Karol Hosek, 23, has been at the University of Miami for only three months, but her accomplishments and hectic schedule have inspired almost anyone she meets. Not to mention her love for food, outgoing personality and fluorescent streaks of pink hair.
Hosek came to Miami as an exchange student from Prague in the Czech Republic at the beginning of the spring semester. Having studied English for many years, she has had no trouble in adapting to her studies at UM. She has had a full load of electives this spring from the communication and theatre department such as television performance, motion picture practicum, and electronic media production.
“I absolutely love it here,” she said. “The opportunities and experiences this place has given me has made me grow more than ever in such a short amount of time.”
In 2011, she began working as a writer at Vice magazine in Prague. While there, she met three girls who shared the same passion for something everyone loves — food. Since that day, they started a blog called Vyvarovna that quickly became popular in the Czech Republic. Hosek and the others also co-produced and co-directed a 30-minute documentary on college cafeterias and how unhealthy they are for young adults. The documentary is scheduled to be aired on a Slovakian television show in May.
Every day, they blog about different meals and foods they come across or cook and write about how people could benefit from if they include it in their diet. She continues to blog daily about the meals she has been introduced to here in Miami and one of her more favored blog posts have recently been on the delicious Cuban cuisine.
“My absolute favorite meal is Argentinian steak,” said Hosek. “I could write about steak forever! It’s the one food exception that’s a bit ‘unhealthy’ I will write about.”
Vyvarovna has helped many readers learn about the importance of diet that big companies such as Red Bull, H&M, and a few liquor brands recognized the blog and has helped it grow tremendously within the past two years. While they promote her, she continues to promote them on her blog and constantly receives company gifts. You can check out the blog at www.vyvarovna.com.
Hosek’s sense of humor and desire to be different than anyone else also got her involved in a couple of the shows at UMTV on campus. Not only did she become the assistant director of News Vision, but she also has a an important role on Off the Wire, a comedy show.
She says that being part of Off the Wire gives her a sense of escape from the class work and studying. Hosek is one of the main script writers and scene performers in the show and attends at least three meetings a week to help out as much as she can to run a smooth and entertaining show.
“I love to write. It’s my thing,” she said. “I pick the things I love most and express them all in writing whether it’s for school, myself or to bring a smile to someone’s face.”
One of her classmates Shayna Hailperin, describes Hosek as “Superwoman.” Being an exchange student, Hosek was automatically placed by the University under the International Club, a branch of COISO. She noticed that a lot exchange students found it difficult to make friends and that the “buddy system” that the International Club provided wasn’t all that helpful to many.
So she decided to start working in the International Office, where she has been organizing ways to improve the buddy system plan in order to help the next round of foreign students get the best experience at the university.
“When I first got to Miami, they had already paired me up with a ‘buddy’ to show me around and introduce me to people here,” Hosek said. “It was kind of awkward and I was a little disappointed at the lack of work my buddy and other students’ buddies put in to help people like me transition into this new place.”
Ever since then, she has reached out to international students and has improved the buddy system by organizing activities and better training for those chosen as student buddies.
In the short time she’s here, Hosek intends to leave her mark on UM. And she hopes to have the opportunity to live in Miami one day. Hosek will be graduating with her BA in broadcasting from Charles University in Prague this September on top of her BA in English literature she has already completed.
“I leave in exactly one month back to my country,” Hosek said. “There is nothing like this place and I will do whatever it takes to be back. If I could do it again, I’d do it the same.”