gems-2026

My name is Alyana Jansen; my friends call me Aly. I am a Forensic Science major with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in Crime Scene Investigation. This will be my second year at UCF. In May of 2025, I graduated from George W. Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Florida (my hometown). One of my favorite classes at UCF so far has…

My name is Brooklyn White, and I’m a second year Industrial Engineering major at UCF. I’m from Tampa, Florida, where I graduated from River Ridge High School. My favorite classes are ones I take through the EXCEL Program because I know a lot of the people in the classes, and we have the opportunity to work together on any problems or questions we have. One professor who has made a big difference for me is…

Hi everyone! My name is Christina McKeaver, and I graduated from North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Myers, Fl. I’m a second year Biology major with a minor in Health Sciences, and although there isn’t a technical minor in ASL, I plan on taking the full 16 credits offered here at UCF! I also plan on going to dental school and becoming…

My name is Elise Meyers, and I am a second year Molecular Microbiology major here at UCF. I am from Cape Coral, Florida, where I graduated from Cape Coral High School in 2025. My favorite class that I’ve taken so far is The Invisible World. It’s an introductory microbiology course that goes over some of the basics in the subject. I…

My name is Emily Mendenilla, and I will be a third-year Forensic Science major on the chemistry track. In 2024, I graduated from St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, Florida, as part of the high school dual enrollment program. My favorite classes are organic chemistry and analytical chemistry, because it was where I learned that I love chemistry. The professors who…

Hi! My name is Eva Macias and I am a biology major on the Pre-Vet and Zoology track entering my second year here at UCF!  I graduated from Riverdale High School in 2024 from my hometown, Fort Myers, Florida. My favorite class so far at UCF is Biology II. I think I found it more interesting than Biology because I like the organismal and…

My name is Haylee StHilaire and I am second year at UCF majoring in Computer Science. I graduated from School For Advanced Studies-North, which is located in Miami, Florida. One of favorite classes at UCF thus far has been COP2500 which is Concepts in Computer Science. This is one of the very first classes you…

Hello! My name is Isabella Marie Polvinale, and I am a second year Mechanical Engineering major with a Mathematics minor. I am from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and graduated from Fort Lauderdale Highschool in May of 2025. My favorite class has been Calculus 2 with Lori Dunlop-Pyle because I loved learning about new integration techniques and polar regions!…

Hello! My name is Selah Pearl, and I’m a second year Aerospace Engineering student. I was homeschooled throughout my entire life in Eustis, Florida. My favorite classes vary widely between mathematics, physics, and English. I love writing, but the challenge and satisfaction that comes with working through higher-level calculus is like nothing else. My favorite professor has…

My name is William Castillo and I’m an Aerospace Engineering major. This will be my second year attending UCF. I graduated from Celebration High School located in Celebration, Florida. Currently my favorite class happens to be Calculus II, which is in large part due to my favorite professor teaching the class, Professor Reed. Despite having gone through rough period of personal matters, Professor Reed has been…

Hi! My name is Renee Bilodeau and I’m a Biomedical Sciences Major with a minor in Psychology. I am going into my third year at UCF, and I am very excited! I graduated in 2024 at St. Thomas Aquinas Highschool in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One of my favorite classes so far was my Psychology in…

My name is Riham Abdelmaaboud! I am a second-year UCF student double-majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Sociology. I graduated as Valedictorian from Ibn Seena Academy in 2025 and am originally from Morocco, though I now live in Kissimmee, Florida. My favorite class so far has been LDR 2001 – Introduction to Leadership Studies, taken through the LEAD Scholars…

Hello, my name is Sam Signorella, and I am a fourth-year Civil Engineering major at UCF. I graduated from Naperville Central High School which is in Naperville, Illinois about 45 minutes outside of Chicago. My favorite class so far related to civil engineering has been Fluid Mechanics, which was taught by Dr. Kibler. I loved her class because of her attention to detail and…

Hello! My name is Mary Elizabeth Harden and I am an Aerospace Engineering Major entering my second year at UCF. I graduated from Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, FL. My favorite classes at UCF have been the engineering lab classes because they are fun and involve hands-on projects and give us a great introduction to…

Hello! My name is Melania Carrigan, and I am a Civil Engineering major entering my fourth year at the University of Central Florida. I graduated from Creekside High School in Saint Johns, Florida, in 2023. One of my favorite classes at UCF so far has been Intro to Engineering Lab. I really enjoyed this course because…

Hi! My name is Mia Chang and I am currently pursuing a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Intelligent Robotics Systems. I am extremely excited to be going into my second year at UCF! I graduated from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My favorite class so far has been Engineering…

My name is Mila Knickerbocker, and I am a fourth-year Computer Science major at UCF. In 2023, I graduated from Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida. One of my favorite classes at UCF has been Physics II. The course challenged me to think critically, and my professor made complex concepts much more approachable, which helped me develop a deeper…

Hi! My name is Miranda Valbuena and I am a Mechanical engineering major. This is my fourth year at UCF. I am from Coral Springs, Florida and in 2023, I graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. My favorite classes thus far have been Calculus 1 and Statics. Calculus 1 was that first class that…

Hey! My name is Nickolas Corredor I’m an industrial engineering major going into my third year of college. I graduated from Western Highschool, which is in Davie, Florida. One of my favorite classes was introduction to engineering because of the projects we got to do which allowed me to work on an engineering project with…

Hello! My name is Paige Lota; I am a Biomedical Science major in pre-med track with a minor in finance and chemistry. This will be my third year at UCF. I graduated from Penncrest High School in 2024 in Media, Pennsylvania. My favorite class at UCF so far has been Physics. What made this class my favorite was the professor. Professor Cencillo Abad made me…