— Jon-Marc McGregor<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\u201cBut, above all, I am simply a believer, striving to defy the odds that have constrained my family, by earning a college degree. Like many, I am one step closer to achieving my dream of becoming a professional engineer due to the resources available at this university.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick Hocking, a sophomore honors student in biomedical engineering from Middletown, Connecticut, is a member of a group of students and faculty that work together to foster entrepreneurship through the Peter J.\u00a0Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEntrepreneurship education is something I\u2019ve found great passion for,\u201d Hocking testified to the committee. \u201cEntrepreneurship would be absolutely terrifying if it hadn\u2019t been for the mentors and teachers I\u2019ve had the opportunity to learn from. It\u2019s programs like these that have empowered and inspired me to pursue the challenges of entrepreneurship in the state of Connecticut after graduation.”<\/p>\n
Senior Akshayaa Chittibabu came to UConn from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and is pursuing an individualized major in health, policy, and social medicine, with a minor in sociology. She has been named both a Truman Scholar and a Marshall Scholar during her college career \u2013 the first UConn student to win both honors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I interviewed for the Marshall award in Boston, I was the only scholar from a public institution \u2013 with the rest coming from institutions like Princeton, Harvard, and MIT,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was unsurprising to me, because this is the caliber of UConn and of the students it produces. From the minute I first stepped foot on this campus, I have not only been taken seriously as a student, but I\u2019ve also been challenged to be the best version of myself, as a scholar and leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my first semester, I walked straight into the sociology department head\u2019s office, impassioned by the huge problem of cervical cancer screening practice in rural south India and wanting to do something about it. Professor Bandana Purkayastha not only heard me out, but took a chance on me \u2013 holding me to the research standard of an advanced undergraduate, so I could eventually conduct the field work in India in the summer of 2016. Experiences like this have been common for me at UConn because of how incredible our faculty are, and how willing UConn is to support student research and curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rimsha Asif, from Windsor, Connecticut, is a sophomore accounting major at UConn Hartford and is a member of the Student Support Services (SSS) program, which aids first generation college students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt nervous with the college experience, but the SSS program helped create confidence for me in my new community,\u201d said Asif. \u201cThe program has been my stepping stone to grow my passion to graduate with a degree in accounting. I\u2019ve been able to get involved in the UConn Hartford Undergraduate Student Government and founded a human rights club. All this has been possible through funding from the state, and allowed me to be part of UConn Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
UConn Health was represented by a number of students, including Roshni Patel, a fourth-year medical student from Milford, Connecticut, who also earned her undergraduate degree from the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am thankful to have had the opportunity to train as a medical student at UConn Health,\u201d said Patel. \u201cAs a student, I have been able to interact with some truly talented faculty members, who have taught us how to be both competent and kind physicians for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother unique opportunity I have had as a UConn student is participation in our school\u2019s Urban Service Track,” she continued. “This is an interprofessional educational track designed to support students who are interested in working in urban and underserved settings. I have been fortunate enough to receive targeted education on how to take care of vulnerable populations such as the elderly, homeless, veterans, and refugees.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the final students to appear was junior Crystal Dangerfield, a junior communications major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and a student-athlete on the women\u2019s basketball team.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I have come to Connecticut, I have grown in more ways than I ever imagined,\u201d she said. \u201cI have experienced a standard of excellence both on and off the court, and I am a better version of a person both as a basketball player and a young woman. Following my basketball career, I will be competitive in the workplace because of what I have learned here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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