Spring Break
Exceptional members of the class of 2009 share their stories
John Kennedy
Issue date: 5/10/09 Section: News
| |
| |
|
Many will test the job market, and others, including Katie Buckley, graduating with a dual degree in accounting and English, have jobs waiting for them as soon as their time in college is finished.
Some, like Marianne LaRosa, graduating with a dual degree in electrical engineering and math, and Amanda Ploch, graduating with a dual degree in political science and human rights, will go on to even higher education.
Buckley, who will be employed in Hartford by Deloitte & Touche, an international accounting firm, said that while she is excited to be finished with school, she will miss all the people she has met along the way.
Ploch, who has been very active in community service at UConn, said she will especially miss the weekly Bible study groups with inmates at Bergin Correctional Institution when she attends New York University's School of Law in the fall.
"I wish I was still going to prison," Ploch said. "I know that's such a weird thing to say, but it was something I looked forward to every week."
The study groups, created by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship a few years ago, allow certain inmates to study the Bible and interact with people outside of their everyday environment.
"The first time, I was so scared, but now I really enjoy it," Ploch said. "It opens your eyes, and you realize you're not much different [from the inmates]."
Ploch also volunteered at a South African youth detention center during her semester abroad in 2008. The center was home to a large number of teenage boys, with almost no security and even fewer resources, according to Ploch. During her time there she worked with a group of boys, teaching them the English alphabet and helping them read Dr. Seuss books.
"It gave the kids something to look forward to," Ploch said. "Besides, who doesn't enjoy a good Dr. Seuss book?"
Ploch plans to continue her involvement with the prison system after graduating from NYU, using her knowledge of law to create more opportunities for prisoners to leave better off than they came in.
According to Ploch, prison is not always the best option for those behind bars. While there are some programs aimed at helping prisoners improve, there still aren't enough to help them develop their skills or learn a job.
"Society's already going to be harsh enough towards them," Ploch said. "We have to do something to help them get on their feet so they don't commit more crimes."
Along with her interest in prison reform, Ploch also enjoys helping other students become leaders.
While at UConn, Ploch was involved with ConnPIRG, leading the Hunger and Homelessness program from spring 2006 to fall 2007. Ploch said that while she liked getting people involved and making an impact on campus, her favorite experience was helping those around her become leaders themselves.
"It's great to organize things yourself," Ploch said. "But I really enjoy helping other students learn the skills so they can take over and do things themselves."
Buckley, who attended UConn because it offered so many opportunities for students, said she enjoys working with others as well.
A member of the Honors Program, Buckley was a student coordinator for the Honors Initiative for Prospective Students (HIPS), and helped plan events to welcome prospective students and educate them about the opportunities available within the Honors Program.
As well as helping students discover opportunities within the school, Buckley also worked as a fitness and wellness student manager at the Student Recreation Facility, and taught ZUMBA at BodyWise, a job she said always gave her "a rush."
Recommended by the head of the accounting department, Mohamed Hussein, as an exceptional graduate, Buckley has represented UConn across the country.
In spring 2008, Buckley was part of Team UConn in the Deloitte Case Study Competition, which won the regional competition in New York City and went on to compete against eight other teams at the national competition in Arizona.
Buckley said the experience was amazing, and although they did not win the national competition, it was still worthwhile to attend.
Although her career path is solid now, Buckley had no idea what she wanted to do when she entered UConn.
"That's why I'm majoring in accounting and English," Buckley laughed. "They're pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum."
LaRosa, who has spent six years at UConn and will be entering the graduate program to pursue her PhD in electrical engineering in the fall, said she endured a similar situation while choosing her field of study.
LaRosa first entered UConn as a computer science major, but decided she didn't like programming and applied to the Neag School of Education, which accepted her for secondary mathematics education.
When LaRosa was given an 8th-grade math class as her student teaching assignment, she decided math education was not for her, and re-entered the School of Engineering in her 8th semester, this time for electrical engineering.
"A lot of the staff here has been really supportive of me," LaRosa said. "Several of them encouraged me to stay here and pursue grad work."
UConn's staff was the main reason LaRosa turned down an offer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she would have had to search for an advisor, as well as projects to work on.
Here, LaRosa said, she knows who she will be working with, and while she doesn't know the exact nature of the projects she will be given, she does know that they will all be experimental.
LaRosa has plenty of experience working with experimental devices, having spent two semesters researching ways to shrink an image by using lenses, rather than making the image itself smaller, as well as working with SunTracker for her senior design project.
The purpose of SunTracker, which consists of five large pentagonal aluminum mirrors, was to amplify the amount of power that could be collected from solar panels by using reflective surfaces, rather than buying more panels.
All three students express great excitement about their post-graduation plans, though as can be expected, their enthusiasm is mixed with nervousness.
"Law school will be a little bit different [from UConn]," Ploch said. "But I'm not really scared - I'm more excited."
Be the first to comment on this story