Hey! My name’s Kaycie Ramsey and I’m a Mechanical Engineering major. This is my third year at UCF. I graduated from Timber Creek High School in 2023 here in Orlando, Florida. One of my favorite classes was Anthropology. I thought it was a nice change of pace at the time, and it was always full of interesting facts that made me want to ask more questions. One of my favorite professors at UCF is Lori Pyle. I had her for Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry, and I also had one of her TAs for Calculus 2. I really liked how engaging her classes were and I honestly wish I could have had her for some of the upper-level math courses. She was always available and had a really good way of explaining everything step by step. 

I got into the Excel program partly because it looks great on a resume but also to meet new people with the same interests and take advantage of the resources for my math courses. My advice is to always be open to new people and ideas, especially in engineering where connections and communication with peers are super important. 

My biggest piece of advice for new EXCEL/COMPASS/STEM students is to stay open to new ideas and new people. Engineering is just as much about teamwork and communication than it is about equations and problem-solving, so making connections will definitely help you in the long run. 

Outside of school, I love to dance, go to the gym, and hang out with friends. Keeping a good balance between academics and having fun is super important in college.