Student Resource Specialist II Nissa.Suarez@ucf.edu Mother of 3, mentor to many I am a proud First-Gen of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, HEOP from New York State. My career in education began over 23 years ago, after graduating with my BA in Sociology as a college admission/financial aid counselor and recruiter. I later moved on to student activities and residence life, until I relocated to Orlando, FL in 2003, where I continued my professional career path. I was an Orange County Public high school teacher and spent 13 years in and out of the classroom at public schools and school-to-work sites. I found my way back to higher education at UCF in 2021, where I worked in TRIO, Upward Bound (national pre-collegiate program) for the past two years. My passion has always been about serving students and families from underserved populations and ensuring they obtain the resources and services available to them. I come from a long line of military in my family, starting with my father, a Marine who served in Vietnam War as a Marine Police Officer, and my husband in the US Army, where he now is a Sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The newest addition started in August when my daughter joined JROTC and most recently her high school’s Drill Team. My gratitude and admiration for the military and veterans run deep and it is a huge honor to now be a part of such an important team here at UCF. Building relationships with students is a powerful tool that often doesn’t end at graduation; therefore, it is my mission is to assist each student to establish and/or meet their career and professional goals. I look forward to meeting and working with as many students as possible as we continue to strive to make your experience with the office of Military and Veterans Student Success at UCF an instrumental part of your journey. I look forward to meeting you < Back