As Harris-Jackson listened to the young woman, her tale unfolded. It became clear there was no way she could have been pregnant. The 鈥渆vent鈥� had happened just the night before, and impregnation would not have been possible.

She calmed the young woman, and gave her a mini-human sexuality lesson. It became clear that this young woman was not alone in her beliefs 鈥� or lack of beliefs 鈥� about all the workings of the human reproductive system. 鈥淚 felt like I needed to do something,鈥� Harris-Jackson says.

It was a defining moment for Harris-Jackson.

She became the unofficial resident expert on human sexuality to her peers, answering questions from persons of all backgrounds. She heard, 鈥淗ow does one get pregnant?鈥� all too frequently. Harris-Jackson says questions were occasionally accompanied by a snicker or a guffaw. She always tried to answer them in the manner she had gleaned from her unofficial mentor, Ruth Westheimer, a talk-show host who gained fame for bringing discussions about sex and sexuality to radio and television.

Soon, it became clear there was a need in all society for more resources about sex and sexuality. As she was pursuing her master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees, Harris-Jackson would still get questions from people who wanted to know why she wanted to be a sex therapist 鈥� a totally different area of study. Today, she鈥檚 a licensed clinical social worker and a certified sexuality expert.

Not much has changed in the 20 years or so since she was an undergraduate student. 鈥淧eople are hungry for information about sexuality at any age,鈥� Harris-Jackson says.

In her presentations to students, Harris-Jackson鈥檚 professionalism and non-judgmental demeanor offer the assurance that no question that is asked will be mocked or disregarded.

鈥淒r. HJ is so excited about what she teaches, that it draws you in. You don’t want the experience to end,鈥� says Nicole Smith. 鈥淪he showed the importance of being able to be open about speaking about sexuality at whatever age.鈥�

In her recent LINK (Learning and Interacting with New Knights) presentation at 麻豆原创, 鈥淪ex and the Senses,鈥� Harris-Jackson discussed the five senses while simultaneously educating students and participants on safer-sex practices. About 70 students attended the event, says Gabe Martinez 鈥�16, sexual wellness coordinator for .

鈥淒r. Tameca really goes into the chemistry of the aphrodisiacs,鈥� Martinez says. With tastings of chocolate, strawberries and honey, Harris-Jackson encouraged the students to be aware of the role their senses play in sensuous settings.

鈥淚 was blown away by her presentation,鈥� Martinez says. 鈥淪he was funny, engaging, knowledgeable and approachable. The students fell in love with her teaching style.鈥�

Harris-Jackson also has twice taken 麻豆原创 students abroad to Amsterdam, where, as part of a comprehensive program she developed, they are exposed to that culture鈥檚 open approach to sexuality. In Amsterdam, Harris-Jackson explained, issues related to sex and sexuality are part of school curriculums from kindergarten on up.

鈥淭his trip greatly prepared me for my future in social work,鈥� says Felicia Bender. 鈥淚 tried to train myself mentally before the trip to understand that I鈥檓 about to be in a different culture entirely.鈥�

Harris-Jackson is planning a study-abroad program to Thailand next year. All interested students are invited to find out about the program at .

聽Each LINK event is worth a certain amount of points called LINK Loot. When students attend these events, they earn Loot that can be used to bid on prizes throughout the year. While only FTICs are able to earn LINK Loot, all LINK programs are open to any student, regardless of class standing.

Summer鈥檚 event is a LINK Lottery, fall has a scholarship giveaway and the yearly LINK auction will be held in the spring term instead of fall as in the past.

LINK is a program of the Office of First Year Experience in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services. For a list of current programs, visit: . For questions or offices interested to become a campus partner, email Abby Nobili at: abby.nobili@ucf.edu.

This year鈥檚 winning team proudly sprinted to the finish, with another team close behind. The second place team who had just met each other, immediately made plans to attend Knight Rave together with their VIP Passes. Shanna Davis, a previous winner, said 鈥淎fter I completed the race; I made new friends, found campus resources, and could navigate my way to class without getting lost.鈥�

The LINK Amazing Race not only helps students learn about the 麻豆原创 community by finding campus resources, but helps students build a community of fellow freshmen.

FYE, an office in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services, hosted the LINK Amazing Race.

Knightcast kept the parties energized with DJs playing music while the Street Team organized聽various games for students to play, including pool volleyball, limbo, hula hoop and dance contests. Students had the opportunity to win a variety of prizes such as sunglasses, headphones, and movie and concert tickets. Freshmen received Link Loot for attending the event that can be used at LINK Summer B Lottery. Special treats included snow cones provided by the Campus Activities Board.

鈥淢any new freshmen attended the parties, and it was a great way to show them more of the ways to get involved, have fun and make new friends,鈥� said Bianca Saragusti, Knightcast Street Team member.

Even though there聽are only two more聽Friday聽pool parties聽left for this summer, Knightcast continues to host events throughout the school year including the annual Battle of the DJs held in the spring.

Knightcast is the nonprofit, student-run Internet radio station and live event DJ services at 麻豆原创. Funded by the Student Government Association, Knightcast provides students the opportunity to be radio personalities and live event DJs as well as participate in station management.

Students dressed in shorts, T-shirt and closed-toed shoes started arriving at 10 a.m. Participants had to worked for at least one hour in the garden, filled with various fruits, vegetables and herbs, to receive their 2,000 points of LINK Loot.聽 Many students were surprised to find that the Arboretum consisted of an actual garden and admitted their lack of knowledge about this part of campus.

By 3 p.m., the event wrapped up. Students had worked throughout the day picking weeds that would be harmful to their crops and planting seeds. The progress that the students made and the impact that they left in the Arboretum was clearly noticeable. The students departed, not only with the knowledge of the garden and a better understanding of what the Arboretum does, but also with a handful of carrots, basil, onions, and other products that they had freshly picked to take home and enjoy.

LINK (Learning and Interacting with New Knights) is an incentive-based program to help First Time in College students get involved on campus. Students obtain Loot by attending LINK events. At the end of this spring semester, students have the opportunity to use their loot at the LINKO, a Bingo-style event.

LINK is a program in the Office of First Year Experience in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

Raymond Ng was excited to win the grand prize, tuition scholarship. 鈥淟INK helped me more than I thought it would and proved to be an extraordinary aid in self edification,鈥� said Ng. 鈥淚 feel that many of the workshops and events helped me learn a lot more and how to better myself and my education.鈥� Other prizes included a 麻豆原创 Dining meal plan for the 2010-2011 academic year, acoustic guitar, Wolverine DVD, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 game console, 麻豆原创 Spirit Packs, tickets to Universal Studios, a Tom Tom GPS unit, and many gift cards donated by local restaurants. There were also raffle drawings throughout the night, which offered the chance to win prizes for any of the students in attendance.

鈥淭he bidding for items was competitive and students fiercely tried to outbid each other for the prizes they wanted鈥� said Josh Wheeler, First Year Experience coordinator and auctioneer.鈥�

The LINK staff announced they will have a raffle in the Spring instead of an auction. At the Spring Raffle, there will be multiple tiers of prizes. Each tier will have raffle tickets that can be purchased with a corresponding number of LINK Loot. For example, students can purchase raffle tickets for 10,000 LINK Loot at the grand prize table, but can purchase tickets for 500 Loot at the third-tier table. By changing the format, more students will have a chance at the prizes, with or without the most Loot points.

鈥淗aving a Spring Raffle will allow us to keep the energy and momentum high, while increasing the suspense and fun of the event,鈥� said Emily Jensen, coordinator for the LINK program. The Spring Raffle will take place on April 20 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom. For more information on the LINK program, visit: .

LINK is a program in the Office of First Year Experience in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services (SDES).