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Taking Risks Translates Into Rewarding Career For PoliSci Graduate
Fausto Cardenas, ’18, said it was the risks they took as a UCF student that taught them the road to change is built on taking chances. Born in Ecuador, Cardenas moved to the U.S. with their mother at age 4. Cardenas said their mother always had at least two jobs to support them […]
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PoliSci Grad Makes Community Impact With Law Office
Amal Laassel,’04, is using her legal skills to help the Central Florida community and inspire young girls to explore the legal field. Laassel was born in Marrakesh, Morocco, and moved to the U.S. when she was 16 years as part of an international student exchange program. After graduating high school, Laassel majored in Political Science […]
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COS Alums Among OBJ’s 40 Under 40
BY NICOLE DUDENHOEFER ’17 AND JENNA MARINA LEE Four College of Sciences alumni were among those honored at the Orlando Business Journal 40 Under 40 Awards, an annual celebration that recognizes successful professional who have created a big impact within their industry and in the local community. Honorees were selected from a group of nominees submitted […]
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PoliSci Grads Among 7 UCF Alums Elected to Office
BY: RACHEL STAMFORD and JENNA MARINA LEE Seven UCF alumni who were running for the Florida Legislature won their districts in Tuesday’s election. Although they don’t necessarily agree on political issues, pursued different careers and attended UCF at different times, they clearly share a passion for politics. Rep. Amber Mariano Amber Mariano ’17, a Republican, was […]
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Political Candidates Reflect on UCF Experiences
Three political science alumna — including Florida’s youngest representative — are looking forward to seeing their names on ballots next week. Anna Eskamani, ’12 ’15 MNM, MPA, is currently senior director for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, and the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 47. Also running is Carol Lawrence, ’71, an […]
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Politics Within The Oil Industry
As an international tanker broker, Jonathan “JB” Corey uses what he learned at UCF almost daily. His political science degree helps him navigate the erratic effects the international political climate has on the oil industry. The company he works for, Southport Maritime, represents and services oil companies, tanker owners and oil traders who are engaging […]
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Paving the Path for a Future Diplomat
By Meredith Harris Ever since taking a UCF honors diplomacy course at The Burnett Honors College, Amanda Fleming ’15 dreamed of working as a diplomat. Armed with a 4.0 GPA and international work experience, the political science major (and psychology minor) took steps to make herself competitive for a position in the U.S. Foreign Service, […]
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Venezuelan Background Helps Alumna Help Others
Having lived through an almost 11-year separation from her parents after they were denied re-entry into the United States, UCF alumna Raquel Fernandez knows firsthand the difficulties of the immigration process. Now, as the community relations coordinator for the Orange County Tax Collector’s Office, she helps support and educate others going through the same process […]
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UCF Alumnus Represents Home Country
Thirty years before he became the Counselor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of El Salvador in Washington D.C., Luis Aparicio was an international student waiting to graduate from high school. His biggest dream was to attend college in the United States and study journalism. “I remember I requested over a dozen catalogs from U.S. […]
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Alumna Andrea Otero Connects With Community
The first in her family to graduate from college back in 2009, Andrea Otero understands the importance of hard work when crafting dreams into reality. Now, as the community outreach and communications specialist for the Orange County Clerk of Courts, she is leading the efforts in promoting the many services the Clerk’s office provides in […]
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Loving People at the Local Level
Kelly Quintero has always had a love for helping people at the local level. Before graduating in 2013 with her bachelor’s degree in political science, Quintero was eagerly involved with the school community. She was the president of the NationalOrganization for Women at UCF. She participated in the UCF College Democrats club. She helped plan, […]
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Alumnus Connects With American People
UCF alumnus Michael Taylor ’13 took his degree in international and global studies to the White House, working as the letter writer engagement and events coordinator in the Office of Presidential Correspondence during the Obama administration. His job connected him with Americans on a daily basis, requiring him to read the presidential mail looking for stories […]
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Alumna’s Community Involvement Leaves Impact
Chelsea Daley is passionate about her community. Daley graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2015, and now works as an email marketer at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. She stays connected to the UCF community through the D.C. AlumKnights chapter and uses the skills she […]
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Tying Your Shoes and Budgets, Too
Brett Jones closed his eyes and tried to remember how to tie his shoes. He looked around the room and decided to go with the bunny ears method. “I realized the best way to answer was to answer it simply, and go for a laugh at the same time,” Brett Jones said. “The whole room […]
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COS Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2017: Alan Florez
Receiving an education at the University of Central Florida can open many doors for a student. Our renowned faculty and staff pour their resources into students and allow them to reach new heights that seem impossible. For this month’s Outstanding Alumknight, the support he received at UCF allowed him to work to achieve success in both the government and […]
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UCF Alumnus Speaks up For Underprivileged Youth
Some choose the University of Central Florida because of the location. Others choose UCF because of the amazing Greek life and extracurricular activities. But this month’s Political Science Outstanding Alumnus chose UCF because he needed a broader understanding of the exact tools needed to go back and help his economically depressed community. Codeye Woody spent […]
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Back to School in China
UCF alumnus Max Hoffman graduated from the political science department in Spring 2014 – just a year and a half into his collegiate career. Hoffman had his sights set on something else: Shanghai. Hoffman accepted a position as a leader of the foreign teachers at Shanghai Bestway EDU where he teaches English and handles curriculum […]
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A Man Named Qusai
UCF graduate turned international hip-hop star pays a visit to his alma mater before House of Blues concert. By Sam Schiffer I walked into the UCF Fairwinds Alumni Center Wednesday evening expecting to hear an up-and-coming rapper talk about his time at the university. I walked out knowing an artist that sought to make a […]
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A View From Capitol Hill
University of Central Florida Political Science alumnus David Feinman shows that taking a chance can really pay off. Feinman graduated from UCF in 2011 but his experience was far from the norm. Most students work while in school but not many have had the opportunity to work out of state while getting their degree. Feinman […]
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Student Finds UCF Connection in Texas
By Jenna Marina Nearly four years ago, UCF alumna Shelby Shankin ’13 found herself in Austin, Texas, for the first time in her life to work on mega festival South by Southwest. Justin Tejada is a current first-generation student majoring in advertising-public relations and minoring in political science. He has made it his mission to […]
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A Typical Day like No Other
University of Central Florida political science alumnus Mike Nichola ’11 MA goes to work every day to make a difference. Nichola works as a legislative director for Congressman Darren Soto in his Washington, D.C., office, but his journey started with an entirely different major at UCF. “I was originally going to go to UCF for a […]
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Jammin’ Knight Takes on Circuit Court
University of Central Florida political science alumnus Matthew Baker has been busy since his graduation in May 2009. His journey has taken him all over Florida, but some of his fondest experiences were here at UCF. “I played trombone in the Marching Knights from 2006-2008 and was on Student Staff in 2007 and 2008,” Baker […]
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UCF Alumna Harvard Bound after Earning Nearly Perfect Score on LSAT
Story by Rachel Williams Years ago, Rebecca Fate’s vision of her future never included college. Neither of her parents earned college degrees, and growing up in a single-parent household meant there was little to no extra money to send her to school, she said. But when her fifth-grade teacher opened Fate’s eyes to her […]
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Knight of all Trades
Chris Lombardo ’80, always has something to keep him busy. From being an attorney to a fire commissioner and more in between, the University of Central Florida Department of Political Science graduate is a man of many talents. Lombardo is now a partner at his own firm, Woodward, Pires and Lombardo in Naples, Fla. He’s […]
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Bacon and Bots
By Jenna Marina With a name like Exploding Bacon, it’s hard to believe that the moniker was the second choice for a local youth robotics team led by UCF alumna Elise Cronin-Hurley ’90 ’94 MPA. Organized Chaos was voted as the winner – conceptualized by a random name generator – but when the mother of the lead […]
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A Student’s Journey From Prison to Law School
Angel Sanchez has spent much of his college career helping those who, like him, yearned for a second chance. He’s mentored previously incarcerated students, and through his position as president of Moot Court at UCF, an organization that gives pre-law students practice at arguing cases, he helped collect more than 300 books to donate to […]
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Alumna Makes Impact on Higher Education
University of Central Florida alumna Mary Anderson, Ph.D., ’94 ’96 liked being in college so much that she decided to teach at one. The Department of Political Science graduate received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from UCF. She initially chose to attend because of the campus. “UCF’s campus was filled with […]
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UCF Online Student Makes History
Bradley Caouette, ’16, wasn’t a typical University of Central Florida student. The political science graduate made history at UCF by being the first fully online student to graduate with an Honors in the Major degree, and with an award-winning thesis to top it off. But that’s not the only reason he’s unique. While many students […]
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Alumnus Strives for Outreach
University of Central Florida alumnus Kevan Stone ’05 is proud to represent UCF in his career in national politics. Stone is a naturalized U.S. citizen who moved to America from Scotland when he was a year old. He attended UCF for his undergraduate degree in political science after attending Florida State University for a semester. UCF’s […]
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Security Studies Alumnus Joins Office of Brazilian Presidency
Marcos Degaut Pontes ’16 was in the first graduating class of the security studies doctoral program at the University of Central Florida. Less than a year after his spring 2016 graduation, Degaut Pontes was named the Deputy Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the Presidency in Brazil. His duties include helping to formulate the country’s […]