Hello! My name is Keira Medina, but many people call me Kiki instead. I am majoring in Civil Engineering and will be going into my third year here at UCF. In 2015 I graduated from Sebring High School, which is in a very small town south of Orlando called Sebring. One of my favorite classes here at UCF would have to be statics. Many engineering students don't like statics, but I had the best professor. Dr. Zaurin made the class fun, and taught the material wonderfully. I almost felt like I was back in high school. If you get the chance to be in his statics class, you have the opportunity of participating in a semester project called IDEAS. It's very similar to a science fair project, and gives you an idea of what senior design is going to be like. While it was hectic and stressful at times, this project actually helped me receive the undergraduate research position I was searching for and was an amazing hands on experience. I first became involved in the GEMS program as a mentee my freshman year. I overall had a wonderful experience with my mentor and gained valuable knowledge that has guided me in my studies thus far. It was great to have someone to go to when I needed support and advice. In my free time I like to hang out with my friends, watch Netflix (let's be real, who doesn't?), and explore new places in the UCF and Orlando area. Words of advice: It's okay to not know where you're going to be in the next year and unsure of what you exactly want to do or where to go. Don't let that discourage you from following your dreams.