Why did you choose UConn?
When I was choosing a college I didn’t know what I wanted to do. One aspect of UConn that was really attractive to me was the diversity of its academic and extracurricular programs. I wanted a school that would give me the space to explore my interests before I was sure of what I wanted to do with my life beyond undergrad.
What’s your major and why did you choose it?
I am a triple major in English, journalism, and political science. I always knew I loved English and couldn’t think of anything better than spending my time reading books and writing essays. I am also interested in politics and wanted to go beyond what I could glean from the news and learn more about the theories and history behind what’s happening in the world today. I developed an interest in journalism after joining The Daily Campus at the beginning of my freshman year and wanted to explore that more deeply as well. My three majors all support each other and I’ve been able to take the lessons from each of them and transfer them to the other two.
Who was your favorite professor and why?
Regina Barreca. She’s my honors thesis advisor and has done so much to support my scholarly and creative writing. Her classes were fun and intellectually challenging, which is exactly what I want my own classes to be someday. I always knew I could go to her for honest advice that would truly make whatever I was working on better.
What was your favorite class and why?
Nature Writing with Darcie Dennigan. I took this class last semester and it really allowed me to open my own creative writing to embrace more imaginative and experimental possibilities.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be attending the University of Massachusetts Boston for an MA in English with a focus on mid-20th to 21st century women’s writing and feminist criticism. After that I plan on getting my Ph.D. and becoming a professor.
What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
I was really surprised by how big UConn’s campus is. I knew UConn was a big school but it still surprised me how there were buildings I never went into until my last semester, and there are definitely some I’ve still never been to. Yet at the same time it seemed like I would always see people I knew around campus which definitely made it feel more like living in a small town than a city.
What’s your favorite thing about UConn?
Without question, the people here. The friends I’ve made here are the kind of friends I will keep for life. The professors and advisors I’ve worked with have been incredibly supportive and I’m so thankful for all of them.
What activities were you involved with on campus?
The Daily Campus was the biggest piece of my extracurricular life at UConn. I started as a news writer my freshman year right after the involvement fair, and I got hooked right away. I was the associate news editor my junior year and this year I was the Editor-in-Chief. Nothing has been more challenging and rewarding than working in that role. I was involved with the Long River Review, our student-run literary magazine. I was the Editor-in-Chief this year and the blog editor last year which was another amazing experience. I was also a member of the UConn Model UN Press Corps my junior and senior year and the treasurer of UConn NOW (National Organization of Women) for the past two years.
What’s one thing all UConn students should do during their time at UConn?
Go stargazing on Horsebarn Hill. It’s a great spot to see clearly at night and something fun to do with your friends for a change of pace and to get outside. It’ll also remind you that there are some benefits to going to school in the middle of nowhere.
How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in your life?
UConn has prepared me so well for the next part of my life. The classes I took in the English department and beyond allowed me to figure what I really care about and want to spend the rest of my life studying and teaching.
What’s something you learned in a class that you’ll always remember?
A lasting lesson from the class, The Human Cost of Capitalism with Clare Eby, is that you shouldn’t have to justify your passions and your worth as a human in quantifiable monetary terms. As someone who has constantly been asked “what are you going to do with your degree after graduation?,” the lessons from this class really asked me to consider why that question even matters, and why studying the humanities isn’t usually appreciated for its intrinsic value.
What were some of the things you had never done before you came to UConn?
I had never traveled alone. I had only been out of the country three times to visit my family in Italy before college. I studied abroad twice while I was at UConn and I had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe by myself, which was empowering and enlightening. Countries like Sweden or Denmark weren’t even on my radar until the opportunity to go there arose.
What is one thing that will always make you think of UConn?
I’m someone who strongly connects music with memories. From the really wild assortment of songs we would jam out to during production at The Daily Campus (including one specific Japanese pop song from the 60s) to the music my friends and I introduced to each other (I got one of my friends into an Italian pop-opera group), there are a lot of songs that will always bring back happy memories of my time at UConn.
What’s something good about UConn that not many people know?
The old café in the Family Studies Building. It was one of my favorite under-the-radar study spots that was always open and usually not crowded. It also have a microwave, sink, and snacks you can buy which really came in handy.
Any advice for incoming first-year students?
Find something you love and let yourself get pulled in. This feels true to how I decided what to study here and being part of those individual academic communities rather than just going to class and trying to juggle twenty other commitments I didn’t really care about. It also applies to extracurriculars. Everyone says “get involved” and yes, everyone needs to get involved to find what they love. But there are a lot of clubs I went to a few meetings for and didn’t go back, whereas The Daily Campus, which I threw myself into completely and immediately, has become a second home for me at UConn.
