麻豆精品

Highlights

• For 25 years, The Charles Millican Legacy Society has supported scholarships, research and academic programs that open doors for students and fuel the future.

• Through planned gifts such as bequests and retirement plan designations 麻豆精品 S� which accounted for nearly one-third of all charitable support to UCF in 2025 麻豆精品 S� donors ensure the university 麻豆精品 S檚 impact reaches far beyond today 麻豆精品 S檚 students.

• Students like biomedical sciences major Thiago Maillo and electrical engineering major Shannon Hankinson are turning that generosity into momentum, conducting research, gaining hands-on experience, graduating debt-free and pushing toward what 麻豆精品 S檚 next.

For 25 years, members of have shared a powerful belief: investing in UCF is ultimately an investment in students and the lives they 麻豆精品 S檒l lead.

Through planned gifts such as bequests, estate plans and retirement assets, society members extend opportunity far beyond a single generation. Their support fuels scholarships, research and academic programs that prepare students to meet the evolving needs of industry and community.

In 2025 alone, planned gifts accounted for nearly one-third of all charitable support to UCF.

The society is named for UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 founding president, Charles Millican, a visionary who built the university with the future firmly in mind. During his tenure, Millican transformed 1,227 acres of Central Florida scrubland into an institution designed to support the space race and prepare students for careers in engineering and computer science. He championed what would become the Central Florida Research Park and helped shape UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 enduring ambition to reach for the stars.

Today, that vision lives on through more than 500 members of The Charles Millican Legacy Society 麻豆精品 S� and through the students whose futures are shaped by their generosity.

A World of Possibility

Thiago Maillo 麻豆精品 S檚 path to a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 linear 麻豆精品 S� but it was driven by something unwavering: the pursuit of greater opportunity.

After his first year studying medicine at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Maillo realized he wanted a different future. He saw higher education in the United States as the place to build it. Just three months after applying to Valencia College, he moved to Florida and later .

“Scholarships have made all the difference. They 麻豆精品 S檝e made it possible for me to achieve my dreams.” 麻豆精品 S� Thiago Maillo, biomedical sciences major

Today, he 麻豆精品 S檚 a Burnett Honors Scholar and biomedical sciences major on the neuroscience track, with a minor in psychology. He 麻豆精品 S檚 conducted research at the Applied Cognition and Technology Lab, completed an internship with ThinkNeuro and serves as an undergraduate teaching assistant in Genetics and Embryology. He 麻豆精品 S檚 also found community as president of the Argentinian Student Association.

麻豆精品 S淏eing at UCF was my goal from the start, 麻豆精品 S� says Maillo, who plans to pursue a doctoral degree in cognitive neuroscience. 麻豆精品 S淚 love being a Knight. Scholarships have made all the difference. They 麻豆精品 S檝e made it possible for me to achieve my dreams 麻豆精品 S� and pave the way for my two siblings to follow in my footsteps. 麻豆精品 S�

Reimagining What 麻豆精品 S檚 Possible

Shannon Hankinson didn 麻豆精品 S檛 follow the traditional path to UCF 麻豆精品 S� she created her own.

A Tampa native and single mother of two, Hankinson spent years leading teams at Target before realizing that success and fulfillment aren 麻豆精品 S檛 always the same. Determined to change course, she saved money, left her job, earned an associate degree at Eastern Florida State College and transferred to UCF, becoming the first in her family to pursue a four-year degree.

“Donors made it possible for me to build a future that reflects my values and supports my family.” 麻豆精品 S� Shannon Hankinson, electrical engineering major

Now a senior electrical engineering major, she has seized several opportunities at UCF. She completed two semesters in the , joined the Society of Women Engineers and works as a research assistant in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Radiation Effects Exploration Laboratory. There, she studies semiconductor reliability, hardware design and embedded systems under Assistant Professor Enxia Zhang. Through the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement program, she also gained hands-on experience with the U.S. defense sector.

This spring, Hankinson will graduate debt-free 麻豆精品 S� supported by scholarships, research funding and a fellowship that 麻豆精品 S檒l carry her directly into a UCF master 麻豆精品 S檚 program. A doctorate is next.

麻豆精品 S淥ne of my goals was to show my children that it 麻豆精品 S檚 never too late to do what you want to do with your life, 麻豆精品 S� Hankinson says. 麻豆精品 S淒onors made it possible for me to build a future that reflects my values and supports my family. 麻豆精品 S�

A Lasting Legacy

On May 2, UCF celebrated the 25th anniversary of The Charles Millican Legacy Society. The milestone coincides with , which builds on the university 麻豆精品 S檚 commitment to accelerating student success, advancing research and driving societal impact.

“… support from … our Charles Millican Legacy Society members [continues] to power our innovators, educators and researchers …” 麻豆精品 S� Rod Grabowski, senior vice president of Advancement and Partnerships

麻豆精品 S淭his university was founded to serve the next great frontier 麻豆精品 S� America 麻豆精品 S檚 space race 麻豆精品 S� and it 麻豆精品 S檚 support from dedicated individuals like our Charles Millican Legacy Society members that continue to power our innovators, educators and researchers as they move that mission forward, 麻豆精品 S� says Rod Grabowski, senior vice president of Advancement and Partnerships and CEO of the UCF Foundation. 麻豆精品 S淔rom driving the latest advances in AI to creating next-level immersive experiences and sparking breakthrough medical research, UCF is building a future others have only imagined 麻豆精品 S� one that this society 麻豆精品 S檚 namesake would be proud to see. 麻豆精品 S�

Maillo is forging new frontiers for his family. Hankinson is showing her children what 麻豆精品 S檚 possible when you start again.

They aren 麻豆精品 S檛 outliers. They 麻豆精品 S檙e what happens when students with extraordinary drive meet extraordinary support.

This is the true legacy of UCF, of Millican and of the society members: students with the confidence to go further, supported by those who believe they can.