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Florida Gators Announce 2024 GatorMade Spring Initiatives

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•01/30/24•

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Photo courtesy of UAA Communications

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida’s GatorMade announced Friday a variety of initiatives set to take place this spring, including its annual abroad trip, business break and more.
 
GatorMade will travel to Japan this spring for its annual trip abroad. The week-long trip, taking place May 4 – 11, will focus on the cultural learning and immersion of football scholar-athletes, featuring professional meetings, a day trip to Mount Fuji and navigating through Tokyo. The trip will be the third of its kind, having visited Greece and South Africa in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
 
International travel for scholar-athletes has been a priority for GatorMade since its inception. Beyond the life skills developed and perspective gained from travel alone, GatorMade ensures its participants are able to sustainably serve communities around the world through its intentional planning and partnerships for each venture. For more information regarding abroad trips, click here.
 
For its 2024 business break, GatorMade will travel to Los Angeles during spring break (March 10 – 16) to visit various corporate partners. This year, Gators football scholar-athletes will visit NFL Network, LA Lakers, Paramount Studios, Google and others to learn from experienced professionals in sport, tech, broadcasting, and lifestyle industries.
 
The GatorMade business break initiative offers an exclusive opportunity for professional development that combines the heartbeat and culture of a city with its resources and job markets open to Gators. The annual business breaks expose scholar-athletes to various career industries and professionals in metropolitan areas across the county, while promoting career exploration and social learning. For more information regarding business breaks, click here.
 
Keeping some ventures closer to home, GatorMade has also created the Sunshine State Series which promotes professional connection and networking in the state of Florida. This year, the selected group will travel to South Florida Feb. 9 – 11 for the Miami Real Estate Summit in partnership with the University of Florida Kelley A. Bergstrom Center for Real Estate. This will allow students to gain hands on experience and the ability to secure professional mentors in the real estate industry.
 
The Sunshine State Series creates perspective-shifting exposure for cities that are often home to Gator athletes, showing the business markets and opportunities for career advancement within the state. The first trip within the series highlighted Orlando with a connection to the Central Florida Gator Club and leadership training from the Disney Institute. To learn more about the 2023 trip, click here.
 
GatorMade’s spring initiatives will also feature more than 10 workshop-based sessions, highlighting financial literacy, professional interviewing, cybersecurity and more.
 
GatorMade is a player-led and purpose-driven initiative that empowers its football scholar-athletes with opportunities to learn, serve, and lead. GatorMade translates the skills of football into personal and professional contexts, instilling independence in the scholar-athletes to be agents of change in their teams, homes, communities, and world.

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