Special Thanks To Our Supporters:
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Central Florida
Making all of the great projects, workshops, tours, and other events that AIAA UCF does each year happen takes a team of amazing officers volunteering their free time to make our organization as great as it is. Leading this team is our Executive Board, elected by our members to guide the organization as we continue to bring more great opportunities and events to UCF. The time has come again to choose the officers that will take over and help AIAA UCF continue to expand and achieve our mission to provide opportunities for students to learn as engineers and leaders, and leave UCF prepared to contribute to the aerospace industry. 

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The four Executive Board positions that are up for election include President, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Internal Affairs, and Secretary.  Platforms for each candidate are presented below. ​​
2017-2018 Executive Board Elections
Vice-President of Internal Affairs

Ishmam Ahmed
 
President 

Rayon Harris
 
 
Vice-President of External Affairs

Arthur Rakowski
 
Secretary

Brandon Bolanos
 
My name is Roger Allen. I am running for President of AIAA at University of Central Florida. I started with AIAA in 2015 as a transfer student participating in the Rocket Design Competition. I quickly became invested in the club’s commitment to turn students into engineers through projects, workshops, and networking events. Currently, I serve as a leader for AIAA Rocket League.

AIAA is a tremendous resource for students at UCF, offering the most real engineering experience over any other club on campus. The other officers and I aim to reduce the gap between academics and practical engineering. As your President, I intend to advocate for your success through the following:

• Introduce more advanced projects that build on the experience AIAA currently offers.
• Generate more networking opportunities by inviting industry recruiters to present at AIAA exclusive seminars.
• Maintain AIAA’s commitment to developing student’s marketable skills by continuing to facilitate workshops.
• Launch club wide interest survey to ensure we provide what you want to learn.
Good evening, my name is Rayon Harris and I wanted to inform you about my interest to run for President of AIAA. Ever since I first heard about AIAA my senior year of high school I knew that it would be an organized that I’d devote a significant part of my time to. From my experience with AIAA I’ve seen the club grow significantly in my 3 years here at UCF whether it is from the size or quality of each project. This was also partly due to the joint effort between previous AIAA members and I to go to freshman orientations and table events. Whether it is through outreach events, T-shirt Designs, or the Promotional video, I feel like the amount of knowledge and skills I’ve learned with AIAA has molded me to become the best fit for President next year. A president is someone who can lead the club in multiple aspects whether it be through outreach, assisting in projects, or peer mentor-ship. One big vision I’d have as a President Is to continue to the amazing success our current E-Board has made this past year. This would be from not only improving in quantity but in quality of the Club. Whether it be from more tours, guest speakers, or more promotional media to really advertise our success, I am very excited to help our club grow in the future. Go Knights and Charge On!
President 

Roger Allen
 
Vice-President of Internal Affairs

Timothy Ponce
My name is ishmam and I would be glad to announce my run for vice president of internal affairs. I started as a member 3 years ago and I've had the opportunity to be team lead of hovercraft, aviation, and rocket design teams. Currently im the social media chairman and have been responsible for updating members on social media platforms for upcoming events and coordinating between other clubs. I've also been in charge of coordinating Aiaa trip to Washington D.C for a congressional trip to help maintain relationships and create new ones between the US government and the aerospace industry. Outside of Aiaa I am the founder of two startup ventures with one being a hair product company and boba tea company. Between the two I oversee all operations and run a team of 5 partners. With extensive experience both within Aiaa and outside in the business world, I believe ill be able to take charge and help Aiaa maintain its prowess as one of the biggest and the best organization on campus. With connections such the government relations director of Lockheed Martin , local representatives, and the media, I promise to make sure we have smooth year with better fundino ,more achievements, and more outreach.
For the past year as Project Chair, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the elected leadership strives to turn our member students into engineers, be it through workshops, community outreach, tours, or the many projects I oversee. While classes may impart the fundamental knowledge required to be an engineer, the hands-on experience provided by AIAA@UCF tempers that education with invaluable real-world lessons. I will strive toward that goal of turning our members into engineers by leveraging my Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Business Operations and ten-year career in management combined with my experience directly assisting the current Vice President of Internal Affairs to grow, expand, and adapt the projects and opportunities AIAA@UCF offers to more fully meet your needs as aspiring engineers.

I intend to accomplish these goals through the use of participant feedback to adapt and improve project presentations and content, meeting with faculty and professors about gaps in student education they think we can provide, and tracking data like new graduate employment rates and internship acquisition rates to see if what we do works. I will also collaborate with the Vice President of External Affairs to raise more money for the club in a manner similar to how I oversaw the quadrupling of the Rocket Design Competition’s budget this year. All of these steps combine to let AIAA@UCF better serve you in your transformation from students into engineers just as I, Timothy Ponce, hope to serve you as your next Vice President of Internal Affairs.
My name is Arthur Rakowski and I am entering my final year as an undergrad student graduating in May of 2018. In 2015, I became a member of the AIAA chapter here at UCF. Immediately after I joined the Aviation Design Project, I realized that I joined something much bigger than myself. I realized that I have surrounded myself with like-minded individuals that motivate me to become the greatest version of myself as well as constantly teaching me something new every day. Afterward, I wanted nothing more than to become a part of the leadership team for AIAA and to help run the AVD project the following year. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such a great group of officers and give back to the club that is giving me so much. Although I will be with Aviation Design as project lead for the ‘17-’18 school year, my passion for this organization had me realize that I would be honored to take over the Vice President of External Affairs position. I will only be taking two classes both of my last two semesters and working a 14 hour per week job on weekend nights. I will have a sufficient amount of time to dedicate to these positions. I would love to use my interpersonal skills, time management and computer skills to work with the future officers of AIAA to keep the great legacy of this organization. I believe that I could do a great job at networking the chapter with various companies in and around Central Florida to help our members experience what they otherwise could not in class. I believe that I have exceptional communication skills and dedication and would be of great fit to uphold the standard of excellence of this position and this chapter. 


As an Aerospace Engineer, I, Brandan Bolanos, have been a proud member of AIAA for two years and have served as an outreach officer for the past semester. My position as Outreach Officer has honed my communication and organizational skills, as I have assisted the VP of External Affairs in coordinating with various professionals regarding tours and other experiential learning opportunities. Additionally, my position as a receptionist for the UCF Computer Science Graduate Department has taught me administrative skills, which can be applied to the secretary position for AIAA. I hope to continue the efforts of the current secretary to allow the club to function with the utmost efficiency, while finding ways to improve organization and communication. For example, I hope to implement the use of executive binders, in which each officer keeps a binder that contains useful and relevant information relating to the respective position and its responsibilities. These binders can be passed down to the succeeding officers to provide a basis of foundational knowledge, to which the new officers may use or alter.