I am Kelsey Goldbarth, a college junior majoring in Computer Science at UCF. I graduated from Circle Christian School and from VCC Community College in May 2010. My favorite class at UCF has been either my Computer Science I or Object Oriented Programming class, because I had wonderful professors who thoroughly explained the material and gave us interesting projects to work on. Those two classes were the most fun for me because I enjoyed the challenge and loved “”playing”” with the code. Who says school can't be fun, right? :‐) My favorite Professor at UCF is Mr. Arup Guha. He consistently pours into each of his students by 1)being available to help in any way possible, 2) providing a challenge/goal to grow and learn from, and 3) believing in & encouraging each and every one of us to work harder‐ do better than we ever thought we could. I joined the GEMS Program because I see the value in having the encouragement, wisdom, and experience of older students, as well as a group to fall back to in order to grow stronger and take on the challenges in college. (It's very important to find a group or circle of friends to connect with, so that you're not trying to take on all of the new changes and adjustments alone! Believe me, it gets stressful!) I hope that my group will be just that ‐ a source of strength and support for one another. (‐: I know that that may sound very kum‐bi‐ya, but it's true: 'many strands of thread are stronger than one alone'! :‐D My advice to my mentees is as you enter your first year at UCF, please be open and willing to learn ‐ in classes, from people (roommates), and in our group! Away from school, I love to spend time with my family and friends (who live in FL), work on all kinds of arts & crafts, watch movies, run long distance, listen to music on pandora, read books, and cook/bake. I look forward to meeting you ladies soon! Have a spectacular summer and see you in August! (‐;