulldogs. My dog is my whole world and seeing all of the bulldog merchandise everywhere just makes me so ecstatic.

It was not easy to get into this school as an out-of-state student. I had to work hard in high school and really focus on my application, but I knew this school was a perfect fit for me. Once I stepped on campus I felt like I found my new home.