![\"Armato](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2016\/09\/IMG_5181-e1474398381508.jpg\")
A 1992 University of Central Florida graduate has returned to his alma mater to teach the next generation of knights.<\/p>\nA 1992 University of Central Florida graduate has returned to his alma mater to teach the next generation of knights.<\/p>\n
Michael Armato, Ph.D, is a new faculty member in the Department of Sociology, who began this fall semester. He came to UCF from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where he had been teaching for 10 years.<\/p>\n
An \u2018Orlandoan\u2019 at heart, Armato grew up in Altamonte Springs. He graduated from UCF with a bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing. Shortly after graduation, he discovered a field that allowed him to study and be an advocate for human society. He went on to get both his master\u2019s and doctoral degrees in sociology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make the move back here to be near relatives and because of all the exciting stuff going on at UCF,\u201d Armato said. \u201cIn Illinois, budgets are contracting and people are getting laid off across the state, and here is UCF hiring a bunch of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Armato\u2019s previous institution, he was a core faculty member of the Women\u2019s and Gender Studies program. His main areas of study are gender inequalities and notions of masculinity, which he hopes to continue researching at UCF.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing to such a diverse university, I feel like I have a hand to play in moving toward a more gender-just campus,\u201d Armato said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armato also said that UCF\u2019s status as a university with high numbers of first-time-in-college students was a draw for him as an educator. He was the first in his family to attend college and is an avid supporter of public education.<\/p>\n
Armato has received a warm welcome to the UCF Department of Sociology thus far in the four weeks he has been here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came in for my interview, there were about 20 faculty members that showed up to talk to me,\u201d Armato said. \u201cI thought \u2018Wow, that\u2019s definitely an indicator of the engagement in the department.\u2019 It was really impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he isn\u2019t teaching, Armato enjoys spending time with his family, which includes his three-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe takes up most of my free time and my not-free time,\u201d Armato said. \u201cWhich is rewarding and fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also a fan of mopeds. He owns two scooters, one of which he restored to working condition from broken on his own.<\/p>\n
Armato hasn\u2019t lived in Orlando since 1995. He has not gotten lost on campus in the month that he has been teaching \u2013 a feat in its own right. He\u2019s been noticing new buildings every day on his commute to work; a commute through his hometown that has changed over 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in Orlando, UCF provided certain opportunities for me and it\u2019s kind of surreal to be back,\u201d Armato said. \u201cBut my heart is definitely here and definitely in it \u2013 all because of the students.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A 1992 University of Central Florida graduate has returned to his alma mater to teach the next generation of knights. Michael Armato, Ph.D, is a new faculty member in the Department of Sociology, who began this fall semester. He came to UCF from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where he had been teaching for 10 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":18708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[31,38,39,13,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-breaking-news","category-faculty-news","category-news","category-ucf-news"],"yoast_head":"\n