Hi! My name is Vasupradha Ramji, but I go by Pradha, and I am a Computer Science major. This will be my third year at UCF and I’m super excited to see where it goes! I graduated from Windermere High School – which is in Orlando, FL. Since coming to UCF, my favorite class hands down has to be the Intro to Philosophy class that I had taken in the first semester of freshman year as one of my GEPs. I hadn’t expected to enjoy it as much as I did but it turned out to be incredibly interesting. I especially liked learning about different philosophers, including Plato and Descartes, and just how complex and thought-provoking their individual perspectives were. In my free time, I love reading fiction books (though the philosophy class inspired me to pick up the occasional memoir or self-help book), dancing, and playing board games. One of my favorite professors at UCF was definitely Dr. Matthew Atkinson who lectured for my Biology 1 course. His enthusiasm and passion for biology was contagious and I found myself looking forward to his class. Dr. Tanvir Ahmed was my other favorite professor for this reason as well, which may or not be influenced by the daily demotivators or the embedded memes in his PowerPoints. They both brought their all to the lectures and inspired me to do the same.  

I became a WiSTEM mentor because I know how overwhelming the first semester of college can be. There were times when I felt unsure about what opportunities to pursue or how to balance everything, and I would have loved having a mentor who has been where I was before and could help me navigate. I want to be that support system for others and inspire my mentees to embrace new opportunities, feel confident in pursuing their careers, and make the most of their time while at UCF.  

As Vincent Van Gogh said, “Normality is a paved road; It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.” Don’t be afraid to try new things or meet new people – you never know what could blossom from it and grow into something more.