Meet Johnathan Aponte! Throughout his time with COMPASS, Johnathan found a passion for Mechanical Engineering and has since been a dedicated member of the EXCEL program at UCF. Johnathan served as a COMPASS mentor last year, where he provided guidance to incoming freshman who may be undecided in the STEM field, and assisted them as part of the Career Planning course.
In his second year, Johnathan conducted research through the EXCEL Undergraduate Research Experience. Working with the Intelligent Systems Laboratory, he was able to gain valuable insight as to what research is like, build relationships with UCF faculty, and develop skills involving machine learning and 3-D printing. Johnathan also had the opportunity to pursue a minor in International Engineering while studying abroad in England in Spring 2020. Jonathan believes that the EXCEL/COMPASS program is to thank for the numerous opportunities that he has taken advantage of, all of which has enhanced his college experience.