Hi everyone, my name is Tristan Thornton, and I’m a junior at UCF studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Robotics. 

I joined the STEM Ambassador program because I want younger students to get as excited about STEM as I am. I fell in love with it at a young age thanks to the knowledge and kindness shared by teachers, mentors, and people I looked up to. Because someone believed in me, I felt like I could accomplish anything. I’m here to pay that forward and show students the awesome future they can have if they stay curious and persistent in school.

If you’re a student thinking about doing STEM, just know that on any complex project, things are bound to go wrong, and that’s part of the process. When you work on a team, everyone is at a different skill level, so be patient and be willing to learn together. The best ideas never belong to a single person; it’s always a collective effort.

Besides school, I love reading and writing science fiction/fantasy, and I’m currently working on the first draft of my novel. I also play piano and enjoy learning more about music. In addition to that, I love doing activities outdoors, especially ziplining! I’m a big theme park fan, and one day I’d love to work in them as a show mechanical engineer, bringing rides and attractions to life.