Editor’s Note: As Commencement approaches, we are featuring some of our Neag School Class of 2025 graduating students over the coming days.
Major: BS, Sport Management with minor in Communication
Hometown: Bethel, Connecticut
Q: Why did you choose UConn?
A: Not only was UConn my top choice when looking into continuing my academic career, but it was close enough to my home in Connecticut yet still far enough away, and I heard amazing things about the Sport Management program. Since I graduated high school in 2021, I wasn’t able to get a real tour of the campus due to COVID restrictions, but when I drove through with my family, I knew it was the place for me! I fell in love with the campus very early on and couldn’t see myself going anywhere else. The athletics program here is also outstanding, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that from early on in my college search. Plus, I have always been a UConn fan!
Q: What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?
A: I am a sport management major with a minor in communication. Despite being plus-sized for most of my life, I have always been drawn to sports. My time in high school consisted mostly of working with my town’s youth baseball association and youth football and competitive cheer program. From that point on, I knew I wanted to completely immerse myself in the realm of sport despite not technically fitting the “stereotypical” description of a woman in sport; this, in fact, continues to fuel my ambition. I fell in love with the creative side of it, whether it be photography or marketing, and I knew that this was the path I was meant to follow.
Q: Did you have a favorite professor or class?
A: All the professors in the Sport Management program have been absolutely amazing and helpful in so many different ways. If I had to pick just one, though, Dr. Danielle DeRosa truly has been one of my favorite professors ever. Dr. DeRosa, while not only my professor but also my advisor and I would argue my friend, has pushed me to be the best version of myself, not only academically but professionally and personally. She is the true embodiment of what a professor should be and the kind of person I strive to be in the future.
Q: What activities were you involved in as a student?
A: As a student I was the treasurer of the UConn Women in Sport club, a member of Sport Business Association, a UConn Athletics marketing intern, the communication specialist for the Department of Educational Leadership in the Neag School of Education, and a student youth outreach and educational assistant for UConn Husky Nutrition and Sport.
Q: What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
A: Something that surprised me about UConn was how close everyone was. While UConn is such a big school with so many students, everybody knows somebody who knows somebody else. Coming from a smaller town, I knew I wanted to go to a bigger school, but I was nervous about making friends when I got here. In the end, everyone was in the same boat, and I met so many people who also knew each other. The close-knit community that UConn really has surprised me a lot.
Q: What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?
A: I think it’s okay to say that I am not completely sure what my plans are after graduating and receiving my degree. My plan for right now is to go home and work my summer job at the YMCA as a head teacher and then look for a job in sports marketing in June or August. I’m keeping an open mind to all possibilities!
Q: How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?
A: While not only helping me make some of my best friends, UConn really boosted my confidence in myself. I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point without the people I have met along the way here. I know I am capable of being my own person no matter the path that I follow. If it weren’t for UConn, I don’t know where I would be in life right now.
While not only helping me make some of my best friends, UConn really boosted my confidence in myself. — Teddi Ferraro
Q: Any advice for incoming students?
A: One of my internship supervisors once gave me some advice, a Carrie Fisher quote: “Stay afraid but do it anyway.” Life gets scary sometimes, and moving to UConn could be one of those things for you. However, living through the discomfort of a new place, while scary, might be so rewarding that you might end up loving it so much! Try new things, meet new people, be afraid, but do it regardless.
Q: What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?
A: In true sport management fashion, everyone should at least try to attend athletic events at UConn during their time here, especially basketball! There is nothing quite like the atmosphere in Gampel Pavilion. Get out there and support the Huskies!
Q: What will always make you think of UConn?
A: Not to sound like a broken record, but when I think of UConn, I think of basketball, the opportunities that I have been given, and the things that I have experienced, all because of the sports, programs, and people that I have met along the way. Working games and being in Gampel Pavilion will always have a place in my heart, and I will never be able to think of UConn without it.
