Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Burke
Hi Caroline, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Caroline Burke, and I am a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, surrounded by my big family. I have always been a busy body with lots of passions I spend time pursuing. I have never been one for a slow paced journey. I was a cheerleader, tennis player, and singer in highschool, but college provided me with so many amazing opportunities to get involved in new and expanding ways. I wanted to make sure to stay true to who I am in my time at college, and through the people I have met and doors that have been opened I have found connections to all my favorite things here in Knoxville. At UTK, I am a member of Alpha Delta Pi, where I currently hold the role of Music Education Specialist on the executive board, to tie in my love for all things music. I am double majoring in Retail and Consumer Sciences and Sustainability, with minors in Spanish, Business Analytics, and Retail Technology. These many majors and minors perfectly incapsulate my goals for my career in the future. I love all things fashion, and cannot wait to utilize all that I have learned here at UTK in the future, as I hope to work in fashion marketing, with sustainable marketing for my favorite brands! I have worked on social media for the past four years, sharing my favorite pieces and brands I have found, and I have a true passion for working digitally in the retail world as well! I am beyond grateful for all the opportunities I have experienced in the past two years here at Tennessee, and I cannot wait to continue growing and changing with all that I have accomplished, and will accomplish in the future.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is never an easy ride, and challenges always seem to work their way into all plans we think we have. As someone who loves such a busy schedule, I often find myself with too many commitments where spending time on smaller, more casual things is lost, especially time for myself. I am what society would call type A, with many planners, calenders (including my six foot six month whiteboard on my wall), and reminder apps to keep me going, but I thrive in full and complete organization with such a busy scheudle and found a way to make it work to incorporate all the things I love. I found that burnout is frequent and reoccuring, but with true passion comes true determination for finishing what you start. Even in long seasons of studying, taking over 20 credit hours a semester, reminding yourself of what you are working towards and how grateful you will be for all your hard work, never fails to push me just a little further. I run on sheer joy and pride in my accomplishments and I choose to start each day trying to be better than I was the day before and that alone serves as my motivation to commit myself to all I hope to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I hold many jobs in Knoxville, again its the desire to stay busy but also work hard to achieve my fullest potential for my abilities. I work at Olive Garden, a job I have held for the last two and a half years of my life. I hold many positions within the restaurant, working my way up the chain of command from a hostess to a service professional. I also worked as a barista at Knoxville’s own Intrepid Nitro Coffee and Tea Bar, which was a great experience with many fun customers, but also it served as a new way to pursue another passion of mine, coffee and conversation. Alongside those two off campus jobs, I also work as a Peer Mentor for the University of Tennessee, helping to get the new class of students integrated into college life and thrive here at UTK just as much as I have. All of these jobs make me a better version of myself, while also helping to support communities that I value so much.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is defined by being you to your fullest potential. I have found so much peace in the last two years by redefining success, as it is so individual to each person. I see myself in my most successful form when I am proud of the work I have accomplished. It is not about the level of difficulty, but if I crossed off all the tasks on my plan for the day and remain organized and positive, then I feel the most certain about my success for the day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: carolineeliseburke
