From membership in UConn\u2019s Undergraduate Student Government to the Leadership in Diversity organization, graduating senior Carter Newman has made a point of balancing academics with having a social life. That\u2019s one of the most important things for college students, he says.<\/p>\n
His desire for involvement \u2013 whether organizing panel discussions, planning community-building events, or coordinating various student programs \u2013 not only has exercised his leadership skills but also has positively impacted his peers and faculty.<\/p>\n
Newman, an elementary education major in the Neag School of Education who hopes to teach fourth grade one day, says he\u2019s found worth in working as an educator.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your major or field of study, and what drew you to it?<\/strong> Did you have a favorite professor or class?<\/strong> What activities were you involved in as a student?<\/strong> What are your plans after graduation\/receiving your degree?<\/strong> How has UConn prepared you for the next chapter in life?<\/strong> Any advice for incoming students?<\/strong> What\u2019s one thing everyone should do during their time at UConn?<\/strong> Carter Newman reflects on his time at UConn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":212142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"quote","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2426,1855],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[117],"class_list":["post-212145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum-instruction","category-neag","post_format-post-format-quote"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-09 00:37:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212162,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212145\/revisions\/212162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/212142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212145"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=212145"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=212145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI am an elementary education major with a concentration in English. As an individual who has always had a fascination with the educational system, I wanted to be someone who creates change and works in a system that is catered toward serving the needs of every student. I also believe in the power and freedom that comes with an education. The intellectual freedom of thought is something that nobody can take away from you.<\/p>\n
\nMy favorite professor is Dr. Emily Rose Schwab. As the instructor of one of my first-ever Neag courses, Multicultural Education, Dr. Schwab created a class that proved to me I made the right decision in what I wanted to study. Her passion for the field of education and the support she gave to each student are a few of the many characteristics that left a lasting impression on me as a student. I am grateful to have experienced a class with Dr. Schwab and know that she will continue to impact her future students to come.<\/p>\n
\nAs a student, I made sure to have extracurricular activities that created a nice balance between my academic and social lives. One of the first clubs I joined was the Undergraduate Student Government. Even though I had little experience, it seemed exciting to try something new, and I ended up finding some of my lifelong friends in that organization. I was also a part of the Big Brother Big Sister program at UConn, which awarded me with the opportunity to work with youth in surrounding districts and showed me why I wanted to be an educator. I was also a tour guide on campus and got to share all the amazing features of this University that supported me with prospective students who want to find a university they call home.<\/p>\n
\nAfter graduation, I will return to UConn for my master\u2019s program, which will entail spending a couple months abroad in London! I am so excited for this next journey in life and look forward to making even more amazing memories with the people I\u2019ve grown close to. Once I complete my master\u2019s program, I hope to be in an elementary classroom (fourth grade is my favorite) and inspire students to love their educational experiences the way I have always wanted to growing up.<\/p>\n
\nUConn has prepared me for my next chapter in life in both the academic and social spheres. I have learned many important lessons from classes and also from the relationships I have created here. I am excited to enter an educational space for the duration of my career and feel ready for the challenges and opportunities that come along the way. I will also stay connected with those who have been nothing but supportive of me during my time here at UConn.<\/p>\n
\nMy advice for any incoming student is to find your spaces. This is not emphasized enough for first-year students who may feel the pressure of being in good standing academically and also finding friends that you can count on. Your space matters. Be a part of clubs and ideas that intrigue you. Your college experience is shaped by you and should be tailored to you. Use every experience as a learning opportunity and continue to grow into the person you want to be. But also, never be afraid to reach out for help in any avenue in your college experience. I learned this lesson later on in my college career but cannot be any happier than where I currently am.<\/p>\n
\nGo to a basketball game!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"