UCF Alumni Announces 2018 30 Under 30 Awards

By Jenna Marina Lee | March 30, 2018

UCF Alumni announced the recipients of its fourth annual 30 Under 30 Awards on March 30. This year’s class includes marketing and communications professionals, entrepreneurs, engineers, software specialists, attorneys, education leaders, doctors, nurses, the youngest-elected Florida state representative and a football star, among others.

“This year’s 30 under 30 class is a group of trailblazing young alumni who have made an impact within their professions, communities, and this university in the early stages of their careers. The record-breaking accomplishments of this group are inspiring, and they rank as the best of the best from UCF’s accomplished young alumni base,” says Mike Kilbride ’12, chair of UCF’s Young Alumni Council. “UCF is a special place, and it is inspiring to see so many of our graduates building on their UCF experience to make an impact in our community and around the country. The entire Young Alumni Council is proud of this group of finalists, and on behalf of UCF, I extend my sincerest congratulations on this well-deserved accomplishment.”

The 30 Under 30 Awards program recognizes outstanding young alumni who strive for greatness in their professional and personal lives. Open-nominations for the 2018 class were accepted on UCFAlumni.com from January through February. Nominations were reviewed and scored by UCF Alumni staff and previous 30 Under 30 recipients, and winners were selected by the UCF Young Alumni Council. The finalists were then confirmed by the UCF Alumni Board based on the following criteria:

• Must be a graduate of the University of Central Florida (undergraduate or graduate degree)
• Must be age 29 or under on May 19, 2018
• Nominees for 30 Under 30 must demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with Knights and strive to uphold UCF Young Alumni values of “Scholarship, Bold, Trailblazing, Generous, Resilient”
• Self nominations are not accepted

The winners will be recognized in a formal ceremony on campus at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center on May 19. Below is the complete slate of honorees, listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Yazen Abdin ’12

• Immigration Attorney, NeJame Law
• College of Sciences

Michelle (Skaf) Anderson ’12

• Human Resources Manager, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
• Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Arielle Bardzell ’13

• Associate Attorney, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
• College of Sciences | College of Health & Public Affairs

Shane Chism ’12

• Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft
• College of Engineering & Computer Science

Shantavia Conner ’11 ’13MBA

• Finance Director, City of Haines City
• College of Business

Gregory Eisenberg ’13

• CEO/Founder, The Commission on Local Debates
• College of Undergraduate Studies

Jamison Gavin ’11

• CEO, LegendVest
• College of Sciences

Alexandra Gentry ’09 ’10MS

• Director of Tax and Treasury, Bonnier Corporation
• College of Business | Burnett Honors College

Sarah Gitto ’11 ’14MS ’17PhD

• Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania
• College of Health & Public Affairs | College of Medicine

Shaquem Griffin ’16

• Former Football Student-Athlete/Aspiring NFL Draft Pick, University of Central Florida
• College of Sciences

Marlon Gutierrez ’11

• Senior Marketing Manager, Student Loan Hero
• College of Business

Joshua Haley ’12 ’14MS

• Software Engineer, Assistant Technical Staff Lead, SoarTech
• College of Engineering & Computer Science | Burnett Honors College

Shannon Hassett ’16

• Registered Nurse II, Orlando Health
• College of Nursing | Burnett Honors College

Ron Hawks ’12

• Crisis Management Lead, Lockheed Martin
• College of Health and Public Affairs

Brittany Howell ’10, PsyD

• Psychologist, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Lakeland Outpatient Clinic
• College of Sciences

Samuel Jimenez ’11 ’14MFA

• Innovation Product Designer, AARP
• College of Arts & Humanities

Michele (Mixon) Jones ’11 ’14MPA

• Emergency Management Director, Martin County Fire Rescue
• College of Sciences | College of Health & Public Affairs

Amber Mariano ’17

• State Representative for Florida House District 36, State of Florida
• College of Sciences | Burnett Honors College

Michael McGriskin ’10

• Associate Attorney, Phelps Dunbar LLP
• College of Business

David Moskovitz ’12

• Director of Brokerage and Leasing, Cardinal Point Management
• Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Mia Mota ’12

• Attorney for Emerging and Established Technology Enterprises, The Tech Law Firm
• College of Health & Public Affairs

Katherine Payares ’12 ’13MSW

• Bariatric and Oncology Clinical Social Worker, Florida Hospital Celebration Health
• College of Health & Public Affairs

Allison (Blum) Peterson ’10

• Practice Manager, Pediatric Pulmonology and Dermatology, Memorial Healthcare System
• College of Business

Eugene Pringle ’17EdD

• Assistant Principal, Odyssey Middle School
• College of Education & Human Performance

Kristi Ray ’13, DO

• Family Medicine Resident Physician, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
• College of Sciences | Burnett Honors College

Sara Singer ’10

• Associate Attorney, Brydger & Porras LLP
• College of Sciences

John Sparkman ’13 ’15MS

• Vice President and Director of Research and Development, Limbitless Solutions
• College of Engineering & Computer Science

Lindsey Turnbull ’10 ’12MA

• CEO/Founder, MissHeard Media
• College of Arts & Humanities | College of Sciences | Burnett Honors College

Heather (Grenitz) Ulbrik ’10

• Test Engineering Associate Manager, Lockheed Martin
• College of Engineering & Computer Science | Burnett Honors College

Demitria Vasilatis ’11, DVM

• Post-Doctoral Residency, Clinical Pathology, William Pritchard Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis
• College of Sciences | Burnett Honors College

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