{"id":138465,"date":"2023-12-11T13:27:35","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=138465"},"modified":"2023-12-13T10:16:04","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:16:04","slug":"how-the-art-of-listening-has-fast-tracked-a-dream-engineering-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/how-the-art-of-listening-has-fast-tracked-a-dream-engineering-career\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Art of Listening has Fast-tracked a Dream Engineering Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

The start of this conversation is a bit uncomfortable for Yuejun (Pearl) Guan, even as she smiles. First, just call her Pearl. It makes her feel at home. Pearl would rather listen than talk or type. She prefers to ask questions rather than answer them. That\u2019s why the topic of this conversation makes her uneasy. It\u2019s about her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been curious about things beyond myself,\u201d she says, \u201cso I like to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds so basic. Listening. But the way she does it is the reason she was able to learn English a few years ago, then develop a fascination for the complex topic of power and renewable energy<\/a>, then finish her degree in electrical engineering<\/a> at UCF early and accept a full-time position with Florida Power and Light (FPL). It\u2019s also why Pearl remembers a friend telling her, \u201cYou\u2019re living the college student\u2019s dream.\u201d<\/p>\n