Mentor Biography

My name is Sam Flynn and I am a Biomedical Sciences-Neuroscience Track major with a minor in Medical Sociology. This is my second year at UCF, so being new here is fresh in my mind! I graduated from Western High School in Davie, Florida. So far, my Intro to Sociology class has been my favorite because it is a smaller class, we all have become closer with each other, and we get into really interesting discourse! This is what made me pick up my Medical Sociology minor because in the future I wish to be a physician that takes someone’s entire life circumstances into consideration. One of my favorite professors at UCF is Dr. Dixon. I had him for Introduction to Chemistry and Chemistry Fundamentals I and he is consistent, offers many opportunities for learning, and I love his occasional dry humor. I entered the EXCEL program because I knew the people there would push me to become the best version of myself and I appreciated the extra assistance in math. Whether or not you struggle in math, you should take full advantage of COMPASS/EXCEL because you get opportunities to create a community, network, get the advice you need to hear and grow as a person. Try to be as involved as possible, like Dr. Dagley always says, you get what you put into it. This year I hope to connect with each and every one of you in some way and help to guide you through some of the confusion that comes with your first year at college. Outside of schoolwork, I enjoy watching Bob’s Burgers, going to Disney and Universal with my friends, and reading thriller books, bonus points if it’s written by Ray Bradbury!

Words of advice for COMPASS freshman students: You are not going to know everything right now, and that’s perfectly normal, some things just take time. My parents told me before my freshman year that college is about “learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable” because we only grow outside of our comfort zone.