Alexandra Wynne ’25 (CLAS, SFA) says the things she’ll take with her from UConn are almost too numerous to count – friendships in the UConn Symphony Orchestra, excitement over won National Championships, and life lessons from studying abroad, to name a few.
As she looks forward to a legal career in educational policy, Wynne says she hopes to ensure others will have the same opportunities.
Quite simply, her goal is to ensure “publicly funded elementary, middle, high schools, and colleges, like UConn can continue to thrive and provide an exemplary education for their students.”
And she’ll do that full of Husky pride.
Why did you choose UConn?
Initially, I had my doubts about committing to UConn. Before visiting and truly looking into the programs offered to me, I felt I would be lost in such a large student population, and that it wasn’t “my school.” When I visited in the spring of my senior year, however, I learned how wrong I was. The campus itself is beautiful. We visited on a warm spring day – the first of the season – and everyone was walking around, playing frisbee on the lawn, and truly enjoying what our campus has to offer. As I continued my research, I began to understand the opportunities that UConn offered. I could simultaneously pursue degrees in both my passions: music and politics. I could find smaller communities within the large campus that appealed to me, and I could challenge myself with courses unavailable at smaller institutions. The quality of education, the friendships I have made, and the connections I have created at UConn have well-surpassed the price tag offered to residents of Connecticut, and I am incredibly glad I made the decision to commit to become a Husky.
What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?
I am pursuing a dual degree in political science and general music, supplemented by a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. UConn’s opportunity to pursue a degree in two different colleges allowed me to truly receive a well-rounded education in my time here, allowing me to further study my two passions. The music education I received here empowered me to hone my skills on the violin, in music theory, and taught me a form of dedication I had not experienced elsewhere. My political science studies aided me in understanding the world around me, opened my mind to other political and social ideals outside of my own, and immensely prepared me for my future career.
Did you have a favorite professor or class?
Throughout my last four years at UConn, one professor stands out most to me: Dr. Solomiya Ivakhiv. Dr. Ivakhiv is a professor of violin and viola in the Department of Music and has been my applied-lessons professor on the violin for my last four years here. Her mentorship, encouragement, and incredible talents have helped me to become the violinist and person I am today. Whether she knows it or not, she has shaped my college experience immensely. She has become more than just a professor; she has become a friend. I would also like to take this time to thank my two Honors thesis advisors: Dr. Elizabeth Sallinger in the music department and Dr. Fred Lee in the political science department. Their guidance, patience, and willingness to accept my late-night emails, random office-hour visits, and frantic last-minute writing sessions has culminated in a thesis I am proud to call my own. I would not be the student nor the writer I am today without their support.
What activities were you involved in as a student?
Over the last four years, I have been involved in numerous activities on campus: the UConn Symphony Orchestra, Delta Zeta Sorority, and working for the Honors Program as a member of the Guide for Peer Success team, to name a few. These activities provided some of the best experiences and, namely, some of the best friendships I have gained from my time on campus. My college experience would not have been complete without them.
What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
Something that surprised me most about UConn is how pervasive school spirit, particularly about basketball, is into the general community here at Storrs. Beginning my freshman year, I knew absolutely nothing about UConn sports, never mind understanding how basketball games were actually played. The community, school spirit, and overall buzz on campus around March Madness and during game times are so exciting, it is hard not to become a huge basketball fan, no matter your background in sports. After the last few years, I am confident that I will be an avid UConn basketball fan for the rest of my life.
What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?
After graduation, I will be working as a litigation paralegal at a law firm in Manhattan before matriculating into law school. In my professional career, I plan to work in educational policy, ensuring that publicly funded elementary, middle, high schools, and colleges, like UConn, can continue to thrive and provide an exemplary education for their students.
How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
UConn has prepared me for my next chapter in life in innumerable ways. It has allowed me to continue my passion for learning, has given me the background to pursue my post-graduate endeavors, and has pushed me out of my comfort zone to participate in experiences such as my semester abroad. The most formative experience I have had through my time here is my time working for the Honors Program. This position taught me how to work efficiently in a team of my peers, function professionally in a work environment, and elevated me to various leadership positions that taught me life skills that cannot be taught in a course. Most importantly, UConn has brought lifelong friendships and connections that have shaped me into the person I am today.
Any advice for incoming students?
If at all possible, my biggest advice for incoming students is to study abroad at some point in their college career. It was the scariest, yet best experience I have had throughout my time at UConn. It taught me valuable life lessons, exposed me to cultures outside of my own, and is the most formative experience I have had in my last 21 years of life. I cannot recommend studying abroad enough. It truly is, as cheesy as it sounds, life changing. The opportunity to go abroad with students who also attended UConn allowed an unparalleled level of comfort necessary when living in another country, and the support provided by the university throughout this time was invaluable.
What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
A simple thing everyone should do during their time at UConn is, as silly as it sounds, attend the UConn Rec Center’s Sunset Yoga that happens at the beginning of every fall semester. It is a fantastic opportunity to get a glimpse of our beautiful campus at sunset, just before the craze of the beginning of the fall semester begins. And, after you go to yoga, attend a UConn Symphony Orchestra concert!
What will always make you think of UConn?
While I can’t narrow down a specific “thing” that will always remind me of UConn, one of my most cherished experiences here is the night the men’s basketball team won the National Championship in 2023. The feeling of being in Gampel Pavillion at the moment we won, surrounded by 10,000 of my peers is indescribable. The UConn pride that seeps into every aspect of our lives as students is one that I will carry with me even after my undergraduate experience here concludes.
