UCF Alumni is pleased to announce its 30 Under 30 Alumni Award Recipients for the Class of 2023. The stellar group of alumni comprises scientists, attorneys, teachers, financial analysts, entrepreneurs, nurses, UCF employees, graduate students and others who have launched from UCF and landed in successful careers of their dreams. Yet, despite their distance from the campus, they remain involved through mentoring programs, philanthropy, attending home (and away) games, and by helping recruit UCF alumni to be their new colleagues.

“This year’s list of extraordinary recipients makes me proud to be a Knight,” says Heather Junod ’98, associate vice president of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving. “They embody the values of the UCF Young Alumni Community: to be bold, scholarly, trailblazing, generous and resilient. I look forward to congratulating them at our celebration on May 20. This remarkable group represents the very best of Knight Nation.”

Nominations for the awards were accepted online from Sept. 23, 2022, until Nov. 13, 2022. Nominations were reviewed and scored by UCF staff, previous award recipients, and UCF Young Alumni Representatives. The finalists were then confirmed by the UCF Alumni Board based on the following criteria:

  • Must be a graduate of UCF (undergraduate or graduate degree)
  • Must be age 29 or younger on June 1, 2023
  • Must demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with UCF and strive to uphold UCF Young Alumni values

“Congratulations to this year’s UCF Alumni 30 under 30 class,” says Jordan Grushka ’14 ’16MA, chair of the UCF Young Alumni Community. These exceptional Knights truly exemplify what it means to be a member of Knight Nation and the UCF Young Alumni Community through their stellar accomplishments and continued support of UCF. There is something special about being a Knight, and this year’s recipients are no exception; they are excelling in their professional and personal lives and making UCF shine even better. Go Knights! Charge On!”

The 2023 award recipients are scheduled to be honored in a celebratory event on May 20. Below is a complete list of the winners, listed alphabetically. Past recipients can be found on the UCF Alumni website.

Adam Searles ’19
BS Biology
Burnett Honors Scholar

Addi-Neequie Stone’14 ’19MS
BS Aerospace Engineering
MS Industrial Engineering

Alanna Reynolds ’16 ’19MA
BA English
MA Political Science
Burnett Honors Scholar

Ashley Aken ’20
BS Event Management

Atiyah Appline ’20 ’22MPA
Bachelor of Social Work
Master of Public Administration

Audra Greuel ’17 ’19MEd
BS English Language Arts Education
MEd Secondary Education
Burnett Honors Scholar

Austin Wilson ’22
BA Criminal Justice
BA Political Science
Burnett Honors Scholar

Caitlin Canning Glassman ’16 ’20MS
BA Sociology
MS Hospitality and Tourism Management

Caroline Chu ’17 ’20MS
BS Nursing
MS Nursing

Chitra Dave ’17
BS Interdisciplinary Studies

Emily Allen’17 ’22MBA
BA Communication Sciences and Disorders
Master of Business Administration

Gabriella Armor ’16 ’21DPT
BS Athletic Training
Doctor of Physical Therapy

Gianna Aprile ’19 ’21MA
BS Elementary Education
MA Educational Leadership

James Briggs ’16 ’20MS
BS Industrial Engineering
MS Industrial Engineering
Burnett Honors Scholar

Jason Quintana ’21
BS Industrial Engineering

Joanne Saldanha ’18
BS Biology
Burnett Honors Scholar

Keyera Lyn’18 ’20MA
BA Human Communication
MA Communication
Burnett Honors Scholar

Kiran Denney ’14
BS Psychology

Morgan Leonard’18
BS Sports and Exercise Science

Nathanael Jones ’15 ’19MBA
BS Accounting
Master of Business Administration

Nicole Nowotny ’16
BS Psychology
Burnett Honors Scholar

Paulina Le ’16
BS Biomedical Sciences
Burnett Honors Scholar

Reed Forehand ’19 ’21MS
BS Aerospace Engineering
MS Aerospace Engineering
Burnett Honors Scholar

Sabrina Jérôme ’17
BA Political Science
Burnett Honors Scholar

Shinjan Ghosh ’21PhD
PhD Mechanical Engineering

Tyler Colgate ’18
BA Radio-Television

Valérie Cambronne ’17
BA Political Science

Walter Oliff II’17
BS Business Administration-Finance

William Austin Kelly ’16 ’19MS
BS Industrial Engineering
MS Engineering Management

Zachary Good ’18
BA Political Science
Burnett Honors Scholar