Hi! My name is Mariana Gomez and I am a Computer Engineering major with a minor in Criminal Justice. This is my second year at UCF and I graduated from Palm Beach Central High School in 2015. My favorite class so far has been English 2. I know it sounds strange, but I enjoyed the class because I did a semester long research project about the Deep Web and its effects on our society. I would like to do things related to cybersecurity in the future, so working on this paper and interacting with other students, and our professor Joseph Longhany, to share ideas and finding was very fun. I decided to become a GEMS mentor because I feel like this part of the program is what helped me get the most out of my first year and I learned about many opportunities through this. Having a mentor definitely helped me to stay on track and to get more involved on campus (which you should all do, because it is a great way to network and meet new people!). Don't let anything prevent you from getting the most out of the years that you will be here, because everything you achieve here will definitely help you in the future!