My name is Maria Chamorro and I am a 4th year Molecular and Microbiology student. I am originally from Pembroke Pines and I graduated from Everglades High School. My favorite class at UCF so far has been Endocrinology. In this class I was able to apply everything I was learning and everything I had already learned on clinical case days, in which we would go through a variety of patient profiles and diagnose them. My favorite professor is Dr. Young. She was my pre‐calculus teacher my first semester here. She teaches very well and makes sure that her students understand everything. She made class exciting and you could tell she enjoyed what she was doing. I decided to get involved in GEMS again because I want to share my experiences with other girls to help and guide them in their journey through a STEM major. I want to show the mentees that if I can do it, they can too. When I am not doing school related activities, I like to go to the movies, concerts and amusement parks. Words of advice for the GEMS freshman students: Time management is key. Learn how to manage your time early on and find what study methods work best for you.