It was once said that life is like a box of chocolates. For Owen Smyth, it’s more like a jigsaw puzzle.
He started with a piece that took him to a university in Colorado, but it was in the center of his puzzle and didn’t quite fit. Then he found his corner in UConn, another corner in the history department, and the rest of the frame came together from there.
As he now works to find the next pieces – and, yes, eventually fit that center one perfectly – he advises students coming after him not to lament that their puzzle isn’t filling up quickly enough.
“Try to revel in the fact that you’re being given the chance to figure these things out in the first place,” he says. “Many people never get the chance to experience the things you’ll experience here, and many more never will.”
Why did you choose UConn?
I originally attended a university way out in Colorado, wanting to experience something new and fresh for my college years. Eventually, though, I got horribly homesick, and decided I really had to come back to my home state of Connecticut. As luck would have it, a longtime friend told me they had an opening in a house at UConn that I could live in, and that was that, honestly.
What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?
I studied history for the duration of my time here at UConn. Throughout my education, I’ve always enjoyed my history courses and professors, more so than anything else I had to study in school, so I suppose you could say that I was just drawn to it.
Did you have a favorite professor or class?
My favorite class that I took while at UConn was easily ENVE 3995 – Special Topics in Environmental Engineering: Brownfield Redevelopment. Essentially, I was assigned to work with the municipal Board of Health in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in order to prepare a report on a couple of brownfield sites they had out there – one was an old, abandoned textile mill, and the other was a woodland waste disposal site. Working with faculty advisors and professional experts, I identified the extent of contamination at these sites and presented my findings to the local community in a televised event. It was by far the most rewarding thing I’ve done, ever. As for a favorite professor, I’d have to say Frank Costigliola in the history department. He has such a palpable passion for what he teaches, and he does a really phenomenal job of making history feel like what it actually is: the greatest story ever told. Cliché, I know, but it’s true.
What activities were you involved in as a student?
Relatively few, unfortunately. Most of my free time as a student has been spent playing music in the New Haven area, meaning I don’t have time for many extracurriculars. A few of my friends and I have established something of a community out there, and I’m having the opportunity to collaborate with some genuinely talented people, for which I am truly grateful. It’s probably unsurprising to hear, but, if I had been able to find the time, I would’ve gotten more involved with the local music scene up in Storrs. WHUS, the student radio station, was something that I was especially interested in taking part in – but alas.
What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
I guess that, at first, the most surprising thing about UConn was the sheer size of it all. I attended a pretty small high school, and the university I attended prior to UConn was only slightly bigger than that. In the end, I came to appreciate the size of the student body a great deal, mainly because the anonymity ended up being an incredibly liberating experience. I could wake up and go to class and interact with as many or as few people as I felt I wanted.
What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?
After graduation, I hope to receive a master’s in public policy from UConn’s School of Public Policy. From there, I’d like to work in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Division of Criminal Justice, or some other state-level agency – some place I can make an impact, you know, help people who need help. Maybe get a nice pension to boot.
How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
Studying history here at UConn has taught me to be observant, level-headed, and rational. As if that wasn’t already worth its weight in gold, through the School of Public Policy, UConn is also offering me incredible job opportunities in a field which I’m passionate about; in a very real way, I wouldn’t be who I am without UConn, and I wouldn’t be pursuing the path that I am today without the guidance that UConn faculty has continually provided me with.
Any advice for incoming students?
Don’t expect that the whole jigsaw will fall into place, day one, first semester. Oftentimes, regardless of the location, regardless of the context, and regardless of how hard you might try, it nevertheless can take a lot of time to find the people you truly resonate with, and the activities that feel truly meaningful to you. Don’t lament that it isn’t happening quickly, or that it feels like it isn’t coming as naturally to you as it is to everyone else; instead, try to revel in the fact that you’re being given the chance to figure these things out in the first place. Many people never get the chance to experience the things you’ll experience here, and many more never will.
What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
Enough waxing philosophical: Go to the Dairy Bar and get some ice cream. It’s good for the soul.
What will always make you think of UConn?
Some years from now, way down the line, as I work out at some … Planet Fitness somewhere, I’ll be reminded of the UConn Rec, its three stories of equipment, its 20-odd rowing machines, its in-house swimming pool, and how utterly, incredibly glorious it was. I might even just shed a tear over it. I might even be shedding a tear, right this instant – seriously, I really will miss it.
