“This is not a job for me; education is my passion.”
Denise vanEepoel is the Fiscal & Business Analyst for the USFSM Global Engagement Office. Having worked here for three years, Denise walked us through a
typical day in her office, shared a special talent and gave us a sneak peak at her ultimate dream vacation.
Tell us about yourself!
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. However both of my parents are native Floridians, and so I lived in Florida until I was 8 years old. In fact, two of my siblings were born in Key West. I moved to St. Thomas Virgin Islands in 1968 and grew up there. In 1985, I moved to Sarasota and have lived here ever since.
Walk us through an average workday at USFSM.
Luckily for me, I wear many hats during the day. About half of my job is finance related, like working on the budgets, doing travel, payroll and p-card reconciling. The other half of my job is working with international students; answering questions about study abroad, assisting with their student accounts, planning events and sometimes even driving them to an event.
What do you like most about your job?
This is not a job for me; education is my passion. I love working with students and helping them reach their educational goals.
Any special talents?
I can whistle by placing a blade of grass between my thumbs and blowing.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My hobbies are watching movies, watching sports on occasion, listening to music, going out to dinner, scuba diving and target practice.
Tell us about your dream vacation.
I would love to take three months to travel around the U.S. in a luxury RV, with a driver, of course. I would visit every National Park, the Pacific Ocean, the redwood and sequoia forests, the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, Las Vegas, Montana, Alaska, Hawaii and New York.
Best moment in your life so far?
Having my beautiful daughter Alana, and my beautiful granddaughter Giovanna.
