Between midterms and meal swipes, many UF students are also navigating a quieter challenge: Lent.
Observed by Catholics for centuries, Lent marks the 40 days leading up to Easter, often involving prayer, fasting and personal sacrifice. On campus, Catholic Gators are participating in personal and sometimes unconventional ways, giving up social media, meat, music and more. For Mara Hoffman, a 20-year-old UF statistics sophomore, the sacrifice was digital. Already off TikTok, she deleted Instagram from her phone on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and hasn’t redownloaded it since.
“I spend way too much time on Instagram Reels and also just comparing myself to other people on Instagram,” Hoffman said. “So I was like, you know, this will be a good challenge.”
Raised Catholic, Hoffman said she’s given up desserts and certain foods in the past, but this year she wanted to try something different.
Though her decision was met with support from friends and family, she said it hasn’t been without its challenges, especially not being able to share recent big moments, like her birthday or sorority formal.
“I definitely do feel like I'm missing a little bit,” she said. “But I don't know. It makes me do other stuff, which is great. I'm definitely not as distracted doing my work.”
While Hoffman gave up scrolling, others focused on what’s on their plate. Christopher Dougherty, a 19-year-old UF biology freshman, decided to give up meat and sweets for Lent in addition to fasting six hours a day –– a sacrifice that’s shaped his daily routine.
Though his family is Catholic and fasting is often a part of Catholicism, Dougherty said his family was shocked at the extreme change he is making. Keeping little to no food in his dorm has been a big help during this Lent, but Dougherty said the temptation came when he was visiting his food-filled home in Jacksonville during spring break.
“I think I’ve really just been learning more about why we do fasting in the first place,” he said. “Just in order to have our spirit to rule over our flesh.”
Dougherty, who has a self-identified sweet tooth, said he is most looking forward to eating sweets, specifically chocolates, on Easter Sunday.
Traditionally, Catholics are encouraged to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent as a form of penance and remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. But this year, another UF freshman took it a step further.
Victoria Nguyen, a 19-year-old UF finance and English freshman, gave up meat for Lent as a way to physically discipline herself, she said. But she made a brief exception during spring break.
“My parents’ love language is to give me food,” she said. “I can’t say no to that. I think having strong bonds with your parents help you understand who God is more and more.”
In addition to fasting, Nguyen said she’s focusing on her emotional, mental and spiritual health by journaling and praying the rosary.
Nguyen said she’s started to feel more connected to her faith not just through formal prayer, but by building a more personal relationship with God.
While some students have given up food or social media, others are letting go of habits that shape their daily rhythm like music. For students like Anna Latell, the sacrifice meant silence.
Latell, a 21-year-old UF health science senior, realized she was listening to music constantly during her commute, while studying and in nearly every quiet moment in between. It had become automatic, and more often than not, unintentional. So for Lent, she decided to turn it off.
The first few days were frustrating. Without her usual Christian country and acoustic playlists to fill the silence, she said she found herself annoyed by the quiet. But over time, she said the absence created space for something else: morning prayers, check-in calls with her mom and moments of reflection.
“It gives me so much life just going into the day,” she said. “Not that music is bad, but it was keeping me from fully using my time.”
Latell, who was raised Catholic, said she used to give up small things like cookies as a kid. But over the last five years, she’s begun choosing sacrifices that feel more meaningful. One year, she gave up all drinks except water, including coffee.
Giving up music, she said, has helped her reflect more deeply on the meaning of Lent.
“Jesus went to the desert for 40 days before his crucifixion and fasted,” she said. “We give something up to grow closer to God, to meditate on the suffering of Jesus, just in our own little human way.”
Contact Sabrina Castro at scastro@alligator.org. Follow her on X @sabs_wurld.
Sabrina Castro is a senior journalism student and Spring 2025 Avenue reporter. When she's not off chasing the latest trend story, you can find her scrolling TikTok or searching local thrift stores for vintage gems.
