My name is Bree Donley and I’m a Forensic Science major and Chemistry minor. This will be my third year at UCF. I graduated from Western High School in 2018 which is in Davie, FL. One of my favorite classes at UCF was Intro to Forensic Science. Every week we had a speaker from a different field of forensics, and we got to learn about the highs and lows of their job. One of my favorite professors (technically TA) at UCF is Arielle Gaudiello, she taught me precalculus and helped me all throughout my calc classes. She is one of the most helpful people I’ve ever met, and she teaches calculus in a way that’s easy to understand. My freshman year I was a GEMS mentee and I had a really great experience in the program. All of the friends I have now are because of GEMS. I also had a really great mentor who was there whenever I needed her. I hope I can be just as good as my old mentor and provide a helpful and welcoming presence. GEMS provides such a great opportunity to help solidify friendships between people with similar majors. It also provides a safe space for people who might be struggling with classes, trying to be social, and creating friendships. Some things that I enjoy doing outside of school are going out to eat with my friends, binge watch whatever is new on Netflix and listen to Panic! At The Disco on repeat.  

Some words of wisdom that I can offer is to try your best, but also understand that failing an exam or not doing so well on a homework assignment isn’t the end of the world. College can be stressful, but it’s also supposed to be fun!