As my own kids head off to college, I'm reminded of my own experiences at university.
I got my bachelors degree from UCF, and stayed on for my masters. But here's the thing: I got those degrees in the late 80s/early 90s, when UCF was still finding its way after fairly recently moving on from being Florida Technological University.
As an aside, UCF continues to grow, and they are trying very hard to recruit students. But many still think of it as "second tier" behind Florida and Florida State. (To be fair, one of my sons friends eschewed her chance to go to Florida in favor of UCF. She's always welcome to drop by, while those gators and seminoles aren't!)
It's a funny thing when I look at it. I started off at the University of Miami. That was where my dad went. It was the local school. It was home in some ways. But it turned out not to be right for me, and the expense was hard on me and my parents.
So I dropped out and looked for a new school. I wasn't interested in Florida or FSU; at the time they didn't fit me. USF was an option. And there were a few out-of-State schools I considered, and got into.
But in the end, UCF worked for a bunch of reasons. Certainly in-state tuition was a plus. But it was amazing how the university was small but growing. There was a ton of research going on, and they were recruiting professors like crazy. And had adjunct faculty from industries. So it has a richness you weren't likely to find elsewhere.
There's a scene in "Hidden Figures" where one of the main characters wants to attend college but can't because segregation is an issue. She persuades a judge to let her take classes because someone has to be first.
I felt kind of like that. UCF could only grow if some of us - the kids who could go elsewhere but might choose it for own reasons - went there and succeeded. We had to be first.
The experience overall was good, but there were stops and starts, goods and bads. I had lots of opportunities, and there was always research available. But it was a spit of land on the east side of town, near little forgotten towns, and far from the flashy theme parks.
I graduated, took a job for a few months and decided to go back to grad school. I hadn't moved, so why not UCF? I knocked on doors until I got a research project I wanted: a nasa funded study. Cool. I was part of something. And maybe that's why I think of hidden figures?
(And this is why I find the connection between UCF and the space center so interesting)
That experience was great. I learned more in that 18 months than I did anytime after. Both in the classroom and beyond.
I look back on it fondly. I did consider staying on to get a PhD, but the timing was wrong and I moved on.
Did I make the right choices along the way? I can't look back with regret. So yes, I think I did.
Today, no one asks where my degree is from unless it's in a broader context. Sometimes being a knight makes an interesting connection. But I find that living in south Florida, saying I attended Miami (technically I'm considered an alumnus even though I don't hold a degree from there) makes better connections.
Not that I am dismissive of where my degree is from. It's just interesting to me how some people think of UCF as second tier while others don't. And Miami is pretty universally respected.
But I have two degrees in engineering from a school I mostly enjoyed.
People can think what they want. I lived my collegiate life to the fullest.
So "charge on!"
