UCF Alumni Announces 30 Under 30 Award Winners for 2020

Photo by David Gallucci

Bold. Innovative. Excellent. Each year, UCF Alumni honors the best of what the university has to offer with its 30 Under 30 awards. These Knights are beacons of the UCF creed in their professional workplaces and local communities, helping make the world a better place.

The 2020 class of 30 Under 30 honorees includes leaders in space exploration, civil engineering and even dunking basketballs. These alumni were chosen for their great professional success, commitment to helping others and track record of giving back to UCF and their local community. 

"At UCF we continue to showcase what a truly remarkable young alumni community we have with our 2020 30 Under 30 recipients," says Marley Hughes '11, chair of UCF's Young Alumni Council. "This year, as much as any in the past, we are impressed by the extraordinary things our young alumni are doing in their professional and civic communities. These young leaders continue to set an incredible example for our alma mater. On behalf of the Young Alumni Council, I extend my sincerest congratulations on this well-deserved accomplishment."

Nominations for the awards were accepted on UCFAlumni.com from Nov. 26, 2019, to Jan. 5, 2020. Nominations were reviewed and scored by UCF staff and previous award 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 UCF (undergraduate or graduate degree)
• Must be age 29 or under on May 1, 2020
• Must demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with Knights and strive to uphold UCF Young Alumni values

The 2020 award recipients will be honored in a formal ceremony on May 9. Below is a complete list of the 2020 winners, listed alphabetically. Past recipients can be found on the UCF Alumni website.

UCF Alumni 30 Under 30 2020 Honorees

Andrew Aboujaoude ’18

College of Medicine
Burnett Honors College

Jessica Aksu ’13 ’18MBA

College of Sciences
College of Business Administration

Caroline Castille ’15

College of Business Administration
College of Arts and Humanities

Frankie Catalfumo ’13

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Peri Chajet ’16 

College of Sciences

Brittany Dansereau ’13

College of Sciences

Juan Escobar ’12 ’14MA

College of Community Innovation and Education

Brandon Fair ’13

College of Sciences

Tacko Fall ’19

College of Undergraduate Studies

Angelica Garcia ’17MS

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Sarah Goldman ’14

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Michael Herman ’13

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Christopher Jones ’13

College of Sciences

Jenna (Doerfler) Kelly ’13 ’14MBA ’15MSBM 

Rosen College of Hospitality Management
College of Business Administration

Steven Lerner ’13

College of Community Innovation and Education

Blake Lynch ’14

College Nursing

Paula Machado ’12

College of Sciences

Santiago Martinez ’14

College of Business Administration

Marsha Mena ’15 ’16MSW

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Kristina Merritt ’12 

College of Sciences

Michael Metzner ’16MD

College of Medicine

Alexis Neigel ’15MS ’17PhD

College of Sciences

Nikunj Patel ’17 ’19MSAE

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Andrea Piazza ’19MA

College of Community Innovation and Education

Jonell Radabaugh ’15

College of Engineering and Computer Science
Burnett Honors College

Amanda Schultz ’17

College of Nursing
Burnett Honors College

Emily Smith ’13

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Jade Taylor ’14

College of Sciences

Alexandra Thompson ’13

College of Sciences

James Weschler ’14

College of Engineering and Computer Science