This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.
How did you get involved with this UConn video project and what is the point of the project?
“A few months back, the office of communications put out a notice hosting auditions for a campaigning segment in the Daily Digest. I was immediately intrigued and decided to give it a shot, having no idea where it would lead. After my interview, I was chosen to be a part of the segment, #whywearehuskies. The segment is geared towards showing what makes a great student at UCONN, not just in an academic sense but community sense as well. It highlights the stories of a few students that commit their time to a brighter future for the school.”
Tell us a little bit about your major and why you chose it.
“To me, coding is about as close to a superpower as you can get in the technology age. Which is why I went with my major, Computer Science. The beauty of software engineering is it’s limitless potential and flexible character. With rock-solid coding skills, you can score the opportunity to get your hands on some pretty awesome projects. It’s difficult at times, no doubt. I know that by just being a freshman female trying to pursue a STEM major, I can easily be the joke of a handful of stereotypes. There’s constantly a nagging feeling that I have to work twice as hard to prove half as much. But, the end result is euphoric. Going out of my way to disprove any bias notions is perhaps yet another beauty behind my choice of major.”
You are involved in so many different ways on-campus, how do you balance everything?
“Schedules, calendars, and more calendars! Right everything down. Every task, every thought, everything you ever wanted to do. I just utilize the calendar widget that comes with my phone. I make it a point to note anything I need to do for the day, as soon as it comes up. After all, why bog down my mind with all those reminders when I can let an app take the burden? Unfortunately, there’s only so much a calendar can do to organize your life. Among all the to-do lists, there’s a more personal organization that needs to be taken into account, known as mental clarification. This is the collection of hobbies everyone holds to keep their days a little more meaningful. Whether it be sports, reading, or meditation, we all need some time to regroup our thoughts. Without my journal to scribble down my random thoughts, or my bike to start off my day high in energy, it would be hard for me to maintain the momentum needed to stay balanced.”
Can you explain what the start up you are involved in does?
“RaSolar is a start-up company looking to implement solar panels onto highways. For now, they are focusing on putting the panels onto the grassy medians of the larger highways. My research with them varies, depending on how far along we have gotten in our goals. At the start, I was looking into the types of solar panels we could use, but now I’m finding areas along highways in which we can actually put these panels to work.”
What would you tell someone thinking of applying to UConn?
“UCONN is all what you make of it, nothing more, nothing less. Much like any college, if you decide to carry a poor attitude along with you, you’ll end up attracting poor friends that result in poor situations. But, if you try, and I mean truly try, to push past the boundaries of your comfort zone and experience the insanely incredible potential of life as a student, you can surround yourself by the surreal. What I particularly love about UCONN is how much it encompasses. Every club, every sport, every interest is here, and if it’s not, then there is no stopping you from initiating it. If there’s one thing I got out of being a husky so far, it’s that life really starts at the moment you stop being scared. There’s an infinite world of possibilities out there so take advantage of your time, particularly as a student to bask in the glory of knowledge all around you.”