Hello, my name is Jade Parker. I am a Civil Engineering major, and this will be my fourth year at UCF. I am from Melbourne, Florida and I graduated from Bayside High School in May of 2023. My favorite classes so far have been Differential Equations and Personal Finance and Investments. I really enjoyed differential equations because I feel like it really tied together all the math classes I have taken and I just overall liked the class. I took Personal Finance as an elective and learned a lot of real world financial material from this class and have applied that knowledge since then. My favorite professor that I have had is Lori Dunlop- Pyle. I had Lori for Mathematics for Pre-Calculus and Calculus II.  Mathematics at UCF is more difficult than the past math classes I have taken but Lori takes it step by step. She is clear and concise in the way she explains material and makes sure she gets to know everyone in her class. I decided to join EXCEL because of the benefits it provides, like the EXCEL lab and the advising. I joined GEMS to meet other women in STEM and be able to talk to someone older who has been in my shoes. I decided to become a mentor to give back to the program which I have appreciated my entire time here. I hope to help incoming freshman and ease the transition of getting used to college as much as I can. It is also always important to remember to always believe in yourself and ask questions while in your career especially as a woman pursuing a STEM degree. In my free time I like to hang out with friends, go to the gym, travel, and cook.