The REU program was my first experience doing research and it defiantly caught my interest. The research I did on identifying people through body measurements even got published, which I was excited about since I was only an undergraduate. It also lead to my first plane flight and the first time I really went out and did something that scared me to death. This experience really changed me and made a little more open and chipped away even more at my shyness. Another bonus was that thanks to the stipend I received, I was able to afford a summer in Tokyo studying Japanese.

Going to Japan made me really get outside of myself. I was in a foreign country surrounded by people who did not speak English and I had only 2 semesters of Japanese at UCF. I had to learn Japanese and how to not be shy at the same time. While there I really grew into myself and figured out who I am that I am capable of more than I limit myself to.

After coming back from Japan, I only had another couple of semesters at UCF for my Bachelors degree. During that time I used my new found confidence and outgoingness to make it enjoyable and eventful. It even got me noticed by my some of my professors, which led me into taking some graduate courses as an undergraduate and to eventually going back for my masters.