Hello! My name is Lavine Von and I'm a sophomore currently majoring in Computer Engineering. I consider myself a bit of a jack‐of‐all trades, master of none. I graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 2015 with AP and Honors. While I was in high school, I was the co‐captain for percussion, and the orchestra vice president. For my spare time, I enjoy crafts, drawing, playing trading card games (MtG or Hearthstone anyone?), playing MMORPGS, and baking. My favorite class at UCF has to be Chemistry I, thanks to Dr. Donovan Dixon who made it really fun! He is always readily available to help people (even if you're not his student), and he's very clear with his expectations. I also find him funny, but my humor is a bit odd. Currently I'm on my way to take a minor in bioengineering as I'd like to work with prosthetics in the future. I honestly didn't even know I was in the GEMs program when I started as a mentee, but when I started to participate more, my mentor helped me gain accustomed to college as well as the confidence to pave my own path in college. Not only did EXCEL give me network and undergraduate research opportunities, it introduced me to a web friends I would have never thought I would've made as a regular student at UCF. In GEMs, you can expect assistance in a smooth transition to college, while I expect that you will gain comfort knowing you'll always have someone to support you. From EXCEL, expect opportunity for your career, but also for relationships that will follow you throughout college.