The acronym WiMSE stands for Women in Math, Science, and Engineering, although for Jenna Van Dugteren ’12 (CLAS), the “E” could stand for Everything.
The “Everything” includes her list of activities at UConn: biology mentoring, Outing Club, Husky Ambassadors, Debate Club, Guard Dogs, Nature and Wildlife Club, Alternative Spring Break, and Huskies Away From Home mentoring.
But it is her work as the resident assistant for the WiMSE Learning Community where Van Dugteren discovered a passion for helping people. Learning Communities at UConn allow students with similar majors or interests to choose to live together in a residence hall.
“I love being an RA,” says Van Dugteren. “It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve done. It made a huge difference in my life. I love my job.”
As a student at Lakeland Regional High School in New Jersey, Van Dugteren took a forensics class that sparked her interest in science. “We did everything that you see on [the television show] CSI,” she explains. “There were lots of ‘crimes’ that went on in our classroom, and we had to prove who did them and why.”
The experience led Van Dugteren to take AP biology, a decision that ultimately brought her to UConn.
“I knew biology was definitely what I wanted to do,” she says. “I thought I wanted to do research, but then I became an RA, and I realized how much I love people, so I wanted something more people-oriented—which is nursing.”
A semester spent volunteering at Hartford Hospital reinforced that decision. “I got to run around the ER, which was absolutely amazing,” she says. “It’s been helpful because I thought nursing was what I wanted to do, but you never really know until you’re there. It’s exactly what I want to do.”
This summer, Van Dugteren is spending a month in South Africa combining her love for biology and nursing. After a week volunteering in a rape clinic, soup kitchen, and homeless shelter with the nonprofit Come Back Mission, she will camp on a reserve for three weeks and track animals as part of a natural resources and the environment class in the fall semester.
“Nursing is science-oriented,” she says. “But from what I see, it’s more about people. You have to love people and want to be there.”
Van Dugteren brings the same compassion and resolve to the WiMSE Learning Community.
“I think it’s really important that we do what we do. It’s a lot easier to live with people who understand what you’re going through,” she says. “I think it’s really important that they have each other to see that they’re not alone.”
Ultimately, Van Dugteren wants to earn a graduate degree in nursing. “I want to work in the nurseries. I like newborns. But the ER is fascinating and always so exciting. I’d like to get an internship in the nurseries to see how it compares.”
