Personal health experiences 麻豆精品 S� and opportunities UCF has provided through its DirectConnect program 麻豆精品 S� have culminated in academic success, undergraduate research experience and exciting futures for three Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences students.
Zaima Aline, Arlette Morcelo and Nicole Stevens, who all graduate with honors from UCF on May 2, say support from UCF faculty mentors and caring physicians inspired them to follow their dreams to improve healthcare for all.
麻豆精品 S淭hese three undergraduate students each have a remarkable story of academic achievement, resilience and scientific curiosity that drove them during their undergraduate careers, 麻豆精品 S� says William Self, who leads undergraduate education at the Burnett School. 麻豆精品 S淭hey benefited from outstanding faculty mentoring and an integrated student community to help them achieve their goals. We are so proud to support transfer students who help UCF stand for academic excellence while offering opportunities to ensure access in our community. 麻豆精品 S�
Since 2006, UCF has increased opportunities for student success through the DirectConnect program, which guarantees admission to students who complete an associate degree in the Florida College System. More than 8,200 students transfer to UCF through this program each year. As of Fall 2024, the program has awarded 77,900 UCF degrees. DirectConnect students save more than $6,500 in tuition as they work toward their college degree.
Here 麻豆精品 S檚 a closer look at the graduating DirectConnect students and aspiring doctors 麻豆精品 S� stories:
Nicole Stevens
Stevens is the oldest daughter of 10 children in her family. Homeschooled, she finished high school, got married and had three children. She always loved science.
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She was 26 when she enrolled at Valencia College. Two years later, she transferred to UCF and pursued a major in biomedical sciences while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. She volunteered at Nemours Children 麻豆精品 S檚 Health, where she was named Volunteer of the Month for being what she calls the 麻豆精品 S淪anta Claus of the ER, 麻豆精品 S� helping children and parents seeking emergency care at the hospital.
At UCF, Stevens has conducted and presented research on improving care for children with asthma, including those whose families don 麻豆精品 S檛 have reliable access to internet, through which they could learn more about the condition. Stevens has won numerous UCF research and academic awards, such as the Order of Pegasus 麻豆精品 S� the university 麻豆精品 S檚 most prestigious student honor.
In August, she will join the UCF College of Medicine 麻豆精品 S檚 Class of 2029. She is considering becoming a pediatrician but is open to other specialties.
麻豆精品 S淎s the oldest daughter, I took care of a lot of boo-boos and I always wanted to learn more about how to do it better, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淎s a mother I think I have a unique perspective to see parents and children where they are. 麻豆精品 S�
Her children, who are 7, 10 and 11, accompanied Stevens to the Order of Pegasus celebration. Her husband is a store manager at Publix who says he is thrilled watching her fulfilling her dreams.
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Zaima Aline
Aline 麻豆精品 S檚 passion for medical research was sparked by a heartbreaking personal experience. During her senior year of high school, a cousin was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that attacks soft tissue.
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Before transferring to UCF, Aline began her studies at Valencia. The COVID-19 pandemic hit while she was at Valencia, and she saw the physical and mental health impacts that social distancing and isolation caused. So she conducted a research project, including a campus-wide survey to document the effects of the disease.
麻豆精品 S淐OVID-19 took away a lot of what I had hoped to experience at Valencia, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淪o, when I got to UCF, I made a promise to myself 麻豆精品 S� I wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 going to waste a single moment. 麻豆精品 S滱line immersed herself in opportunities at UCF, diving into research at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and quickly discovering a passion for scientific inquiry. Her honors undergraduate thesis explored the role of a protease (enzyme) called prostasin and its effects on angiogenesis 麻豆精品 S� the process by which the body uses chemical signals to trigger the formation of new blood vessels.
Beyond the lab, she co-founded It Takes A Village, a student-led organization dedicated to helping transfer and nontraditional students build a stronger sense of community on campus. Aline also volunteered with Hearts for the Homeless, an initiative that offers health services, such as blood pressure screenings, to individuals receiving care at Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 Christian Service Center.
Her academic and research accomplishments led to two Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. There, she studied the genetic mutations that drive brain cancer and contribute to its resistance against therapies. She says she was inspired by how Mayo physicians balanced cutting-edge research with a deep compassion for their patients.
麻豆精品 S淲hat struck me most was that, at Mayo, the patient always came first, before anything else, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t made me realize that I don 麻豆精品 S檛 want to choose between science and people. I want to be the kind of physician-scientist who can do both 麻豆精品 S� [one] who listens, who investigates and who shows up for their patients every step of the way. 麻豆精品 S�
Another Order of Pegasus honoree, Aline will take a gap year after graduation to conduct cancer research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center before applying to medical school to pursue an M.D./Ph.D.
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Arlette Morcelo
Morcelo became fascinated with science, especially genetics, at age 16 after learning she was conceived through IVF. After completing her associate degree at Valencia, she transferred to UCF, where she met Ken Teter, a professor at the Burnett School.
麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 even know what a Ph.D. was, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S淏ut I went into the lab and said, 麻豆精品 S極h, my God, I love this. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
Morcelo says Teter encouraged her to 麻豆精品 S済o for it, 麻豆精品 S� when it came to scientific discovery and taught her that failure was just a learning experience.
She served on the board of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Undergraduate Research Council, working with students and faculty to increase research opportunities for students earlier in their college careers. Among her academic and research honors, she became a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, which is a prestigious federal program that prepares students for graduate school. She became a peer mentor to help other students achieve success and served on the executive board of Transfer Knights, which organizes programs for transfer students.
And through it all, she kept researching. In Teter 麻豆精品 S檚 lab, Morcelo focused on cholera, a potentially deadly disease caused by drinking contaminated water. The disease affects up to 4 million people a year worldwide. As she advanced in her undergraduate degree 麻豆精品 S� with a major in biomedical sciences and a minor in genomics and bioinformatics 麻豆精品 S� Morcelo says she became fascinated with the brain.
Morcelo leaves UCF as the 2025 Founders 麻豆精品 S� Day student honoree for the College of Medicine and will do a two-year postbaccalaureate research experience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Next year, she will apply to medical school to become an M.D./Ph.D.
麻豆精品 S淢y aspiration to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. reflects my commitment to merging scientific inquiry with clinical practice, 麻豆精品 S� Morcelo says. 麻豆精品 S淎s a future surgeon-scientist, I aim to lead advancements in treating neurovascular malformations through pioneering surgical techniques and gene therapy. This path allows me to innovate treatments that directly enhance patient care and outcomes. 麻豆精品 S�
