Introduction

Hello lovelies!

I am Rachel Slidell from sunny Sarasota, Florida. I came to UF this past summer B semester, which makes me a freshman in my third semester. My major is currently marketing, but I'm debating switching over to finance next semester. I would like to be involved in more analytical and strategic thinking in my career.

Speaking of career, right now that is only a six letter word with no significant meaning to me. I have no idea what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. I have the type of personality where I will love my job for 5 to 10 years, then want to switch to a totally different field of work. This makes me terrified of committing to a career. One thing I am certain of in my future endeavors is being a mother. I'm excited to raise children and grow a family. Once my kids get old enough, and my family is settled, I hope to one day start a business venture from home.

My family is small and fairly disconnected. My father owns his own business as a consultant and electrical engineer. For the past 10 years, he has been constantly traveling for his job. His trips are typically three weeks, then he'll come home for the weekend and be out again the following Monday. In the past 5 years, my mother, who is a stay at home mom, has started traveling with him as well. In the past year, my 21 year old brother started traveling with them to learn and work with my father.

With all the traveling my father does for his business, I've had a lot of wonderful opportunities. I have been to many states in the country, mainly on the west coast and mid west. My favorite city in the country is hands down San Fransisco. I absolutely fell in love with San Fran, but my heart broke when I grew up to realize the cost of living out there is ridiculous. I've also been to Puerto Rico, Guatamala a few times, and Mexico a few times as well. Aside from traveling because of work, I've also taken trips for recreation. I've been to Hawaii, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Spain, France, and Italy. I love to travel and explore; I wish one day to be able to say that I've been to all 7 continents at least once.

Ultimately, I'm just a typical 19 year college student seeking adventure while finding my place in the world.

This is a photo of my good friends and I at a vineyard in Italy. This was a wine tasting, accompanied with an amazing dinner. I chose this picture over all of the beautiful landscapes I captured because, to me, this represents the best things in life; good friends, good food, good drink, and of course, good travel!