{"id":145408,"date":"2019-01-31T08:01:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T13:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=145408"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:03:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T17:03:11","slug":"dont-want-wish-id-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2019\/01\/dont-want-wish-id-done\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Don’t Want to Wish I’d Done More’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ashley DeCarlo could best be described as unstoppable.\u00a0<\/span>She\u2019s a finance major, captain of the UConn cheerleading team, a top student who holds down two jobs, a crepe expert, and a self-described mom to 32.<\/p>\n

DeCarlo is so busy that she uses five day-planners to keep herself on schedule. Yes,\u00a0five<\/em>!<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to keep my life busy and interesting,\u201d says DeCarlo, a senior who grew up in New Fairfield, Connecticut. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t find joy in sitting around and doing nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. Her drive developed, in part, from watching others struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen people in life not taking advantage of what\u2019s there for them. I\u2019ve also seen a lot of people pass away before their time, whether by suicide or in accidents,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be 65 and wish I\u2019d done more.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Investor at Age 8<\/strong><\/p>\n

DeCarlo\u2019s finance career began at age 8, when her mom, Sue DeCarlo, a corporate executive who now owns her own investment company, taught her daughter about the stock market. They opened a joint investment account, and the younger DeCarlo bought stock in her favorite companies, like GameStop and Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would invest half of any money I got for my birthday or other celebrations,\u201d she says. \u201cI was really, genuinely interested in investing because I watched my mom do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although investing was in her blood, she came to UConn intent on a career in biomedical engineering. \u201cI had my heart set on it,\u201d she says. \u201cMy grandfather died of a faulty pacemaker, and that\u2019s what drew me to the field. I wanted to change people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

But several weeks into her first semester, she was drowning in the subject and realized it wasn\u2019t for her. Devastated, she didn\u2019t know if she would remain in college. She credits advisor\u00a0Leo Lachut, UConn\u2019s director of academic support, for helping her focus on her strengths and switch majors to the School of Business. He later offered additional advice and career connections. She has excelled in finance, earning a near-perfect GPA.<\/p>\n

Assisting Other Students<\/strong><\/p>\n

During her time at UConn, she has tutored students who are on academic probation about how to manage their time. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized I really enjoy working with others and helping them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

With the encouragement of Lachut and Professor\u00a0Lucy Gilson<\/a>, head of the management department, she added a minor in management to give herself additional options.<\/p>\n

She says the faculty and staff have been extremely helpful to her, not only in the classroom but in establishing her career path, helping her at pivotal moments, and steering her toward internships.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would tell incoming freshmen that things aren\u2019t always as they seem,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve started some classes thinking \u2018This is going to be no fun\u2019 and was incredibly surprised.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve had wonderful professors at UConn,\u201d she adds. \u201cThey taught me how to see things differently and how to work effectively with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sport that Stuck<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"As<\/a>
As head captain of the cheerleading team, Ashley DeCarlo is a self-described mom to 32. (Photo courtesy of Ashley DeCarlo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DeCarlo started cheerleading in 8th grade. \u201cMy dad [Wayne DeCarlo] didn\u2019t have a son, so he put me in every sport he could,\u201d she says, laughing. \u201cThe one he\u00a0didn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0select was cheerleading, and that\u2019s the one I stuck with.\u201d<\/p>\n

She now cheers for UConn football and both men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think cheerleading should be recognized along with every other college sport,\u201d she says. \u201cWe put in just as much work. Our team is cheering for football and both basketball teams. In November, when they overlap, it’s intense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the person I am because of cheerleading,” she continues. “I was shy in high school and through cheerleading I learned to talk to people. … It has really been an important part of my college experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although only 5 foot 2, DeCarlo says she has no issues being heard above the crowd. \u201cI\u2019m full Italian so I talk\u00a0very\u00a0<\/em>loudly,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She has been head captain for two years. \u201cThey all call me mom,\u201d she says of her cheerleading cohort. \u201cMy Instagram bio says I\u2019m the mother of 32!”<\/p>\n

Learning about Crepes and Mobile Banking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Behind the counter at Farmhouse Crepes in Downtown Storrs, DeCarlo still gets nervous when customers watch her making crepes. But she’s\u00a0picked up some tips for making crepes.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve discovered the key to a good crepe is to pour the batter in one smooth motion,” she says, adding, “I love making crepes. I never thought I\u2019d particularly enjoy it, but it\u2019s super fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to cooking for the UConn student-owned business, she runs the company\u2019s social media.<\/p>\n

She stacks her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, allowing time for cheerleading practice in the evenings, and five days for work, internships, and studying.<\/p>\n

Her second job is at Geezeo, a fintech company based in Glastonbury, Connecticut, that makes platforms for mobile banking. DeCarlo works in the client success program, and has learned more about the product and how to talk about it with customers, as well as auditing the company’s contracts with clients to make sure they were being charged correctly.<\/p>\n

Final Semester<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now embarking on her final semester, DeCarlo has accepted a full-time job with Insight Global, a recruiting firm that will soon open an office in Hartford. The company appealed to her because of the robust opportunities it offers for career advancement. Ultimately, however, she\u2019d like to be her own boss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to own my own company someday. I have no clue exactly what it will be but eventually that\u2019s what I\u2019ll do,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m very leadership oriented. I like the aspect of not having a boss. But I also like organizing and working with people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to be the kind of leader who has the respect of their people, but still has the compassion,” she adds, “the type of person you know you could call during a crisis at midnight and who would help you out.\u201d<\/p>\n

But right now she has other demands. She has just adopted a pocket pit bull puppy named Theo, who she hopes to housebreak before classes get into full swing. And she has set an ambitious goal to raise $500 for Connecticut Children\u2019s Medical Center during this year\u2019s Huskython.<\/p>\n

But when she looks ahead, DeCarlo becomes sentimental.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will miss UConn so much next year,\u201d she says wistfully. \u201cFreshman year, I thought it was so hard I would never get through it. Now I never want to leave!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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