As a member of Future Farmers of America at her agricultural high school, Trumbull native Jillian K. Bowen naturally assumed UConn’s outstanding College of Agriculture, Health & Natural Resources would be a good fit. But she probably never envisioned bringing shower mold to class as part of an experiment. That was only one of the memorable experiences, activities, and pursuits that helped define her time at UConn.<\/p>\n
Why did you choose UConn?<\/strong> 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\u2019s one thing that surprised you about UConn?<\/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> What will always make you think of UConn?<\/strong> Bowen reflects on her time at UConn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":228000,"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":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[117],"class_list":["post-227539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","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":"2026-04-25 21:30:38","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\/227539","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=227539"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229598,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227539\/revisions\/229598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/228000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227539"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=227539"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=227539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe academics were the main draw for me. As an R1 institution, I knew that UConn had a lot of research opportunities, and that really drew me in.<\/p>\n
\nMy major is Pathobiology, or disease biology. I attended an agricultural high school and was a member of Future Farmers of America, so I already had an interest in animal science, but the pandemic was definitely a big factor in stimulating my interest in infectious diseases. Pathobiology is a perfect combination of those interests!<\/p>\n
\nMy favorite class by far was Medical Microbiology of Bacteria and Fungi in the Pathobiology Department. We were able to grow our own samples in the lab, and it was so fun to come in every week to see what new organism we would be studying next. I remember a time the professor brought in cheeses for the class to eat, then we sampled the mold from the cheese and cultured it in the lab! I even brought in the mold from my shower to culture.<\/p>\n
\nI was a member of Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), which is an organization centered around supporting minority students in STEM. I was also in UConn Survivor, where we filmed our own version of the show right here on campus! I started a club with my friends called Crafting Care \u2013 we send care packages with handmade crafts to women\u2019s shelters, managed care facilities, and other organizations in the community.<\/p>\n
\nI was surprised at how easy it was to find a place for myself. Since UConn is so large, I was worried I would get lost in the crowd. However, there were so many ways to get involved and engage with people who have the same interests as you, and I\u2019ve found a great community of people that have supported me through the years. It really is true when people say you can make campus as big or as small as you want!<\/p>\n
\nI am planning to attend UConn\u2019s Master of Public Health program with a concentration in epidemiology.<\/p>\n
\nBeing at UConn has really inspired me to approach every new experience with an open mind. Some of my most formative experiences were ones that I was initially hesitant about \u2013 one of the biggest takeaways from my time here is embracing the unknown and seeing the potential for growth and new opportunities in everything. Having that mindset makes life so much more exciting!<\/p>\n
\nGet involved and get out of your comfort zone! Now is the perfect time to discover new interests. Variety is the spice of life, so don\u2019t be afraid to try something completely different \u2013 learn how to breakdance! Join an improv group! Start a book club! The world is your oyster.<\/p>\n
\nSledding down Horsebarn Hill. There is absolutely nothing better than zooming down the hill at top speeds while all your friends are watching. It\u2019s beautiful in winter, too!<\/p>\n
\nEvery time I see a husky I can\u2019t help but think of Jonathan! I was lucky enough to get a picture with him this year, and I feel like he is such a symbol of my time here that every husky is a UConn husky to me!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"