Johncarlo Cerna wants to help computer science students succeed during their first year at UF.
Cerna, a UF computer science engineering sophomore, said he restarted a mentorship program called First Time Programmers to equip computer science engineering students with resources during their first year at college.
The club will hold its first meeting Friday at 5 p.m. in the Computer Science and Engineering building’s Fishbowl, he said.
Cerna said as a freshman, the engineering advising center paired him with a chemical engineer upperclassman who was unable to help Cerna navigate computer science classes.
“Freshmen need a lifeline, not only about classes but about the software world as a whole,” the 19-year-old said.
Freshmen may not know how to use their resources, said Michael Smith, a UF computer science engineering junior.
“The university provides tutoring and office hours,” the 20-year-old said. “Though I had all of these resources, I did not utilize them enough as an inexperienced freshman.”
Cerna recruited mentors from the UF chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery and spoke to freshman classes to encourage students to apply.
The program currently has 25 mentors. After receiving more than 70 applications for mentees, 30 mentees were picked to be part of the program.
Mentors were selected for their experience at software companies, Cerna said.
“Throughout the semester, the pairs will work on setting goals, internship applications, how to study and resumes,” Cerna said. “We want to help freshmen achieve their goals.”
