Introduction

Hello all. My name is Ruben Castro and I want to introduce myself.  I am originally from the great country of Panama, where I was born and raised until I was 15 years old.  My family then relocated to Orlando, FL so my older siblings could attend the University of Central Florida.  Boooo!  As you can tell I am not a big fan as I went there for a few semesters and it just didn’t feel like it was the right fit for me, hence my attending UF which suits me much better.  My brothers and sisters all graduated from there so it’s a bit sacrilegious to be attending UF.  Interesting to note is that I live approximately 5 minutes from the UCF campus.  My fiancé and I purchased a home here last year which we share with our 3-year-old daughter and our yellow-bellied slider turtle, Squirt.  My family is somewhat spread out as my mom and sister live in Orlando, I have an older brother who lives in Cocoa Beach, while my oldest brother lives in Los Angeles, CA.  I have a sister who still resides in Panama along with a myriad and multitude of cousins and aunts and uncles which is pretty cool. 

My major is Business Administration as it’s a very broad yet valuable degree that I will be able to apply in my future career endeavors.  I currently work for Atos, they in turn run/manage all help desk functions for Disney.  I work as a Level II Systems Technician and I really enjoy my position as it’s very challenging technically and it keeps me on my toes and interested with the dynamic nature of the job. 

I have travelled quite a bit in my lifetime which I am very thankful for.  I appreciate different languages and cultures and I really admire folks who have no fear of immersing themselves in the culture/language/lifestyle of a different country with no problems.  I have been to 8 states in the U.S., let’s see, CA, NM, AZ, TX, LA, FL, GA, and NY.  I have been to England, France, and Italy which was a great experience and I can’t wait to go back someday. 

Things I like to do are ride my motorcycle, play soccer, watch sports - mainly soccer, football, boxing and MMA.  I like to hang out with my kid and take her to the park.  Her laugh is infectious and so full of wondrous joy and endless possibilities that it makes me feel young and hopeful in a giddy way.  I like to spend time with my fiancé as she’s an incredible lady, very hardworking, intelligent, beautiful, worldly and the consummate partner.  I couldn’t ask for more in that regard.  I like to spend time with my family when time permits and its always great to get together and catch up and talk like old times.  All in all, I cannot complain.  My life is pretty nice and I pray to God that things continue this way.  Of course winning the $1.5 billion PowerBall prize money wouldn’t be a bad thing either.  I want to wish everyone good luck this semester and in semesters to come and always enjoy the ride.  Life is too short not to.