Hello everyone, my name is Sebastian Cimino and I am a junior at UCF majoring in information technology with a minor in MSE. I graduated from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, which is only around two hours west of Orlando. I decided to join the STEM ambassador program this year mainly because I plan on attending graduate school in the future and eventually getting my PhD. A large factor of graduate school is taking on a mentorship role for undergraduate students, whether that’s as a teaching assistant or a researcher in a lab. By becoming a STEM ambassador, I can exercise this skill while also reminding K-12 students around Orlando that a future in STEM can be achieved by anyone regardless of their background.

My favorite classes that I’ve taken at UCF have been Physics 2 and Object-Oriented Programming, largely because of the professors teaching the courses. Having a professor that genuinely cares about student learning and engagement with the course material is extremely rare in college, so it’s important to take advantage of this when it finally happens. Outside of class, I enjoy going to the movies and taking long walks while I listen to music.