Alanna Reynolds ’16 ’19MA: Shining Knights Alumna 2023

By Alanna Reynolds ’16 ’19MA

Since receiving the Shining Knights Young Alumni Award in 2023, Alanna Reynolds has continued her involvement with UCF and the Greater Orlando community. Reynolds is currently in her third year of the Security Studies PhD program at UCF and hopes to defend her dissertation in 2026. She has continued her work at Lockheed Martin as a Senior Intelligence Analyst and has also begun serving as an adjunct instructor in the School of Politics, Security and International Affairs, a role she has enjoyed greatly.

In 2024, Reynolds received a travel grant to attend the Bergen Exchanges on Law and Social Transformation in Bergen, Norway, where she presented on the intersection between artificial intelligence, democracy and free speech and received funding to present research at the Midwestern Political Science Association Conference in Chicago. Outside of her studies, she has also served as the keynote speaker for the LEAD Scholars Leadership Luncheon in 2024 and 2025, where she discussed leadership, failure, persistence and the power of vulnerability with student leaders at UCF. In addition to her work and studies, Reynolds volunteers her time as a member of the UCF College of Science Alumni Board, a mentor with the nonprofit Girl Security, and as a violist and leadership team member with the Central Florida Community Arts Symphony Orchestra.