Kristen Botica

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kristen Botica is a 23 year-old finishing up her degree with the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Her major is Telecommunication Media & Society with her outside concentration being Spanish. When her mom passed away during what would have been her final semester of school, Kristen decided to take a step back and reevaluate her career goals. She chose to return to school and finish her studies through UF Online while still working full-time in retail. When she was previously enrolled at UF, she worked as a student with the radio and news stations at WUFT and was an active member of Delta Zeta sorority for two of her three years of undergraduate studies.

Before all this, Kristen was born in Miami, FL. But if you ask her, she definitely considers East Tennessee to be her true home. In Knoxville, TN, she attended Knoxville Catholic High School and earned the honor of Salutatorian of the Class of 2010. Throughout high school, she was active in athletics (weight training and swimming) as well as academic clubs (Spanish, Latin, Mock Trial, Model UN).

Though she likes to consider herself very well-rounded in nature, she has found that she has three main passions. Kristen is incredibly passionate about health and fitness. As a part of an interactive media class at the University of Florida, she developed a fitness blog called Gym Tan Stadiums. She also is enthralled by sports. After enjoying the online writing experience of her fitness blog, she decided to begin work on an independent sports blog to specifically showcase her interest in SEC football. She also has been writing and contributing to podcasts for a sports opinion site, Campus Pressbox, for nearly two years now. Her third passion is working in retail. While some may not enjoy the hours and the fast-paced environment, Kristen has found that her retail job is really her second home.

The defining moment in Kristen's life was when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A few years later, her mother lost her battle with the disease in March 2013. Because of that Kristen strives to showcase her mother's best qualities in her everyday life.