\u201cI\u2019ve gotten calls from some of my friends across the country. They ask me \u2018what\u2019s happening at UConn?\u2019 [\u2026] What\u2019s happening at UConn is outreach to students like you,\u201d Reis said.<\/p>\n
As an example of that outreach, the high school students were able to ask women students and alums questions about their career path. One student asked if the amount of work engineering students face was every daunting. Melissa Jacques (B.S. ME, MSE, \u201910) replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to sit here, be done with it and say \u2018best decision ever, I don\u2019t regret it.\u2019 While that is true, there certainly were points, particularly during my undergraduate schooling, where I would look at the pile of work I had in front of me and I would say \u2018why am I doing this, what was I thinking?\u2019\u201d Jacques said.<\/p>\n
The close relationship Jacques had with other students combined with the resources available to engineering students helped her get through the difficult coursework.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a lot of work, but there are plenty of resources available. \u2026 The reality is that if you\u2019re dedicated, you\u2019ll get through it,\u201d Jacques said.<\/p>\n
Jacques also said that the BRIDGE Program<\/a>, run by the Engineering Diversity and Outreach Center,<\/a> was one of the reasons she attended UConn. The BRIDGE Program is a five-week intensive program that prepares students who are underrepresented in engineering for their time at UConn. Her fellow panelists mentioned the comparatively reasonable cost, especially for in-state students. All agreed that engineering was the right choice for them.<\/p>\n
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