Even though he’s met Jonathan XV up close, Joshua Devin ’26 says the one thing that will always make him think of UConn is that bright mass in the nighttime sky – the moon.

“Something about it just activates my Pavlovian conditioning and makes me smile,” he says.

A member of the Moon Club, the history major who came to UConn as an older student after traversing the world, is moving to New Zealand after graduation.

Why did you choose UConn?

I am what you might call a non-traditional student, or “exceedingly unc.” In 2021, I was 24 years old, and the pandemic had put an end to my flashy cocktail mixing career. My early adult years were spent getting into trouble in foreign countries. At that time in my life, I felt as though I had infinite ambition but nowhere to place it, and none of the common experiences that my peers had. UConn was my first choice. My sister had graduated years earlier, and I couldn’t let her keep holding that over my head.

What’s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?

I’m here on earth to learn. All I want is for my curiosity to keep me humbled by the mysteries in the world, lest I be content I know enough to stop asking questions. History, my major, is the most fabulous entry into finding out how much one really does not know. The right historical question will make one an astronomer, a mathematician, an agriculturalist, or a communist until you’ve cracked the code, had your a-ha epiphany, and realized you need to start over again with a different question. There is a moment of euphoria when studying history, in which you flip through the tired old records previous explorers could not extract a secret from, and something about who you are and what your life has shown you will open a door in the text. When that happens, it is yours alone to guide the world through.

What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?

One day I was out studying on the grass in the sunshine, hoping a bit of vitamin D would be enough to lift my somber spirits. It wasn’t. There is no such thing as vitamins. But that day, Jonathan the Husky came running over, knocked my laptop out of my hands, and melted my weathered heart. I should clarify that this was the dog, Jonathan XV, and not a person in a mascot costume.

What are your plans after graduation/receiving your degree?

My partner and I are moving to New Zealand for a year! Come say hello if you happen to be passing through.

How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?

I’m glad that I got my degree and spent years studying under the tutelage of such a fantastic faculty. So many amazing professors have made the effort to personally engage with me and reward my curiosity, and I’ve had fantastic courses every semester that persist warmly in my memory.

Any advice for incoming students?

Nobody has any clue what kind of planet you are going to be graduating into. When I started my degree amid COVID, I had a pretty good feeling that the world was going to collapse before anyone came knocking on my door to pay back the student loans. My advice is to climb “Cringe Mountain” and insist on being yourself, an individual, because there is no better reason to like you than for who you are.

What’s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?

Join the Moon Club. They are not a cult!

What will always make you think of UConn?

The moon. Something about it just activates my Pavlovian conditioning and makes me smile.