https://elitemedicaltampa.shop
I designed and developed Elite Medical’s Shopify website to create a seamless online shopping experience for their medical-grade skincare and wellness products. I customized the Dawn theme using HTML and CSS to match the brand’s clean, modern aesthetic, organized products by concern and brand, and optimized the site for mobile users.
As the Content Creator for Dear Olivia Grace, I developed and executed content strategies that aligned with the brand’s style and seasonal trends. My role includes:
• Creating original content including product photography, Reels, and graphics
• Writing engaging captions that drive traffic and conversions
• Planning and scheduling posts to maintain consistent brand visibility
• Monitoring performance and optimizing based on engagement analytics
• Managing Instagram and TikTok to grow brand awareness and connect with the audience
Gemini Vintage Shopify Website
I was honored to create a custom website for Gemini Vintage, a boutique known for its unique, curated fashion pieces. From concept to launch, I handled every step of the process — designing, building, and implementing a fully functional Shopify site tailored to reflect the store’s identity and aesthetic.
This project included :
By: Katie Ropka
Nearly a quarter of WVU students were first generation college goers in Fall 2023
At West Virginia University, according to data from WVU student admissions, 3,651 undergraduate students identified as first generation in the fall of 2023.
For first generation senior Cassidy Roark, there is great value in getting a college degree, “ I wanted to show and prove that our family is just as capable and smart enough to attend college,” Roark said.
Roark is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a state where only 20.8 percent of the population over the age of 25 has a Bachelor’s degree.West Virginia has a slightly higher percent at 22.7 %, but a study by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission found that less than 50% of the state’s high school graduates were pursuing continuing education.
Enrollment is down 8.4% from five years ago at WVU among all students, but for Asia LoBianco not going to college was never an option. She said her mom has always encouraged her to go on.
“She used to always tell me that I was a gift from God to kind of just lead on this family and like be the breaker of change” LoBianco said.
But determination alone didn’t make the journey to college easy for her. When she began to apply, she said it was challenging to navigate things on her own, she didn’t have parents with experience to help her with the application process.
“My parents didn’t know the process on how to apply to anything, I did not know how to apply at all. My counselors did not, I believe, do the best job explaining how to take that step and apply to all these colleges.”
The University recognizes that first generation students have different challenges and provides a program/center called WVU Rise, to offer them resources like free school supplies and access to tutors and a community of other first generation students.
Gina Dahlia the Assistant dean of academic affairs said, “You could go in there anytime, and there’s free snacks, if you need school supplies, they will provide them”.
The new Rise program at WVU partners with offices across campus to support underrepresented groups. The program works to help these students through to graduation with engagement and mentoring.
Jalyn Lamp, a fifth year senior at WVU, is a first generation student from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Lamp said that the staff at WVU helped her succeed.“They’ve been great, you can tell that they care. They want you to do better, and they want to see you in a good place,”
Still, all over the state, motivating students to go on to post secondary education has been a challenge, and the State has worked to counter declining interest in post high school education with a series of initiatives including The WV Invests Grant. This grant is a state-funded program that offers free tuition for students to earn associate degrees as long as they reside in the state for two years following completion of the degree.
Christy Day from the West Virginia Department of Education explains that different counties in West Virginia also offer Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses to high school students that provide them college-level courses. This assists students in completing college requirements before they step onto a college campus providing more incentive to pursue a secondary education.
At Morgantown High School, Counselor Jesse Mehle, thinks the recent decline in secondary education is due to a society of instant gratification., “Humans have never experienced such a rapid development in the ability to get what they want immediately,” Mehle said. “A major downside is that we are not required to engage in repeated, sustained effort over long periods of time to achieve an ultimate goal. Sure, we get more of what we want now, but the cost is less of what we want later.”
Roark understands the importance of investment. She has been working two jobs throughout her college career to support herself in school. “It was really hard for me at first to figure out how to manage school and work at the same time,” she said. “Over the summer, I work as much as possible to give me a little buffer for when school starts, so I can figure out the time that will be needed for each class before I work again. I usually start with two days a week, one on the weekend and one during the week. After that, I slowly pick up shifts or add on more availability as I feel I can manage. I make sure to put class and homework first, but realistically, I need to work, so I put those two things first and then my social life comes after. There is a part of me that’s very grateful that I have to work because it makes me understand time management before I get to the real world.”
COVID-19 has added many new and stressful factors to the average college students life. The new standard for college courses across the U.S. is through a computer screen. More screen time means less social interactions which is a vital part of every young adults life. The ability to learn and comprehend material well is also a struggle for students trying to comprehend this new online transition. Many young people rely heavily on friends for emotional and academic support. For first year students in college making these types of friends can be extremely difficult while trying to follow covid guidelines. College campuses are working hard trying to find creative ways for students to socially interact in safe ways, and bring some normalcy back onto campus.
The American Psychological association found that over half of college students are stressed for the future of their education due to COVID-19. More than half the students surveyed feel that planning for the future feels impossible right now. College students preparing to graduate need to have a clear head for the future and the pandemic is making that unclear for everyone.
This video produced by PBS discusses the higher risk of suicide in college student caused by the isolation of the pandemic. One student speaks of her personal experience with depression and isolation. She used the mental health resources provided by her university to get help and wants more students to do the same.
The JED Foundation surveyed students who where about to start their Fall 2020 semester to get a better look at their readiness. 62% of student reported that their mental health is far worse or somewhat worse than before. Only a small percent of student reported their emotional health being better then before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Katie Ropka 