Julien Meyer

“When I first came to UCF I can honestly say I did not know what to expect. As a freshman student coming to Florida from New York I had all of the natural worries associated with college such as not being able to find my classes and not knowing anyone on campus. One thing I knew was that I had signed up to attend the LEAD Scholars REEL Retreat a few days before school started. Immediately, I knew that LEAD was where I belong. Within a matter of hours I had made a ton of friends, learned things about others and myself and most importantly was excited to be attending UCF. During my time at UCF, the LEAD Scholars Program helped me to achieve so much more than what I expected from UCF. Not only did LEAD help me to win the Order of Pegasus award but my network through the program helped me to start and successfully run my first business CollegeStack, a local Orlando based marketing firm. My experiences through the LEAD program gave me the skills necessary to lead a company of over 18 employees, which we grew to over a quarter million in revenue in just under 3 years. Furthermore, this experience gave me the opportunity to give back to the UCF community and fund the annual CollegeStack entrepreneurial scholarship in hospitality at the Rosen College. After a successful exit from CollegeStack, I now run BlurtBox, a digital hospitality analytics firm as the chief executive officer and I attribute a great deal of my success back to not just UCF but specifically to LEAD scholars. LEAD taught me so much about servant leadership and the power of networking that I developed these skills to a point where they became second nature. Learning to inspire and motivate others through the program has proven to be my most valuable skill as a leader in the business world. I’m proud not only to call myself a UCF Knight but a LEAD Scholars Alumni. Congratulations to LEAD on this new wonderful space and to all current and former LEAD Scholars. Go Knights.”