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Recent UCF Graduates Have Accepted Tenure-track Positions at Top Universities
Getting a tenure-track faculty position at a university has become harder, but several UCF recent graduates are beating the odds. For many students, an academic position is the goal. For others, it’s industry. Getting into academia is challenging. The American Association of University Professors reports tenured faculty positions have declined to approximately only 21% of […]
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UCF Researchers Eagerly Awaiting First James Webb Space Telescope Images
UCF physics graduate student Olga Harrington Pinto is counting down the minutes until July 12. She is one of eight UCF researchers and one alumna who will be using the world’s mightiest space telescope as soon as NASA gives the go-ahead on Thursday. That’s when final checks on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) should […]
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UCF Alumnus Ranked Among Top Laser Scientists in Global Communications Competition
Fiber optics and other communications channels continue to evolve toward faster speeds through the work of physicists like John Beetar, ’20, who was recently nominated for the Carl E. Anderson Division of Laser Science Dissertation Award. “The goal for the research was to take industrial laser technology and find a way to employ it for […]
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Viral Videos Lead Film Grad to Produce Series With Comedian Bill Burr
A former UCF film student’s viral videos recently landed him a dream gig producing a dark comedy TV series narrated by comedian Bill Burr. UCF alumnus Tyler Falbo, BFA ’14, created, wrote and directed the series, then collaborated with Burr and comedian Bobby Lee to bring “Immoral Compass” to life. The stories are often crude […]
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From Foster Care Youth to Community Advocate
Growing up with a single mother who suffered from drug abuse and mental health issues, Diamond Whitley was determined to change her trajectory and pursue a path to a better future. Her motivation to go to college started at a young age. Even though her mother wasn’t always present, Whitley was surrounded by people who […]
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Education Opens Second Chances For Scholar With Rough Upbringing
Christian Bolden, Ph.D., ’10, is living proof that second chances exist. “If there should be one takeaway from my story it’s that people can change and they can do better if people don’t give up on them,” he said. Today Bolden is a distinguished associate professor of criminology and justice at Loyola University in New […]
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Alumnus-Developed App Improves Communications, Eases Anxiety During Hospital Stays
The long, anxious wait for news about the outcome of a loved one’s surgery just got a little shorter thanks to the ingenuity of a UCF alumnus. The “Ease” app, short for “Electronic Access to Surgical Events,” allows clinicians to send secure texts, photos and video updates to patients’ families in real time during a […]
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Alumnae Launch Podcast to Provide Insight, Perspective on “Twenty-Something” Life
Two UCF alumnae are using their voice to highlight the successes and struggles of being in your 20s with their podcast, “Twenty & Trying.” Charlotte Trattner ’20 came up with the idea of creating a podcast when the pandemic first started. Inspired by the book “Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter And How To Make […]
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Summer 2021 Graduates Head Out With New College of Sciences Degrees
UCF’S newest College of Sciences graduates crossed the stage Saturday at Summer 2021 Commencement. Among them was Nahla Turner, a psychology graduate who not only battled pandemic challenges in 2020, but a cancer diagnosis. A clean bill of health in October 2020 brought her to Saturday’s academic finish line and a new starting line pursuing […]
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Security Studies Graduate Takes Position Advising Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff
U.S. Army Colonel Joseph Funderburke, Ph.D. ’19, has stepped into a new advisory role as Special Assistant to the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley — the highest-ranking military officer in the Department of Defense and principal military advisor to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. […]
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‘In Journalism You Have the Opportunity to Witness History’
UCF alumna Christal Hayes ’15, has already covered some of the most momentous events in modern American history – from the tragic mass shootings in Orlando and Las Vegas to two presidential impeachments in Washington. Hayes, who graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, recently was promoted to national correspondent for USA Today, […]
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NSCM Mentorship Program Offers Career Guidance, Insights
The freedom to explore different career paths in college can be a burden as much as a gift for students, including Abbigale Martin ’21 BA. Martin first chose English as her major based on a love of writing, then pursued Human Communication with a Business and Professionalism Track after transferring to UCF from Florida Gulf […]
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New York Schools Benefit From Sociology Alumna’s Safety Guidance
Locks, lights and out-of-sight. This is the protocol used by national mass shooting expert and UCF double graduate, Jaclyn Schildkraut, B.A.’09, M.S.’11, when teaching today’s youth how to react during school shootings. Schildkraut currently works with 30 schools in the Syracuse City School District on research-backed active-shooter and lockdown protocol. By combining a passion for […]
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Security Studies Ph.D. Graduate Pens Most-Viewed Article on West Point Website
A controversial opinion piece on shifting the focus of U.S. special forces basic training racked up more than 17,000 views last year on a West Point Military Academy website. The achievement earned the author, Summer 2020 Security Studies doctorate graduate Sandor Fabian, Ph.D., the distinction of penning the most viewed article of 2020 on Modern […]
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Sociology Research Project Show Pre-Med Student Human Side of Medicine
Practicing medicine is as much about compassionate, human interaction as patching up broken bodies. Pre-med graduate Emily Vernet ’20 got a firsthand understanding of this fundamental truth through an undergraduate research project in partnership with the Department of Sociology. The results, which were published in the Journal of American College Health on January 31, 2021, […]
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Smithsonian Internship Enables Grad to Preserve Historical Sites With Data
A dream internship with the Smithsonian Institute is where non-traditional student Jennifer Larsen ’20 has put her degree in the Integrative Sciences to work. When she’s not balancing the homeschooling of her two boys and managing a personal disability, Larsen is virtually assisting the data collection in the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, a collaborative […]
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Serving Native American Communities
Growing up with family members who held leadership positions with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians — the only federally recognized tribal nation in Alabama — Rebecca Naragon ’07 knew she wanted to pursue a career in public service. Now the political science grad is an economic development director for the United South and Eastern […]
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Alumna Quantifies Emotions and Feelings Using Power of Mathematics
Satisfaction and happiness are intangible, subjective emotions, but Statistics grad Donna Lockhart ’03 knows how to quantify those feelings into useful, actionable data. Lockhart currently leads the team that takes the pulse of guest satisfaction at Disney, and uses that data to make recommendations to senior leadership. While behind-the-scenes as the senior management consultant […]
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Alumnus’ Advocacy Secures Garbage Truck To Improve Dominican Republic Sanitation
By WHITNEY CHISHOLM ’17 The Dominican Republic holds a special place in my heart, going all the way back to high school when I was introduced to the future mayor of Santo Domingo. I stayed in close contact with the island for years and eventually landed a position as the city’s U.S. liaison. It was […]
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UCF Grad Impresses Magicians Penn & Teller
Of all the majors at UCF that a mentalist could choose, psychology seems like the best fit. Keith Kong ’17 certainly thought so. Kong recently celebrated one of his biggest achievements to date as a mentalist — or a “mind-reading” magician — with an appearance on the CW’s show “Fool Us,” which features legendary magician […]
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New Scholarship Honors Legacy of Faculty Pioneer John T. Washington
A notable figure from UCF’s past is the inspiration behind a new scholarship created to help students build a brighter future. The name John T. Washington is probably familiar to campus visitors walking through the breezeway named in his honor, but his connection to UCF less so. Washington, Ph.D., was one of the first African […]
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Alumna Blends Medicine and PoliSci To Create World-Changing Impact
At the intersection of political science and medicine sits the passion of Kezia Domond ’20, a recent UCF political science graduate with a calling to help those in underrepresented and underprivileged communities throughout the world. This upcoming fall, Domond takes a seat in Boston University’s Masters of Public Health program, where her hope is to […]
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UCF Preps Alumna For Career In International Relations
It was the second semester of her freshman year when Andrea de la Camara ’13 stumbled upon the political science department at the University of Central Florida. An aspiring veterinarian at the time, de la Camara didn’t know that she’d soon be an ambitious graduate with a budding career in the field of political […]
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NSCM Alumna Creates Positive Online Environment With New Venture
In a world that’s increasingly divided, the one thing everyone can agree on is the need for more unity. That’s the spark behind a new business venture by Sadie Higgins ‘06, an entrepreneur and alumna of the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. Higgins recently launched a website that allows users to create a virtual […]
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Immigration Officer Points To Political Science Classes For Career Inspiration
Political Science graduate Ross Cotton, ’11, Ph.D, recalls the natural curiosity that led him to pursue an academic career in political science and, ultimately, landing him a career as an asylum officer for U.S. Citzenship and Immigration Services. Born in Australia, Cotton arrived in America at the age of six and found that the older […]
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Passion For Teaching, Political Science, Leads Grad to Principal Role
Jordan Filderman, ’09, M.A.’11, always knew his purpose was to make a positive difference in the lives of others. As the principal of Hebbville Elementary, Filderman uses education as his vehicle to serve underrepresented and underprivileged students in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. “My personal philosophy is that every child deserves an equal and quality […]
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UCF Grad Earns Pulitzer Prize
International reporting by Michael Schwirtz ’03 recently earned him one of journalism’s top awards, and his journey to this moment started, in part, with a desire to stay close to home. The DeLand native and political science graduate started globe-trotting when he was still in high school, including summers abroad in London and Europe. When […]
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UCF Grad and Chef Bakes up Initiative to Support Medical Workers
Sprinkling joy is what chef Tracy Wilk ’10 does best. In light of the world’s COVID-19 pandemic, Wilk has turned the kitchen of her small studio apartment in New York City into a full-blown bake shop. Her inspiration: The brave first responders passionately dedicated to the safety of civilians. The treat: A variety of gooey, […]
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Biology Grad’s Research Paper Lands Award for Excellence
UCF College of Sciences graduate, Katherine Harris ’18, has recently been awarded the UCF Library Annual Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for her published research paper on infaunal organisms (i.e. aquatic, sediment-dwelling organisms like worms or clams) on restored oyster reefs. The announcement of the award took Harris by pleasant surprise when she was […]
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Distinguished Math Alum Turns to Art in Retirement
There’s more art in science than one might think. Just ask Don Marks ’73, a mathematics instructor turned master wood turner. “I never would have expected myself to become an artist,” chuckled Marks. Prior to enrolling at UCF in 1969, at what was then known as Florida Technical University, Marks stumbled upon his first love […]