Global Spotlights
Life in London: A profile of USF alumna Raquel Collazo
TAMPA, FL (June 26, 2024) -- There is no doubt that Raquel Collazo enjoys what she does for a living. She manages the global social media accounts for an anti-financial crime educator. “I really love what I do! It’s what gets me up in the morning. It doesn’t feel like work when you’re having fun,” she says. Previously the Social Media Manager for a digital marketing firm, she’s been nominated for several marketing awards and some of her work has gone viral. She says that in social media you get to be a little more creative than in other lines of work. “It’s all about getting your message out there to the largest possible audience. You’re translating complex topics to people who otherwise wouldn’t encounter them at all, and the tone and content varies by platform.” For example, right now she’s working on growing her company’s Instagram account, where the audience is much younger than the average finance professional. Compliance and regulation are subject areas that can seem very heavy and bureaucratic, but Raquel makes them entertaining.
Raquel and her husband Cesar are both USF alumni living in London. They come from multi-national families that grew up near each other in New York, and both have family ties to the Dominican Republic where her father was an elected official. Her husband’s father was in the military and led a transient lifestyle having been stationed in Asia, Europe, and throughout the United States. When Raquel was about 17 her family moved from New York to Springhill, Florida, which set her up to choose USF for her undergraduate education.
Although she did not study abroad as an undergraduate (to her great regret, she says!), it was USF that set her on her international path. When she graduated with a BA in Media and Communications in 2009, one of her professors, Dr. Eric Eisenberg, encouraged her to apply for graduate schools overseas. (Eisenberg who was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2007 to 2022 is now Vice President of the Office of University Community Partnerships). Raquel wanted to stay within an English-speaking country, so she applied to several schools in the UK and was awarded a scholarship to Goldsmiths University in London. With scholarships, she explains, going to graduate school overseas can be less expensive than many students think. “Students need to know it’s worth it to apply for scholarships for overseas study. I think it’s important to give people that opportunity.” She completed her graduate degree in 2015 and was offered a job shortly thereafter.
It certainly paid off for the Collazo family. “Having had my education both in the U.S. and in the U.K., I have a better understanding of how people digest media in both countries, and I can leverage that knowledge to digital marketing campaigns and social media strategies about a variety of important issues.” Raquel loves living in London, and it doesn’t sound like she’s coming back to the United States anytime soon. The Collazo family travels many times a year.
Sometimes it’s just Raquel going on work-related trips (her company hosts training events and conferences across the globe), but sometimes it’s a family affair. Because London is a hub for so many airlines, international travel is easy and affordable. They’ve been to Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, the UAE, Poland, Germany, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Singapore, to name just a few. Another benefit to being in London: it is so multicultural one can find just about any kind of restaurant there.
Despite their international lifestyles, the Collazos still have strong ties to the Tampa Bay area and especially to USF. Raquel is the co-founder of the first USF alumni chapter to be established outside of the U.S. and today, there are over 600 UK-based alumni who can engage with each other through USF Network UK. Raquel and Cesar also share a passion for the university and its football team. They have been season-ticket holders for USF football since 2007, the year after Cesar graduated. They have family members here who attend just about every game. “It’s our way of staying connected to the team. We don’t want to miss that link back home,” she says. Their residence may be in London, but their hearts are green and gold.