Mentor Biography

My name is Juan Oliveros, I am a Physics major and Math minor. I’m currently a second year student at UCF. I graduated from Milton High School located in Milton, Florida, a city in the panhandle about 8 hours away from Orlando. My two favorite classes I’ve taken as of today are Calculus II and Introduction to Philosophy. Given my major and general interest in STEM I’ve always liked learning math, but I particularly appreciate how rigorous in proof my calculus classes have been, in EXCEL math of course. I liked my philosophy class a lot as well because I’ve always been deeply interested in the topic as well as introspection, and I didn’t have a gateway into the subject up until I came here, so being able to take a class that went deep into Philosophy’s history and main contributors was amazing. My favorite professor is Ms. Reed; she was my Calculus I professor, and I believe I cemented a lot of my calculus knowledge in that class. I enjoyed Calculus I a lot and hoped to get her for Calculus II as well but no such luck, apart from the teaching aspect she has been really helpful with personal questions regarding what I want to do with my degree and has always been very open and approachable. I joined COMPASS as a mentor mostly because I’m interested in helping other people love STEM subjects as much as I do. I find STEM to be a scary but heavily rewarding group of subjects, and I think more people should join it for the love of the art and curiosity more than anything.  

Words of advice: Your teachers were right, university IS a lot harder than what you’d expect, who would have thought, but don’t let a couple hiccups stop you from going. I believe anyone with the right support can finish their STEM education, so if you struggle with something don’t let it get you down; ask questions, get help, study more. It is always in your hands to do something great.