Tara Welch

Year: Junior

Major: Chemistry


What is your favorite school tradition? My favorite would have to be Homecoming Week. There are different teams and a week of different events and competitions that ends with a float competition in the parade around campus. Each team develops their own float tailored to their group name (which coincides with the overall theme of homecoming) and showcase it at the parade. It is very competitive but its great to see what everyone comes up with.

Why did you choose your school? I chose USF because it was much closer to home than my other option but also because the second I walked on campus, I felt at home. The campus is beautiful and everyone was so welcoming, it was everything I imagined in a college.

Why did you want to join the chicka-d team? I wanted to join the team because whether in high school or college I have always had an abnormally large amount of school spirit and I wanted to share that with other students. Also, the clothes are exactly my style and what I love to wear to games so it was a perfect match!

What makes a great chicka-d? I think a great chicka-d is someone who is very energetic and school spirited. It’s important to get students not only excited about games but excited about everything school related. She is also someone who always represents chicka-d and her school with class.

What is your gameday style? I like to stay comfortable and light when planning my game day outfits because you are out in the heat for hours. You can’t have fun when you’re uncomfortable!

Who is your school's biggest rival? Although we don’t play them very often, I would say our biggest rival would what we call the “I-4 rivalry” with UCF. Needless to say, when we play them, things get pretty heated.

What is the biggest game of the year? This year we’re all looking forward to the Notre Dame game. There has been a lot of talk and hype built up over this game and an added bonus is that it will be nationally televised!

What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream is to be a forensic lab technician for the FBI, but that’s dreaming big. I’ll probably end up in a chemical development/research lab.