My name is Cady McNerney and I am a Mathematics major and Actuarial Science minor. This will be my third year at UCF. In 2010, I graduated from Allen D. Nease High School which is in Ponte Vedra, Florida. One of my favorite classes at UCF was Cinema Survey. It's one of those general education courses that you need and it's really interesting. We watched a movie every week and most of them were old black and white movies that I probably wouldn't have watched on my own. One of my favorite professors at UCF is Professor Swanson. I had him for both Calculus I and II. I wish he taught some of my other math courses, that's how good a professor he is. Professor Swanson explained the reasoning behind the different formulas and tests we used. The way he taught us wasn't just plugging in numbers and getting an answer. We knew why we needed the tests and formulas as well as real life applications for them. He showed us different ways to do the same problem which was helpful as well. I love the GEMS program because it gives girls in STEM majors the opportunity to meet other girls with similar majors. The program is like a safety net. It's comforting to know if you're having a difficult time, there are people to help and support you. Even if you don't need help it's just nice to know you have a support system. In my free time I like to swim, kayak, paddle board, and hang out with friends. Words of advice for the GEMS freshman students: One of my TA's gave me the best advice when I was unsure of my major. She said not to worry about what other people think, just do what makes you happy.