My name is Cierra Word, and I am a junior studying Mechanical Engineering.  I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, before moving to Queens, New York to attend Archbishop Molloy High School in 2013.  On the day I received my diploma in 2017, my family drove from my school to Orlando, Florida where our new house was located.  So far, my favorite class at UCF was Honors Theatre Survey (THE2000H) with Professor Sybil St. Claire, as it went above and beyond just learning about historical theatre; we had the opportunity to act and do fun hands-on activities.  My favorite professor so far is Doctor Kevin Roozen for Honors English Composition II.  As a writer, I appreciated Dr. Roozen’s desire and interesting ideas to help push us to better our writing.  Aside from the fact that I am a Mechanical Engineering major, I enjoy storytelling, especially in the way of creative writing.  When I have free time from my courses, I write novels; I’ve been doing this since I was 7 years old, and I find that it is a healthy distraction when I need a break.  I joined this program and chose my major on the same premise: that I love STEM, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to excel in a field I enjoy with the support that I need to succeed.  In addition, being an out-of-state student in a foreign place with no one familiar was terrifying, but I had the support of GEMS, EXCEL, and a few other programs to help me adjust and make new friends.  If I could say one thing to an incoming EXCEL student, I would say “Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” and remember: we’re always here to help you!