Each year, University of Central Florida\u2019s College of Sciences honors 10 esteemed alumni with the Outstanding AlumKnights award. The Department of Mathematics gave this accolade to Debra Perry based on her outstanding achievements.<\/p>\n
Perry graduated from UCF with two bachelor\u2019s degrees in 1977 \u2013 one in applied mathematics and the other in education. She continued her education in applied mathematics and earned her master\u2019s degree in 1982. When she wasn\u2019t busy acquiring three degrees, Perry spent her time getting in touch with her creative side.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an undergrad I participated in theater,\u201d she said. \u201cI was Curley\u2019s wife in the \u2018Of Mice and Men\u2019 production.\u201d<\/p>\n
While working on her master\u2019s degree, she was the charter captain for the original UCF marching band dance team and loved going to the football games.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in the band and going to football games was a great experience,\u201d she expressed. \u201cIt left me with a love of UCF football, so much so I\u2019ve had season tickets for years. And I attended the UCF Penn State game in Ireland!\u201d<\/p>\n
Perry still finds time to stay involved even after graduating. She currently serves as the communications chair for the Space Coast UCF Alumni Chapter and helped them establish their first Endowment.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2017\/06\/IMG_6878-debra-and-Dean-Johnson.jpg\")
Debra Perry with Dean Michael D. Johnson<\/p><\/div>\n
Her ongoing involvement is a way of giving back to the institute that supported her during and after her academic career.<\/p>\n
\u201cUCF helped me get a teaching job right out of college and helped me get a software engineering job once I finished my master\u2019s degree,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Besides her role as a teacher and software engineer, Perry has had the opportunity to be a part of many successful endeavors throughout the years.<\/p>\n
She served as a chief software engineer, an integration and test lead, a control account manager, a group leader, a research and development lead, a process improvement developer, a measurement and analysis trainer and a six sigma green belt, just to name a few. She\u2019s also been able to travel for her job, spending two years in Pennsylvania supporting a Lockheed Martin program as a Harris engineer.<\/p>\n
With many admirable positions under her belt, it would seem difficult to come up with a favorite memory on the job. But for Perry, one moment stood out above the rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cReceiving a Harris Corporation Golden Quill Award for a briefing that was presented at a conference that won the best paper in its track was my most memorable experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The fun-loving yet hardworking Outstanding AlumKnight leaves UCF students with the secret to a successful path.<\/p>\n
\u201cPay attention to getting experience such as internships, mission trips, volunteer work and regular work while you\u2019re getting your education,\u201d she advised. \u201cTry to make sure you have connections to help you get your ideal job after you graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Each year, University of Central Florida\u2019s College of Sciences honors 10 esteemed alumni with the Outstanding AlumKnights award. The Department of Mathematics gave this accolade to Debra Perry based on her outstanding achievements. Perry graduated from UCF with two bachelor\u2019s degrees in 1977 \u2013 one in applied mathematics and the other in education. She continued […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":21720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[31,3,38,12,13,28,29],"tags":[4748,4747,921,1122,4750,4751,2103,4746,4749],"class_list":["post-21714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-awards","category-breaking-news","category-mathematics","category-news","category-top-news","category-ucf-news","tag-applied-mathematics","tag-debra-perry","tag-department-of-mathematics","tag-education","tag-harris-corporation-golden-quill","tag-harris-engineer","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-outstanding-alumknights","tag-space-coast-ucf-alumni-chapter"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n