Academic Excellence Archives | ��ֱ�� News

UCF Ranks No. 5 Most Innovative Public Universities, Most Innovative in Florida

Juzanne Martin — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:00:59 +0000

Powerful innovation changes more than technology. Put to work for UCF students, it expands what they can learn, discover and achieve.

Across UCF, innovation takes shape through meaningful experiences. Students navigate patient care through immersive simulations, explore new possibilities for prosthetics, and learn from world-class faculty who bring industry expertise and mentorship into the classroom.

That approach has helped place UCF among the nation’s top five most innovative public universities and earn recognition as Florida’s most innovative university for the 10th consecutive year, according to the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

“We are proud to see UCF recognized as Florida’s most innovative university and among the best in the nation for the opportunities we provide our students,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our students work alongside outstanding faculty, contribute to meaningful research and gain experience taking on real problems. We want them to graduate from UCF knowing what they are capable of and ready to put that experience to work in our state and beyond.”

The distinction reflects the university’s commitment to elevating how students learn, how discoveries are made and how higher education strengthens the state it serves.

Preparing Talent That Strengthens Florida

For UCF nursing students, learning to care for critically ill patients can begin well before they enter a hospital room.

At UCF’s Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center, a global leader in healthcare simulation education, nursing students build patient care skills in realistic clinical environments.

“[We] continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving.” — Frances Armstrong, UCF clinical assistant professor

Clinical Assistant Professor and Graduate Simulation Coordinator Frances Armstrong recently combined the center’s immersive cave, a virtual ventilator and an artificial intelligence-enhanced platform to create a simulation for acute care nurse practitioner DNP students. The experience brings theory to life, challenging students to apply what they’ve learned as they prepare for the complexities of patient care.

“It’s important for us to continue to evolve the way we teach our nursing students because healthcare and technology are constantly evolving,” Armstrong says. “One of the main ways to do that is by being innovative.”

That impact extends beyond the classroom. UCF has educated more than 17,000 Knight nursing alumni to date, with over 80% living and working in Florida. Our undergraduate nursing program also ranks among the top 50 public universities nationally.

When Research Meets the Real World

UCF also ranks among the nation’s top 15 public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching and top 10 for public universities for Best Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects — and is the only Florida university recognized in the latter category. Those strengths converge as students work alongside faculty to answer questions without obvious solutions.

More than 2,000 UCF undergraduate students conduct research each year. For computer science graduate student Eugenio Diaz ’26, that opportunity began as a sophomore through a research event that matches students with faculty experts.

There, he connected with Mohsen Rakhshan, an assistant professor in . Together, they began exploring a question with life-changing potential: Could technology help a prosthetic hand recognize what it touches?

Their project, “Texture Classification Using Neuromorphically Encoded Tactile Sensing Data,” combines AI, neuroscience and engineering to identify textures from tactile data. The technology relies on spiking neural networks, which more closely mimic how biological neurons communicate. The research could eventually help prostheses restore a sense of touch.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take [theoretical] ideas … and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem.” — Eugenio Diaz ’26, UCF student

Diaz helped redesign the data-collection system, train models, analyze results and author a paper now under review.

Progress wasn’t immediate. For months, the models performed little better than random guessing. Guided by Rakhshan, Diaz kept experimenting until accuracy surpassed 80%.

“Mentoring undergraduate students is both teaching and research,” Rakhshan says. “I try to teach students how to think and guide them to find answers to what is known and unknown.”

For Diaz, the breakthrough revealed what his skills could accomplish.

“This project showed me how satisfying it can be to take ideas that are interesting theoretically and turn them into something that addresses a tangible problem,” Diaz says.

Putting More Opportunity Within Reach

Experiences like these have a greater impact when more students can reach them.

UCF is among the nation’s top 30 public universities for Best Value for In-State Students.

Value goes beyond the cost of a UCF degree. It’s reflected in the opportunities students have to learn and collaborate with faculty experts, contribute to hands-on research, work with emerging technology and develop skills that prepare them for graduate study and the workforce.

Together, the rankings reinforce innovation with a clear purpose: creating more possibilities for students to learn, discover and build what’s next.

To see the full list of U.S. News & World Report rankings, visit ucf.edu/academics/us-news-rankings.

UCF Ranks No. 11 Best Public ��ֱ�� by Washington Monthly for 2026

UCF — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:30:57 +0000

UCF continues to be recognized among the nation’s leading institutions for student success, research impact and public service — earning the No. 11 spot among public universities in Washington Monthly’s 2026 College Guide and Rankings.

The university also ranks No. 4 among universities in the Southeast and the No. 28 Best College for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars. UCF delivers more for Florida with significantly less state funding, at a cost of $24,567 per degree — the lowest in the State ��ֱ�� System.

Washington Monthly evaluates universities based on their contributions to the public good, measuring factors such as social mobility, research and service. The rankings highlight colleges that help students achieve economic success while advancing their communities and the nation.

“Instead of rewarding colleges for their exclusivity, prestige and wealth, our 2026 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars ranking measures how much they help ordinary middle- and working-class students get ahead in life, and whether they encourage those students to participate in their democracy,” Washinton Monthly stated in its release. “To do well on our ranking, colleges must recruit students of modest means without overcharging them on tuition or loading them with too much debt, then help them graduate with degrees that bring in decent incomes.”

The sustained recognition reflects UCF’s continued commitment to expanding access to higher education, supporting student achievement and producing nearly 19,000 workforce-ready graduates annually — the most in Florida.

About 37% of undergraduate students at UCF are Pell-grant eligible, signaling the university serves a significant number of students with exceptional financial need. The university helps these students transform opportunity into upward mobility with less of a financial burden than many other schools — as 70% of first-time-in-college students graduate without any educational debt from UCF.

The latest ranking adds to a growing list of national accolades for UCF. Last week, Niche named UCF a Grade A university and ranked it No. 19 in the nation for Best Student Life, recognizing the university’s vibrant campus experience, student engagement and overall quality of life.

Together, the rankings underscore UCF’s distinctive combination of academic excellence, affordability and an unmatched student experience, reinforcing its reputation as one of the nation’s most impactful public universities.

New UCF Grad Spreads the Value of Financial Literacy

Robert Stephens — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:30:25 +0000

Natalie Otero ’26 may have missed her graduation ceremony this spring, but she had a good excuse. She’d just landed in Japan for a long-awaited vacation that was three years in the making. She says the trip — where she discovered new interests (sword-making), traversed a mountain and bonded with friends — symbolized her UCF experience.

“Building knowledge and strengthening friendships,” Otero says. “That’s my story at UCF.”

Those relationships led her to pivot from pre-med to accounting and opened her up to learn new skills like coding. Friends fueled her drive, brought her joy and encouraged internships, all of which she credits for her induction into the Order of Pegasus, the highest honor for UCF students.

“When I started at UCF, I didn’t know anyone,” says the Jacksonville, Florida, native. “Everything changed quickly.”

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright (left) and Provost John Buckwalter (right) recognize Natalie Otero ’26 during an Order of Pegasus ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Otero)

Discovering Her Own Calling

Otero didn’t really want to be a doctor. She just heard she was supposed to be a doctor.

“When you do well in high school, people say, ‘Oh, be a doctor and cure cancer.’ That’s where my mind was when I arrived as a freshman,” says Otero, who began her UCF journey studying biomedical sciences.

Then an elective class, Principles of Financial Accounting, intervened.

“The professor, Jeff Reinking ’13PhD, broke the mold of what it means to be an accountant,” she says. “The concepts made such perfect sense that I switched my major to accounting and saw a clear path ahead. For a freshman, that’s exciting.”

Natalie Otero (right) found a community at UCF when she joined the student organization KnightHacks. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Otero)

That same year, Otero’s friends introduced her to KnightHacks, a student organization that hosts UCF’s biggest software-building marathon annually for hundreds of students from throughout the nation.

“I said I’d go for fun. Only one girl in our group was a computer science major, but we were able to use basic coding theories to build a program from scratch in 36 hours,” she says. “We didn’t need to win. Learning and becoming closer, those were our awards.”

A Powerful Cycle for Success

Otero needed no push but says her friends at UCF became like iron sharpening iron. They’d talk about work experiences, which made Otero feel as if she needed to catch up. As a sophomore, she applied for the (CWEP), a year-long paid opportunity that enables undergraduate and graduate students to gain real-world work skills and abilities relevant to their academic and career goals.

“I guess they sensed something genuine because they offered the position to me,” she says.

Before graduating, Otero completed an internship with one of the big four accounting firms, Deloitte. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Otero)

A few months later, she was chosen for another internship, this one with Deloitte. By the time she started her junior year, she had experience with two corporations, had become a hackathon regular and developed a hunger for accounting coursework.

“It all comes full circle. The instructors bring business experiences to the lessons, and we take lessons into businesses,” she says. “I’d leave [Associate Professor] Sean Dennis’s class and think auditing must be the most exciting subject ever. All along, my friends and I kept encouraging each other.”

Her True Inspiration

Word about Otero’s accounting skills spread until people began asking her to help with their taxes. She routinely gives her time and skillset to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, where she serves people limited by income, language and disabilities.

“My dad walked me through financial knowledge, and with VITA I have the privilege of doing the same for others,” she says.

Otero has drawn more than financial knowledge from her family. Her paternal grandparents came to the U.S. from Cuba at young ages as part of Operaçion Pedro Pan, an agreement of cooperation between the U.S. State Department and Catholic Charities of Miami in the 1960s that saw more than 14,000 unaccompanied children sent by their parents to Miami, away from the growing communist regime in Cuba.

“This has been so much better than I imagined when I came to UCF and didn’t know anyone.” — Natalie Otero ’26

“It was hard, but my grandparents talk about how happy they were to be in the U.S., even with limited resources and not knowing when they’d see their parents again,” Otero says. “They’ve always been optimistic because they know the value of opportunities and they worked hard to make the most of them.”

Otero’s own optimism engages friends, and her work ethic has led to the Order of Pegasus award, another internship with Deloitte this summer and graduate school in the fall at UNC Chapel Hill.

“It’s hard to believe,” Otero says. “This has been so much better than I imagined when I came to UCF and didn’t know anyone. Everything is more rewarding, too, because of all the people who have made it possible.”

After graduating from UCF, Natalie Otero is pursuing a graduate degree at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Otero)

UCF Joins State ��ֱ�� System of Florida in Celebrating a Decade of No. 1 State for Higher Education Ranking

UCF — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:57:31 +0000

Today, UCF joins the State ��ֱ�� System of Florida in celebrating a decade of excellence as Florida is once again ranked No. 1 for Higher Education in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 State Rankings. Since the inception of the rankings in 2017, Florida has led the nation in delivering high-quality, affordable and accessible public higher education.

To mark this historic achievement, the State ��ֱ�� System will launch Florida 10 for 10: Celebrating a Decade of Leading Higher Education, a statewide competitive scholarship initiative awarding up to $1,000 to 10 full-time undergraduate students at each participating university.

The 10 scholarships awarded to UCF students will be available through the university’s . To apply, students are required to submit a written essay or a video essay explaining why they chose to pursue higher education in Florida and why they selected UCF. Applications will open Monday, Aug. 3, and are due Oct. 2.

“Florida’s Board of Governors cares about one thing, first and foremost — student achievement.” — Alan Levin, Florida Board of Governors chair

In addition to the Florida 10 for 10 scholarships, students will also be able to complete their general scholarship applications through the , which connects them with hundreds of scholarships through UCF colleges and departments. In fiscal year 2025 alone, UCF awarded more than 3,200 scholarships and over $7.5 million to students.

“Florida’s Board of Governors cares about one thing, first and foremost — student achievement,” says Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine. “Parents and students know that when they choose Florida’s system of higher education, they are investing in a degree that has value. Our students graduate with low or no debt, and they have high-value jobs they can compete for. That is what students, parents and taxpayers rightly expect. Student success is behind every decision we make as Florida’s governing body for higher education.”

“I am deeply proud to lead and represent the No. 1 public university system in the nation,”says State ��ֱ�� System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues.“At a time when confidence in higher education is being tested, Florida has remained focused on improving student outcomes and ensuring academic programs are grounded in merit and excellence. By prioritizing skills and qualifications, our universities are developing the next generation of leaders for Florida and the nation. I thank our university leadership, faculty and staff whose dedication and commitment make this success possible every day.”

“Our decade of nationwide higher education leadership reflects a commitment to excellence, opportunity and innovation.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, UCF president

“Florida’s future is being built by the talent developed across our State ��ֱ�� System. Our decade of nationwide higher education leadership reflects a commitment to excellence, opportunity and innovation,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “This recognition illustrates what is possible when universities align education with rapidly evolving societal needs. As Florida’s Technological ��ֱ��, UCF is proud to produce in-demand talent at an unmatched scale while preparing the tech-literate professionals who will shape Florida’s next generation of prosperity.”

That leadership is reflected in outcomes that matter most to students and families. Florida’s public universities compete successfully on the national stage, ensuring graduates earn high‑quality degrees and move confidently into their careers and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Additional Florida higher education highlights include:

No. 1 in the nation for lowest in-state tuition

No. 1 for attracting and developing a skilled workforce

Seven State ��ֱ�� System institutions ranked in the nation’s top 100 public universities

80% of in-state students attend a State ��ֱ�� System institution without a federal student loan

Nearly 75% of graduates are employed or continuing their education, with a median salary of $52,600 within one year of graduation

UCF produces nearly 19,000 graduates annually, the most of any State ��ֱ�� System institution, and many work in high-demand fields such as engineering and nursing that are vital to Florida’s future. UCF also is the nation’s leading provider of graduates to the aerospace and defense industries, according to Aviation Week.

UCF is among the nation’s 10 Most Innovative Schools among public universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. This month UCF was ranked among the top 10 by SmartAsset for America’s Best Value Public Universities.

��ֱ�� leaders across the state credit collaboration, accountability and sustained investment for the State ��ֱ�� System’s success.

U.S. News & World Report State Rankings evaluate key metrics, including educational attainment, graduation rates, affordability and federal student loan debt.

UCF Sport Business Students Stand Out in Competitive U.S. Golf Internship Program

Jenna Marina Lee — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:42:15 +0000

Knights affiliated with the are landing some of the most sought-after opportunities for professional experience on the biggest of stages.

Alums Erica Carnegie ’26MSBM ’26MBA, Aliya Everett ’26MSBM ’26MBA and current graduate student Zuri Sims represented UCF in the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) 2026 Pathways Discover Program during this summer’s 126th U.S. Open Championship.

Through the hands-on learning experience, students had access to professionals from some of USGA’s partners including Deloitte, NBCUniversal, Ally, American Express, Cisco, Lexus and Rolex.

(From left to right): Aliya Everett ’26MSBM ’26MBA, Zuri Sims and Erica Carnegie ’26MSBM ’26MBA on the job during the U.S. Golf Association’s Pathways Discover Program. (Courtesy of USGA photography team)

Of the 25-member intern class for 2026, UCF’s three accounted for more than any other university in the country. The cohort was selected from the largest and most competitive applicant pool in the Pathways program’s five-year history, with 782 applications submitted from candidates representing 44 states and nine countries.

“It is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions.” — Adrien Bouchet

“Aliya, Erica and Zuri represent all the best qualities of the DeVos program,” says Adrien Bouchet, who serves as Richard & Helen DeVos Foundation endowed chair and eminent scholar of the DeVos sport business management program. “They are ambitious, hard-working, and community focused. It is a tremendous honor that the USGA continues to choose DeVos students for these positions.”

Resume-Building Experience

Over the 10-day program in June, participants benefitted from an immersive internship experience designed to introduce students from a wide range of backgrounds to career opportunities across the golf industry through networking, mentorship, executive leadership sessions and hands-on operational learning with golf-industry executives and senior business leaders.

Erica Carnegie ’26MSBM ’26MBA says her biggest takeaway from the internship experience was realizing just how many job opportunities are tied to the professional golf industry.

Everett, who is now working as a creative services marketing fellow for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a post-graduate internship, says she feels she most benefitted from conversations with members of the USGA Executive Committee at The Meadow Club of Southampton, and a fireside chat with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

“She gave us some insight into her perspective on the recent WNBA-CBA negotiations, and the committee members were genuinely curious to learn our stories and passionate about our aspirations, so both opportunities were more of the exclusive parts of this experience that I am very, very grateful for,” Everett says.

The program also connected this year’s interns for one-on-one mentorship with 25 alumni of the program, who could help advise how to best leverage the invaluable experience.

“I’m looking forward to applying what I learned about the business side of sport from the USGA to my coursework as well as my day-to-day at my business strategy and innovation residency with the Orlando Magic this year,” Sims says.

Recent UCF grad Erica Carnegie on site at the 126th U.S. Open Championship as part of the 2026 Pathways Discover Program.

UCF-USGA Connections

USGA has turned to UCF before when it needed qualified candidates.

Andy Smith ’23MSBM ’23MBA was selected for the 2024 USGA Pathway Interns Class. He now serves as an account manager for partnership marketing for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of New York’s Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.

Tiesha Scott ’24 ’26MSBM ’26MBA was named to the inaugural class of the Pathways Launch Internship program this year. Her paid internship opportunity is with the LPGA in Miami.

New UCF Engineering Graduate Certificate to Strengthen Industry Professionals’ Skills in Verification and Validation

Marisa Ramiccio ’11 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:00:52 +0000

Engineers know how to bring imaginative and innovative designs to life. But in order an idea to succeed, it needs to be tested, validated and verified.

Industry professionals who want to sharpen their skills in this area can now enroll in the graduate certificate in systems verification, validation and test, offered through the UCF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The certificate teaches students to ensure that complex hardware and software systems are reliable, robust and accurate for the end user.

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mike Borowczak is coordinator of the graduate certificate in systems verification, validation and test program.

This certificate is the first of its kind in the state and was developed at the behest of industry partners like AMD, Intel and Lockheed Martin that have a strong demand for professionals who are skilled in testing and validation.

“Our industry partners gave us feedback that it was hard to find students who are skilled in this area,” says College of Engineering and Computer Science Associate Professor Mike Borowczak, the coordinator of the graduate certificate program. “It’s one of those cases where we listened to industry and now it’s producing results.”

Students who enroll in the program will take four core courses in topics related to Very-Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design, testing and verification. They will have the chance to use industry tools in every courses as well as real-world scenarios from industry partners that they must test, validate and resolve. There are no capstone, internship or portfolio requirements. The program is offered both in person and online, providing flexibility for working professionals.

“The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what’s designed meets the specification and what’s built meets the design.”

Borowczak says that graduate programs in verification, validation and test are rare — particularly with the breadth of verification coursework that UCF offers — with only a handful of institutions nationwide offering comparable options. Because of the lack of academic programs nationwide, the skills earned from this certificate will put students in demand.

“There’s a huge emphasis on the development of complex systems,” Borowczak says. “The rough estimate is that for every one person working on one design, they need two to four other people who can verify that what’s designed meets the specification and what’s built meets the design.”

Another benefit for students who gain skills in validation and testing is that the jobs they pursue won’t be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). While AI does enhance the validation process, the core problem of detecting mismatches between specification, design and implementation still require creative and independent arbiters.

“When you entrust someone or something to verify, you have to trust that they know how to verify and that you can follow a logical, explainable argument,” Borowczak says. “Explainable AI is not there yet. We still need humans in the loop, because the hardest bugs are the ones AI still misses.”

UCF Graduates 109 New Physician Knights

Wendy Sarubbi — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:14:44 +0000

Holly Moots ’17 ’24PhD spent 13 years at UCF, fulfilling her dream to become a physician-scientist who can advance medical care for Floridians. Jemual Shaylor ’21 is a U.S. Naval officer who will care for our nation’s heroes. Isabella Castellano ’22 and Paxton Threatt met during medical school, got engaged and are now going onto Johns Hopkins – one of the nation’s top hospitals – for residency training.

All were among 109 College of Medicine graduates who became Physician Knights on May 15 and promised to become what their dean calls one of “the Good Doctors – a UCF tradition.”

This year’s M.D. program commencement was the medical school’s 14th and the last for Vice President for Health Affairs and founding Dean Deborah German, who announced earlier this year she will transition from the role she has held for 20 years.

Deborah German oversees her last College of Medicine Commencement ceremony as vice president for health affairs and founding dean.

“Graduates, today you become alumni of an innovative medical school committed to improving health for all,” she said. “Through your time here, you learned, you grew, and you cared for patients with courage, dedication, and grace. I couldn’t be prouder of the work you have done.”

With this year’s commencement, UCF’s young medical school, which opened in 2009, has prepared 1,421 physicians to care for Floridians and the nation at large.

Holly Moots ’17 ’24PhD is the third Knight to earn an M.D. and Ph.D. since the College of Medicine opened in 2009.

Inspired by Her Research Mentor

Moots is the third M.D./Ph.D. graduate in UCF’s history. She enrolled at the university in 2013 to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and began her combined doctoral degree in 2018. Now she will go to Lakeland Regional Hospital for internal medicine training – her first choice for residency because of the hospital’s focus on innovation, research and clinical trials.

“I’ve spent almost half my life at UCF,” she says. “Graduating is incredibly exciting, but it feels strange to close such a long and meaningful chapter.”

She said her medical training at UCF was most shaped by her research mentor, Otto Phanstiel, a College of Medicine cancer researcher. “He exemplifies the qualities I aspire to carry into medicine through the way he communicates, collaborates, and approaches every interaction with humility, curiosity, and a drive for excellence,” she says. “His influence has shaped how I hope to approach research, teamwork, and patient care throughout my career.”

Founding College of Medicine faculty member Jose Borrero pins his mentee, Jemual Shaylor ’21.

“Most Monumental Moment of My Life”

Shaylor will do his . He hopes to become a hand surgeon. Medical school military officers are promoted when they receive their M.D. degree, and UCF’s tradition is to honor that promotion at commencement. After receiving their diplomas, military officers are pinned with their new rank by a faculty member of their choosing.

Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by Jose Borrero, a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at the College of Medicine. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to UCF medical students. He returned to commencement May 15, pinned Shaylor and proudly saluted the young military physician. Shaylor describes the pinning as “the most monumental moment of my life.”

Paxton Threatt is an aspiring anesthesiologist and Isabella Castellano ’22 plans to become a pediatrician.

Connecting with Others

Castellano and Threatt met playing volleyball during their first year of medical school, then started a band with other M.D. students. They went through the fear of “couples matching” into residency – unsure if they would be selected to train at the same hospital or even city.

Today they’re simultaneously planning their move to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and their wedding. He’ll practice anesthesiology because it combines his love of chemistry and connecting with people.

“There’s a small window that you have to talk to patients before surgery, but it is one of their most vulnerable moments in which you really have an ability to make this individual feel comfortable,” he says. “That is a very special relationship to me.”

She’s training to be a pediatrician.

“My biggest dream and aspiration is to be an advocate for children and for families,” she says. “I think that through Johns Hopkins there will be a lot of opportunities to do so and go into communities to be helping and educating children.”

UCF Students Sweep Scholarships at Creative South Conference

Emmily Stufflet — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:33:48 +0000

When officials at the southeast’s premiere design conference needed to decide on where to invest their scholarship dollars, their choice was overwhelming UCF.

UCF School of Visual Arts and Design students earned all four scholarships awarded at Creative South, a testament to the university’s growing reputation as a hub for emerging creative talent.

“We’ve built such a strong community that when one person succeeds, we all do,” says Vanessa Morán, a senior graphic design student and treasurer of UCF’s Graphic Design Student Association. “That’s something Associate Professor Victor Davila ’97 ’07MFA has always instilled in us.”

For Brianna Rodriguez, a junior graphic design student who received a $1,000 grant, the scholarship is validation for where she’s heading.

“It felt like a message that my work has potential, and that I need to start seeing it that way,” she says.

Building Industry Connections

The students’ takeaways from Creative South went well beyond scholarship awards. Known for its welcoming environment, the conference gave students direct access to industry professionals, hands-on feedback, and real-world insight.

The access stood out to AJ Sibul, a senior graphic design student, who says Creative South made the industry feel more human.

“There’s no separation between attendees and speakers,” Sibul says. “They emphasize people first, titles second.”

From portfolio reviews to keynote presentations to late-night networking events, students built meaningful connections with working creatives, leading to mentorship, internships, and future job opportunities.

Josh Alonso ’25 now works for design and development agency Heyo after receiving a scholarship as a student and yearlong mentorship.

UCF emerging media alumnus Josh Alonso ’25 understands that firsthand. Alonso first attended Creative South as a student, where he earned a scholarship from Heyo, a design and development agency, which included a yearlong mentorship with a professional from the company.

That experience led to his current full-time role, demonstrating how connections made at Creative South can translate directly into opportunities.

“That mentorship really grew into a friendship, which led to a job offer later down the road,” Alonso says. “They helped me understand the importance of being someone people wanted to work with, rather than just having the best-looking portfolio.”

“My career essentially got its ‘jumpstart’ from the people I met at Creative South.” — Josh Alonso ’25

Alonso’s journey reflects what many UCF students are beginning to experience: real pathways into creative careers.

“My career essentially got its ‘jumpstart’ from the people I met at Creative South,” he says.

As UCF continues to invest in the next generation of creatives, experiences like Creative South equip students with the connections and confidence needed to succeed in the industry after graduation.

That’s a Wrap on UCF Robotics Club’s Award-Winning Season

Marisa Ramiccio ’11 — Wed, 06 May 2026 18:31:27 +0000

UCF has made a name for itself globally in programming and cybersecurity thanks to student-run clubs that deliver championships year after year. They now have company in another area of technology — robotics.

The Robotics Club of Central Florida (RCCF) witnessed two teams, Knightmare and Daydream, dominate with an impressive number of wins over this past academic year. The teams won a total of 83 head-to-head matches against more than 40 universities, and ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for individual robotic skills at the VEX ��ֱ�� Robotics Competition (VURC) 2025-26, besting teams from Georgia Tech, Purdue and Texas A&M.

In addition to competing, the robotics club volunteers and participates in outreach events, including the VEX IQ challenge for middle school and high school students on the UCF campus. (Photo credit: RCCF)

Kushal Patel, an aerospace engineering major and a member of the Knightmare team, says the secret to the teams’ success this year has been their experience and passion for competitive robotics.

“Combined, the team has over 50 years of VEX robotics experience, with our most senior member competing since third grade,” Patel says. “We don’t just participate in this project for bullet points on our resumes — our team competes for the love of competition.”

The team structure intentionally empowers all students to gain valuable experience during these robotics competitions. Daydream is a beginner friendly team focused on students without prior experience while Knightmare is suitable for more advanced students.

“Unlike other design teams, where new members typically participate in internal competitions, those who join Daydream are able to hit the ground running and compete against other schools right away,” says Kapri O’Brien, a mechanical engineering major and the project lead for RCCF. “This structure allowed for both project teams to naturally grow and strengthen, and created the unique opportunity for us to compete against each other for awards at times this season, leading to the fantastic achievement of both Knightmare and Daydream qualifying for this year’s world championship.”

Two robots compete at Vaughn College in Queens, New York. (Photo credit: RCCF)

Both teams also participate in outreach events, volunteering at VEX competitions around the country. They also recently hosted the VEX IQ challenge for middle school and high school students on the UCF campus to great success. Patel also works for the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, which logistically and operationally runs the VEX robotics competitions.

With Central Florida’s reputation as a leader in dynamic, high-tech fields, they envision the next phase of success and growth for their program in industry partnerships. UCF is known as one of the nation’s most innovative universities and is responsible for one out of every four of Florida’s engineering and computer science graduates.

“Our team provides a space for engineers to grow the skills you need outside of the classroom to be a skillful engineer in industry,” O’Brien says. “Support, whether it’s through financial or material donations, allows that space to survive. We regularly prototype with computer vision and machine learning algorithms, gaining hands-on experience with the technology that will power our future.”

Industry partners or students who are interested in learning more about RCCF and its competition teams can email outreach@rccf.club.

How One Student Turned Tragedy and Self-Doubt into Success at UCF

Jenna Marina Lee — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:02:22 +0000

As Preston Strenth prepares to cross the stage at commencement, he finds himself flashing back to the moment his journey to this milestone started in 2023 with the South Carolina National Guard.

Strenth was on deployment in Kuwait with his unit. Among his fellow infantrymen was 20-year-old Jayson Haven. Haven had been accepted to his dream school, the ��ֱ�� of Michigan, and was fulfilling the final two months of his year-long assignment before shipping off to college. He was tragically killed in a non-combat vehicle rollover accident.

“I think all of us who were on that deployment understood you’re here and somebody else isn’t. What are you going to do with your life?” Strenth says.

“I think all of us who were on that deployment understood you’re here and somebody else isn’t. What are you going to do with your life?”

Seven months later, Strenth envisioned that life and voiced his goals to his wife, Kriselle. He proposed a two-year timeline to earn a college degree in computer science and start a new career path.

“I feel like everything in my life now is all clicking together,” says Strenth, who landed three job offers before graduating and is in the process of purchasing his first home. “I have achieved the American dream in a sense.”

As a member of the South Carolina National Guard, Preston Strenth connected with the Office of Military and Veteran Students Services at UCF and accessed their resources to land an internship with BNY, which he turned into a full-time job. (Photo by Daniel Schipper)

The Right Place

A Central Florida native, Strenth moved to South Carolina at 17 and joined the National Guard two years later. He extended his contract twice — his current contract ends in 2027 — as he pursued a degree in criminal justice from the ��ֱ�� of South Carolina.

He took advantage of the educational benefits the U.S. Army offers and obtained a certification in computer programming, which introduced him to coding software.

After that fateful deployment in Kuwait, he and his wife set their sights on Orlando and UCF, where Strenth knew of the university’s reputation as one of the nation’s top military friendly schools, its strength in computer science and our many industry partnerships.

Learn more about Preston Stenth’s journey from his .

“Without a doubt, coming to UCF is the best thing I ever did,” he says.

His credits from the ��ֱ�� of South Carolina transferred over to help keep him on track for his two-year timeline. He thrived, in part, because of his willingness to take advantage of the many resources offered through the .

His experience here also tested him in ways that led to great growth and confidence.

In his second semester, while taking Computer Science I, he was stuck on his first programming assignment. Every time he willed the coding to work, he was met with the same result: fail.

His frustration turned to tears as he voiced his doubts to his wife. What if he just screwed up his life? What if he couldn’t do this?

She encouraged him while leveling with him at the same time — he wasn’t the first to attempt this class or this degree. If he wanted to be here, he was going to figure it out.

She was right.

“I think that is kind of the point — they will make you go to that line and ask yourself, ‘Do you want to be here?’ ” Strenth says. “Because it’s a program that can lead you to a financially stable future. I have offers that no one in my family has ever had in front of them before. But you’ve got to work for them.”

Preston Strenth on his first day of a summer internship with BNY in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Preston Strenth)

Opportunity Calls with BNY

He applied that same grindstone mentality to maximizing opportunities outside of the classroom — all the while driving to South Carolina once a month to fulfill his National Guard duties.

“I have offers that no one in my family has ever had in front of them before.”

In Spring 2024, he attended a lunch and learn with BNY, which was organized by the Office of Military and Veteran Student Success. The leading global financial services company announced a formal partnership with UCF that establishes a co-located educational innovation hub on UCF’s main campus — the first-of-its-kind in Florida.

Strenth turned the connection he made with the BNY recruiter into a summer internship as a software engineer and vowed to himself to secure a job offer.

He wasn’t deterred by the fact that many of his fellow interns had started programming as middle-schoolers while he, at 24, had just learned the basics a year prior.

He committed to being the first one in the door and one of the last to leave. He reached out to fellow veterans he found in an interdepartmental staff directory to seek advice about integrating into the company. He emailed a weekly recap to his supervisor that listed how his accomplishments that week aligned with BNY’s core values.

“I was trying to showcase that I wanted to be here, and I wanted this job offer more than anything,” Strenth says.

When the internship ended, he stayed connected, even as he lined up another software engineering internship with Hatalom Corporation, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

Strenth had three job offers lined up before graduation day with BNY, Hatalom and Northrop Grumman. BNY’s career growth potential, military leave policy and proximity to his home were too good to pass up.

“BNY has a future leaders program that I’ve already expressed interest in even though I’m not eligible for another two years. But I’m already telling them, ‘This is something I want to do. How can I?’ ” he says.

He draws upon that memory of his conversation with his wife from years ago — in his story, he refers to it as “the gamble” — as he sits here today, once again, betting on himself.

“Now two years later, I’m like, ‘We won. We did it,’ ” he says. “Celebrating this moment at graduation is a testament to the sacrifices that my wife has made, my family has made, and the countless other people who have supported me to get to this point.”

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