{"id":133147,"date":"2023-01-05T12:18:03","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T17:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//?p=133147"},"modified":"2025-04-15T12:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T16:56:19","slug":"early-outreach-furthers-ucf-downtowns-commitment-to-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//early-outreach-furthers-ucf-downtowns-commitment-to-community/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147//","title":{"rendered":"Early Outreach Furthers Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Downtown/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2019s Commitment to Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
On an October day in 2022, Mindy Mozena, director for Enrollment Services at Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ Downtown, came to work dressed as Pete the Cat. It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2019s an unusual outfit choice for the professional who is usually wearing a blazer and high heels. But today is the campus/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2019s second Book Character Parade and Mozena is laser focused on her customers /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2014 kindergartener and first graders from the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) Academic Center for Excellence (ACE)./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/n
/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u201cIt/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2019s so fun to see the kids all dressed up in their costumes and so many smiling faces on campus, but there is a deeper goal than handing out candy,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u201d Mozena says. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u201cToday is just one of many touch points we hope to have with these students to show them that college is something that/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2019s within their reach /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u2014 and expose them to the opportunities right in their backyard./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/n
In late 2014, Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½ announced its plans to build a campus in downtown Orlando. At the center of its plan was a commitment to serve not only students, but the immediate surrounding community of Parramore. Mozena, along with a team of others from Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½, Valencia College and OCPS ACE, are in the first year of an engagement plan with the elementary school, designed to educate, engage, and excite OCPS ACE students about Âé¶¹Ó³»´«Ã½, Valencia College, and post-secondary education in general. Mozena serves as co-chair of the committee along with DeShawn Chapman ’11MEd ’16EdD, education programs manager for the Parramore Education and Innovation District./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/133147/n