Tips for Tackling Grad School

William Maddens ’14 ’18MA
Veterans Service Representative, US Department of Veterans Affairs

William Maddens is a Veterans Service Representative with the US Department of Veterans Affairs in the Lincoln Regional Office. He graduated from UCF in 2014 with a BA in Political Science, and again in 2018 with an MA in Political Science as well as a graduate certificate in Intelligence & National Security.

Katherine Mejia ’13, Ph.D. 
Health Psychology Resident, Jackson Memorial Hospital

Katherine Mejia received her Ph.D. in Combined Counseling and School Psychology from State University of New York (SUNY), University at Buffalo in May 2019. She is currently an Adjunct Professor for the Graduate School of Education at SUNY, University at Buffalo and just completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. She is currently in the process of becoming licensed as a Clinical Psychologist. She attended the University of Central Florida as an undergraduate student and graduated in 2013 with a dual degree in Spanish and Psychology as well as a certificate in Substitute Teaching.

Tamara Downs ’13, DVM
Veterinarian, Orange County Animal Services

Dr. Tamara Downs is a 2013 UCF and 2017 UFCVM alumna, and a Florida native. She is currently working as a shelter veterinarian at Orange County Animal Services, her dream job of serving homeless pets in the community. In her spare time, she dances with several local studios, watches horror films with her partner, and cuddles at home with her two dogs.

Joshua Bass ’09
R&D Scientist III, NASA –  Kennedy Space Center, LASSO

Mr. Bass currently holds both an Associates in Science Degree from Valencia College and a Bachelors in Science in Chemistry from the University of Central Florida. As an undergraduate student at UCF, he conducted research in organic synthesis and conductive polymer chemistry under the direction of Dr. Yi Liao. Mr. Bass began his career while in college working as a lab assistant at Valencia College where he acquired his passion for chemistry. In 2012, he was hired full time as a lab technician for the UCF Chemistry Department where he continued to work eventually becoming the Chemistry Departments Senior Lab Technician in 2015. Mr. Bass is currently employed as an R&D Scientist III at Kennedy Space Center supporting NASA’s Chemistry and Life Sciences labs.

Panel Moderator
Samantha Rosenthal ’14
UCF Communications Graduate Student

Samantha Rosenthal is a UCF alumna who graduated in 2014 with a degree in journalism and a minor in mathematics. She is a current UCF graduate student who is graduating in December 2020 with a master’s degree in communication and a corporate communication graduate certificate. She has assisted in research during her graduate schooling, including presenting her findings as a research poster at the Ninth Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference.

College of Sciences Alumni Board Chair
Valerie Moses ’13 ’18MBA
Senior Relationship Manager, Addition Financial

Valerie Moses is the senior relationship manager at Addition Financial and a proud double Knight. In her current role, she manages the credit union’s relationships with community partners to develop financial literacy presentations and build Addition Financial’s overall brand awareness in Central Florida. With a background in communications, she also manages the credit union’s public relations efforts and media relationships. She serves in a leadership role in the Florida Public Relations Association’s Orlando Chapter, UCF College of Sciences Alumni Chapter, and Harbor House Young Professionals Board. In addition, she was featured in the UCF 30 Under 30 Awards for 2019. When she is not at work or a community event, she can be found on her blog and podcast, Wellness & Wanderlust.