Mentor Biography

My name is Isabel Carvalho and I am a double major in both Biomedical Sciences and Psychology in the neuroscience track. I am hoping to attend medical school after I graduate from UCF. This upcoming year will be my third at UCF. I graduated in 2018 from Satellite High School which is located in Satellite Beach, Florida. My favorite class that I have completed during my time at UCF has been Organic Chemistry 1. As a notoriously challenging course, I was definitely scared to take it at first but ended up really loving it and learning a lot. Another interesting class that I took was physiological psychology, which is based on how the physiology of the brain affects psychology. I thought it was a really fun course to take as it blended my two fields of interest. My favorite professor that I have had so far has been Arielle Gaudiello, who I took Mathematics for Calculus with during my first semester at UCF. She is extraordinarily kind and explains topics thoroughly during lecture, which helped me understand the “why” and not just the “how” of mathematics. The COMPASS program is such a unique opportunity here at UCF to develop a strong support system while acclimating to such a large institution. The mentors and peers that you develop relationships with throughout your experiences in this program will become incredible resources as you continue on at UCF. My advice to all incoming COMPASS students would be to form those strong social connections early on and be willing to adapt and explore your possible career options, which are limitless in STEM. Aside from studying, I really enjoy boating, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, playing Animal Crossing, and, of course, binge-watching Netflix.