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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Twelve Gators made the journey to the Dominican Republic with the University of Florida’s career building program Gators Experience. On their 10-day trip which began on Jun. 21, the student-athletes participated in several forms of community service and some fun excursions around the country.

“I just knew a couple of my friends on other sports teams were able to go on the Gators experience to do community service, and that’s kind of always been a dream of mine, to do community service in another country,” said senior gymnast Selena Harris-Miranda.

Athletes on Trip

Athlete	Sport
Kayla DiCello	Gymnastics
Gabby Disidore	Gymnastics
Skylar Draser	Gymnastics
Selena Harris-Miranda	Gymnastics
Jocelyn Erickson	Softball
Akari Isaac	Women’s Track & Field
Gracelyn Leiseth	Women’s Track & Field
Logan Montgomery	Men’s Track & Field
Noah Musslewhite	Men’s Track & Field
Carly Meeting	Women’s Swimming & Diving
Grace Rainey	Women’s Swimming & Diving
JoJo Ramey	Women’s Swimming & Diving

The 12 athletes ran several sports clinics for the kids of the Santo Domingo community. Teaching them about different sports, while also taking a chance to learn about the local culture as well.  

“The first day, we went to the clinic with the kids, and when we walked in we kind of had an idea before that they weren’t going to speak any English. That was definitely something we all were like, oh, none of us know enough Spanish. How is this gonna work?” said junior gymnast Skylar Draser. “You’re a little stressed out. But when we got there, the kids were just so happy to see us and they had no idea who we were. They just wanted people to play with, and they wanted just to show us what they do on a daily basis, and just how they express their sports and how their communities like together.”

 

GatorsLead Global Dominican Republic Day 4 (Part 3):

🔹Beautifying the community center

🔸Adding a new coat of 🧡& 💙 paint #GatorsLeadGlobal pic.twitter.com/Rc16vVtAi4

— The Gators Experience (@GatorsExp) June 28, 2025

“We split into groups. We were doing drills, we were warming up, we played games, and I think just connecting with children on that just really changed my perspective on how fortunate we are. They don’t have everything, and I think that just made me appreciate everything that I have being a Gator,” said Harris-Miranda.  

Gators learning Dominican traditions 🐊🇩🇴#GatorsLeadGlobal pic.twitter.com/Xde0b40fup

— The Gators Experience (@GatorsExp) June 27, 2025

The trip managed to balance the work they were doing within the community with fun excursions for the athletes to enjoy their time in the Dominican Republic. These excursions included visiting Los Tres Ojos National Park, visiting museums at Plaza de la Cultura, learning the process of chocolate making, paddle boarding at Boca Chica, hiking to Hoyo Claro and taking a trip on a catamaran to Isla Saona.

“I think it was just like relaxing. After we had the long five days, we were exhausted and we just wanted to finally relax. We got to see Isla Saona, and we saw some live starfish, which is cool because I’ve never seen a wild starfish in my life. And then we went to the island, which was beautiful, I’ve never seen water so blue. So that was a really cool experience,” said Draser.

GatorsLead Global Dominican Republic Day 4 (Part 1):

🔹Paddle boarding in Boca Chica

🔸🐊🌊😀#GatorsLeadGlobal pic.twitter.com/4syyAhPx9f

— The Gators Experience (@GatorsExp) June 26, 2025

The trip to the Dominican Republic made a lasting impact on all the student-athletes involved and created memories that will last them a lifetime.

“I think for a lot of us it made us appreciate what we do, what we have so much more, and how beautiful, nature is in other countries, and just how we can really appreciate everything,” said Harris-Miranda.