{"id":246819,"date":"2026-06-02T07:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=246819"},"modified":"2026-06-02T08:48:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:48:31","slug":"helping-huskies-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/06\/helping-huskies-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Huskies Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Helping Huskies Rise<\/h2>\r\n

Can belonging be the breakthrough?<\/h2>\r\n

As he leads a prospective student and her mother through the Hartford Times building one spring afternoon, Micheal Orejuela ’28 (CLAS) enthusiastically relates the things he loves about UConn Hartford. Laughing and gesturing with his hands, he recounts the building’s history as a former newspaper headquarters that hosted four U.S. presidents.<\/p>\r\n

Two short years ago, Orejuela was not so comfortable in the spotlight. Prior to his first year at UConn, he arrived for a college summer bridge program content to hang back and observe while his classmates interacted. Over the course of the five-week program – part of UConn’s Center for Access and Postsecondary Success, or CAPS – he connected with Kiara Ruesta ’19 (CLAS), ’21 MA, a RISE college success coach who shared his Peruvian background.<\/p>\r\n

\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/scl\/fi\/pbtukah4sa2gxe2ds1ues\/Screenshot-2026-05-28-at-11.07.07-AM.png?rlkey=3kqjxhlwig18kaxdgsg6kv6uw&dl=0\"<\/figure>\r\n

Micheal Orejuela ’28 (CLAS) enjoys a paint night with fellow RISE members at UConn Hartford. Social events are among the programs offered throughout each semester.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

That fall, he applied for RISE, a new CAPS initiative for students at the Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury campuses – UConn’s three federally designated minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Funded by Synchrony, RISE (Resilience, Inclusion, Success, and Equity) provides holistic support for students from populations that have been historically underrepresented in higher education. While the grant applies only to the MSIs, UConn has used other grant funding to provide similar support at UConn Avery Point.<\/p>\r\n

“Micheal went from being a first-year student who didn’t want to engage much to being one of the most involved students on campus,” says Ruesta. “It’s amazing.”<\/p>\r\n

Today, the amiable Orejuela shares his bright smile with the UConn Hartford community as a campus tour guide, First-Year Experience class mentor, resident assistant, and a CAPS Scholar. He stops by to chat with Ruesta and RISE office staff every day and credits the program with opening his eyes to all the possibilities available to him at UConn.<\/p>\r\n

“Without RISE, I would be the same person \u2026 but not the same student,” says Orejuela, who studied abroad in Cusco, Peru, in summer 2025 thanks to Ruesta’s encouragement and a RISE scholarship. It was his first time visiting his father’s home country. “My family was stoked.”<\/p>\r\n

The trip, which included volunteer work at the National Inka Museum and in shelters and schools in Cusco, expanded Orejuela’s perspective and even led to a change in his major and career goals.<\/p>\r\n

“It made me think about my environment and the world around me and how I could try my best to make a difference, even if it was small,” he says. His experiences in Peru combined with his involvement at UConn Hartford have shown Orejuela that “I love talking to people. I love supporting people.”<\/p>\r\n

This fall, Orejuela will be transitioning to the Storrs campus to complete his political science program. After that, he may decide to go to law school or pursue a social work or public policy degree – all possibilities he hadn’t considered before.<\/p>\r\n

High-Impact Practices<\/h3>\r\n
\"A<\/figure>\r\n

Through RISE, first-generation college student Destiny Martinez ’27 (CAHNR) has gotten help navigating processes such as filling out the FAFSA; attended workshops on financial literacy and professional attire; and obtained funding for study abroad, professional development, and on-campus projects.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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RISE is that support for the underrepresented, the overwhelmed, those students who may be unsure.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

– Micheal Orejuela ’28 (CLAS)<\/p>\r\n

Beyond Retention<\/h3>\r\n

RISE support starts on the ground level, with help navigating everyday college needs and resources and ensuring students have knowledge to succeed once they graduate.<\/p>\r\n

Workshops might cover FAFSA guidance or how to save money. Peer mentors and coaches mean someone asks how you’re doing and cares about the answer. Shared experience such as group hikes and paint nights help students connect with each other. Together, these touchpoints build community, trust, and confidence for participants.<\/p>\r\n

“RISE is that support for the underrepresented, the overwhelmed, those students who may be unsure,” says Orejuela.<\/p>\r\n

The goals of the program, which aims to expand to the Storrs and Avery Point campuses, are simple.<\/p>\r\n

“We want all our students to graduate, to get to the finish line,” says Ruesta. “I think that’s the minimum.”<\/p>\r\n

But the true measure of success, she says, is who students become through the program. Ruesta wants students to have options when they graduate, whether to start their career, go on to graduate school, or take time to figure out their next steps. And she wants them to be confident in whatever decision they make.<\/p>\r\n