Hi everyone! My name is Samantha Graham, and this will be my second year at UCF as a Mechanical Engineer major. I graduated from Cutler Bay Senior High School in my hometown Miami, Florida. In general, I enjoy math for its procedural steps and predictability. So far, Calculus II has been my favorite of the math courses I have taken as it teaches me how to use my base knowledge from Calculus I in new ways. Even though certain math equations can take an entire page, I’ll happily listen to music while I crunch the numbers. While my favorite class is Calculus II, my favorite professor was from my first Fall semester. Professor Hannah Reed is the EXCEL Calculus I professor, and I deeply enjoyed her teaching style. While her course was difficult, I believe I have a deeper understanding of Calculus I thanks to her. She explained why, not just which steps were taken and forced me to solidify my trigonometry skills. She truly set me up for success in Calculus II. I decided to join GEMS because I knew Mechanical Engineering was a male-dominated field, and I wanted to surround myself with girls who had the same ambitions and interests as me. The program will provide a support group not just academically, but on a personal level as well. In my free time I enjoy cooking, karaoke, hanging out with my friends, or catching up on Netflix. 

Words of wisdom for incoming GEMS freshmen: Understand that college is a learning curve, not just academically, but socially and personally as well. Even as my first year ended, I was still figuring out what to do, learn, or even cook for dinner. If you ever feel lost, don’t be afraid to ask any of the GEMS mentors, we’re here to guide you.