Dylan Alderucci ’24 (CLAS) is a true plant and outdoors enthusiast. At UConn, they studied ecology and evolutionary biology, spent plenty of time in the campus greenhouses, and lived and worked on the Spring Valley Student Farm. They balanced their time in nature with a studio art minor and by working at WHUS Radio.
Why did you choose to go to UConn?
What really pushed me here and made me think “I like this place” was the greenhouse. A professor I met with before committing recommended I check it out, and it was magical to see all the plants. It felt like I was in a fantasy novel or in Star Trek, and we had just landed on an alien planet. It was beautiful and made me think, “I have to go here.”
What drew you to your field of study?
I’m an ecology and evolutionary biology major because I love plants. I need to be around plants, and seeing the greenhouse before committing really showed me that. Turns out all that talk about being outside in nature being good for your mental health is actually true.
Did you have a favorite professor or class?
Yes, her name is Cynthia Jones, and I had her the last semester before she retired for a class called Plant Structural Diversity. It was so special because it was super hands-on. She would give us a lecture about plants on the cellular and molecular level, and for example, tell us about a certain plant cell, what it does, and how it works. And then we’d go down to the greenhouse and cut a piece off a plant and find that thing that we just talked about under a microscope. It was so fun, and that latter part really helped it to stick because we were applying it to the real world. It wasn’t just theory.
What activities were you involved in as a student?
My biggest involvement has been with WHUS Radio. Joining WHUS really gave me purpose at UConn because at that point I was about to take a year off and wasn’t sure if I would return to college after. But because of the New Music Committee and the people at WHUS, I stayed in Storrs during my year off so that I could remain involved. Now I’m the program director, and it’s really a special place for me.
How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
I feel like WHUS has prepared me the most in terms of interpersonal skills and career skills. And there’s also this sense of comfort of being in a leadership position, but everyone else in your governance is relatively around your age.
Any advice for incoming students?
Join an organization! Go on UConntact and search for things that you’re interested in. Whether it’s music, audio, visual, dance, there’s probably a club for it, and that also means there’s other like-minded people gravitating towards that space. I might be biased but check out WHUS because we have a lot to offer other than just the radio itself.
What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
Go outside and explore. There are some really cool woods on and off campus, like the trails by Horsebarn Hill, but there’s also fairly dense woods by Lot Y. If you walk far enough into it, there are a couple of vernal pools, which are seasonal bodies of water with lots of frogs and salamanders. And visit the greenhouse! It’s magical.
