Hi my name is Kelsey Strobridge and my major is Civil Engineering. This is my second year here at UCF. I graduated from Chamberlain High School in Tampa Florida. I would have to say my two favorite classes from my first year were Intro to Engineering and Chemistry for Engineers, because they opened my eyes to concepts and job opportunities I had never heard of before. I was also given the opportunity to build and program my very own robot! I enjoyed all of my professors at UCF, but my favorite would have to have been Professor Maxwell because she pushed us to our full potential in Chemistry for Engineers. She was a difficult professor, but she was always willing to give extra help when sought out. I learned the most in that class due to the fact that it was so challenging. As a female in a STEM discipline, I quickly learned that I was a minority in most of my classes. I wanted to join an associating that would allow me to make connections with other girls and act as a support system to assist me with my difficult STEM classes. I expect the GEMS program to be the starter of lifelong friendships and connections to promote women in the STEM fields. College is nothing like high school, you have so much more free time because unlike high school you may have only one or two classes a day. It is important to get involved and stay active because it helps deal with stress and promotes learning good time management. In my free time I participated in numerous intramural sports: tennis, volleyball and flag football, academic and social clubs, and just hung out with friends.