2017

My name is Vi “”Vivi”” Pham and I am a Pre‐Professional Biomedical Science major in my senior year at UCF. I have lived in Orlando all my life! I attended elementary, middle, and high school all in the Orlando area. What can I say? I just love my hometown! In 2014, I graduated from Winter…

Victoria is my name, Biomedical Sciences is my game, Senior year is upon me, I feel it come strongly, Things just don't feel the same. From Warwick High in P.A., To my favorite class (called Cinema Survey), It has been a long journey, but don't you all worry, I know all you girls will SLAY.…

Hi! My name is Truc (Truec) Phan. I am a Junior majoring in Biomedical Sciences hoping to become an Optometrist. I went to William R. Boone High School and came to America when I was only two. My favorite class here at UCF is Chemistry 1a and 1b with Dr. Dixon. He is someone that…

Hi, my name is Stephanie McDonald! I am currently in my second year at UCF majoring in Biology and minoring in Health Sciences. I graduated from Pembroke Pines Charter High school in sunny South Florida. I would say that my favorite class at UCF so far was Biology 1 (BSC 2010) with Dr. Diercksen. Her…

Hello! My name is Sonali Joshi and I am a Sophomore studying Physics. I graduated from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida in 2016. My favorite class has been Introduction to Numerical Computing with Dr. Harrington. It was a great class that gave many great exciting physics problems to solve. In the class we…

Hi, I'm Sarah Sheehan and I'm a computer science major. I am going into my second year at UCF. I graduated from Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida which is only about 45 minutes from campus. One my favorite classes at UCF so far has been Intro to C Programming with Professor Lobo. He was…

Hey mentees! I'm Sam, and I'm a sophomore majoring in Environmental Engineering here at UCF, but I'm originally from Parkland, Florida and graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. I'm super excited to be a GEMS mentor this year so I can help guide a few new people through their first year at school here,…

Hi there, my name is Rebecca Vollmann and I am a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I graduated from Indian River Charter High School in Vero Beach, FL. I love working on cars, photography, puppies, cooking, baking, watching movies, exercising, going to the beach, and spending time with friends. I've had my heart set on…

My name is Marisa Webber and I am a third year Industrial Engineering major. I graduated from Bloomingdale Senior High School, which is near Tampa, Florida, in 2015. My favorite class at UCF would have to be Engineering Economic Analysis. This course is for Industrial, Civil, and Environmental engineers. It was a very interesting class…

My name is Pia Nelson. I am a second year Computer Engineering major. I graduated in 2016 from Lake Brantley High School here in Central Florida. My favorite class so far has been the Enjoyment of Music with Dr. Lazslo Marosi. This class expanded the scope of my historical music knowledge while being one of…

Hi! My name is Maria Urdaneta, and I'm a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering. A little bit about me: In 2015, I graduated from Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania. I then took a gap year and studied abroad in Germany, and then I started school at UCF in fall 2016. Why did I join GEMS?…

My name is Maggie LaFratta and I'm a biomedical sciences major. I am currently a junior at UCF, and I graduated from Niceville High School. I really wanted to get involved with the GEMS program because I benefited a lot from having a mentor over my first year of college, and I'm hopeful that I'll…

Hello! My name is Madeline Sinclair, and I'm a Junior at UCF studying Industrial Engineering. I attended Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Florida, and graduated in 2015. My favorite class in college so far has been Calculus with Analytic Geometry III, taught by Professor Jeff. Although the class was hard, studying the material made a…

Hey! My name is Kristianna Nicolai and I am a Mechanical Engineering major. This will be my second year at UCF and so far I'm loving it! I graduated from Winter Haven High School which is located in Winter Haven, Florida, about 2 miles from Legoland. So far my favorite class here at UCF has…

Hi! My name is Kristen Brightwell and I'm a senior double majoring in Statistics and Mathematics with a Mathematical Biology Concentration. My favorite class at UCF so far has been Organic Chemistry I because the material was interesting and I learned how to think about chemistry on both a micro and a macro scale. I…

Hello! My name is Keira Medina, but many people call me Kiki instead. I am majoring in Civil Engineering and will be going into my third year here at UCF. In 2015 I graduated from Sebring High School, which is in a very small town south of Orlando called Sebring. One of my favorite classes…

My name is Kati Ward and I am a senior, majoring in Forensic Science. I aspire to become a forensic serologist. I graduated from Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida in 2013. One of my favorite classes at UCF has been Introduction to Forensic Science because the class had guest speakers from many different…

My name is Jessica Schwab and I am a Biomedical Sciences Major. I'm originally from Sarasota,Fl but love living in Orlando! I graduated high school from Suncoast Polytechnical High School with a ton of AP and dual enrollment credits (hard work really does pay off!).This will be my second year at UCF and I am…

Hi mentee! My name is Jasmine Lopez and I am a fourth year undergraduate majoring in Biomedical Sciences. In 2013, I graduated from University High School, which is actually only a mere few minutes away from UCF so I luckily didn't have to travel very far. My favorite class thus far at UCF was General…

Hello, my name is Isaura Carvajal. Mostly everyone calls me Isa. I am a sophomore in Environmental Engineering with an Art studio minor on the side. Many interests of mine coincide with the environment and mathematics. Flora and fauna is a beaut and numbers never lie. I am currently involved in undergraduate research in Dr.…