My name is Katherine Duffy and I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major at UCF. I graduated from Southeast High School in Bradenton, Fl. Thermodynamics has probably been my favorite subject to learn. There are a lot of applications of thermodynamics that you can see in your daily life and there are so many ways in which it can be applied in the future to make things more efficient. My favorite professor is Dr. Swanson who was my EXCEL math teacher. His teaching method is detailed and enthusiastic. He is invested in helping his students learn and understand new material and is always there if you need extra help. I decided to get involved in GEMS because I want to be able to help the young women of EXCEL have a smooth transition into all of the aspects of college life. I found the GEMS program to be very beneficial to my transition into college and feel that given the opportunity others would feel that way too. My college life is a good balance between school and a social life including having time to hang out with friends and family. Words of advice for the GEMS freshman students: “”Get involved around the campus, it is a great way to meet people and there are many things on campus that you can enjoy with your friends for free.””