Andrew Allen 麻豆精品 S�18 came to UCF with a mission; Study hard and be among the first in his family to graduate from college.
At the end of the Fall 2018 semester he accomplished just that by earning a bachelor’s of arts in graphic design with a minor in聽marketing.
麻豆精品 S淚 know my family is proud of me, 麻豆精品 S� Allen says. 麻豆精品 S淚 wanted to inspire them, too, to pursue college and finish and reach their goals. 麻豆精品 S�
In between all his hard work, Allen accumulated accomplishments that are enviable. He arrived at UCF with a Bright Futures Scholarship and several other academic scholarships. And while at the university he 麻豆精品 S檚 been on the President 麻豆精品 S檚 Honor Roll and Dean 麻豆精品 S檚 List, and has been the recipient of the Excellence in Action Award, Project Best Most Active聽Member and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Award.
But Allen says he is most proud of having worked in the Office of Student Financial Assistance, helping brand and promote the聽垄ent$ible Knight$聽campaign, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 campuswide program which encourages financial wellness among students.
Launched in 2015, the 垄ent$ible Knight$ program guides students to resources and webinars to stay on sound financial footing. It has a website, social media pages and marketing materials. The program offers webinars and seminars on everything from how to negotiate a salary to establishing strong personal budgets. By 2017, nearly 400 online financial aid tutorials have been completed by students at UCF and the average student score on the financial literacy assessments is 84 percent.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I first started working with the program, I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 even know it existed, 麻豆精品 S� Allen says . 麻豆精品 S淪o that was our goal, to create a campaign to drive more students to the website, give them great content there and through social media and just help them understand that there are tools to help them budget and pay for college. 麻豆精品 S�
He took to the work easily, says Karemah Manselle, associate director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, who credits Allen with helping the program grow so quickly.
麻豆精品 S淎ndrew immediately began to come up with creative ways to reach the student body and developed phenomenal marketing pieces, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淗e has truly has been an integral part of the branding of the Cent$ible Knight$ program. 麻豆精品 S�
The program has been recognized by lend.edu as one of the top 50 financial-literacy programs on a college campus, she says.
麻豆精品 S淸Andrew] is a visionary and talented young man. Additionally, he is humble and well-rounded, 麻豆精品 S� Manselle says. 麻豆精品 S淗e managed to maintain a high GPA while working two jobs and being actively involved.聽He is a true embodiment of the聽.聽Andrew truly has all the requisite tools needed to chart his own path. 麻豆精品 S�
As part of his campus job, Allen says he learned a great deal about marketing on a college campus. 聽Along the way, he 麻豆精品 S檚 taken the very advice he helps promote and graduated without major debt.
麻豆精品 S淭he skills promote[d] there, they work, 麻豆精品 S� Allen says.
His freshman year, he struggled financially and took out a student loan.
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So he got some help from financial-aid advisors, made the most of scholarships and applied for financial aid early. He was on a budget, which he stuck to faithfully, although he admitted it was tough.
麻豆精品 S淚 really needed a car and I saved up for that, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 wanted to pay off the $1,200 in student loans I had [at the time too.] But I 麻豆精品 S檓 stuck to the budget. I needed that car first. 麻豆精品 S�
Allen has considered going back to school for another degree later because for him 麻豆精品 S渢he learning process never stops. 麻豆精品 S�
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麻豆精品 S淢y family knew this was something I could achieve, to get my degree and reach the next level, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚 got awards for academics. I took my education very seriously. They see I am focused and that I 麻豆精品 S檓 not worried about trivial things. 麻豆精品 S�
