Hello, my name is Amanda Lugo, and I am a second year Computer Engineering major. I’m from Naples, Florida. I graduated in 2023 from Golden Gate High School. Go Titans! One of my favorite classes here at UCF was EEE3342C Digital Systems, because it is usually the first class as a Computer Engineering major that gets you hands-on experience with hardware, this case being an FPGA. It’s really fun to learn HDL coding and seeing the results of your code on a physical component! My favorite professor was Mrs. Dunlop-Pyle. She taught my Math for Calculus class. I wish I took her for my other math classes because she was incredibly thorough and clear, and very patient when answering questions in class or in office hours. I got involved with EXCEL because of the extra help and opportunities they give STEM students, like mentoring, tutoring, and research opportunities. It helped me a lot with learning about what I needed to do in college to succeed, to assimilate in the university, making friends I’m still close with and getting experience for my resume. Now as I continue to participate as a GEMS mentor, I expect to reciprocate the help that I got my freshman year with incoming students and help them navigate their first year of college. My favorite things to do outside of classes are spending time in nature, making some art, and hanging out with friends.  

My word of advice for incoming freshmen: You’re going to learn to be your own support system! College can be really tasking and discouraging, but no matter how many people you do or don’t have in your corner, what matters is you learn to motivate yourself. With enough effort and perseverance, you can learn and do anything.