Mentor Biography

My name is Jake Raia and I am a senior Aerospace Engineering Major at UCF. I graduated from Bayside High School in Palm Bay, Florida in 2021. My favorite class that I have taken is probably Thermodynamics because it was the first engineering class where I could really see the content being applicable in my future career. One of my favorite professors at UCF is Dr. Nader. He teaches a lot of Aerospace classes. I like him because he teaches from the perspective of being in the industry and you can tell he really cares about his students. On top of this, he’s very funny without even trying and his classes are always enjoyable. I joined COMPASS because I know what it feels like to be uncertain with your career path and I want to be a helping hand for those in that position. I’m hoping to help my mentees grow and become confident in their decisions the way my mentors helped me. This is a big deal, so any stress that you may be feeling is totally justified. Just know that UCF has so many resources to help out so you don’t have to go through this alone. In my free time, I like to game, train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, watch anime, and go bowling.