Category: Alumni


Read stories about Neag School of Education alumni.

UConn Magazine: Power, Privilege, and Public Education

November 3, 2022

At just 4 years old, Violet Jiménez Sims ’02 (SFA), ’05 MA, ’11 6th Year told her mother she wanted to “be one of the little people that lived inside the television.” Today, she laughs and says she’s learned that no one lives inside a TV, and instead of being an actress, she spends most of her time in front of a different audience: college students.

“Good teachers have to be good actors,” Sims says. “You have to be entertaining enough to capture students’ attention and use improv skills sometimes when things don’t go right.”



Worth Repeating Ep. 2: Miguel Cardona

October 26, 2022

In the second episode of “Worth Repeating,” UConn President Radenka Maric interviews U.S. Secretary of Education and Neag School of Education graduate Miguel Cardona about getting started as an educator, his work in the State and Federal Departments of Education, what UConn means to him, and much more.


Hallowed Ground

October 13, 2022

As part of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a student-athlete from the 1981 NCAA Championship field hockey team and two current women’s basketball players compare and contrast their experiences on “Hallowed Ground.”


Three adults standing in front of a Neag School banner.

Annual Scholarship Celebration Returns In Person, Spotlights Students and Donors

October 5, 2022

For the first time since 2019, UConn’s Neag School of Education held its annual Scholarship Celebration in person to commemorate the students who have benefitted, financially and personally, from numerous donors’ generosity. Students highlighted their personal experiences and thanked the individuals who helped them turn their educational dreams into reality.



Smiling female holds book "Safe Spot"

Neag School Alumna Liz DeVitto Self-Publishes Children’s Book, Shares Insights on Being a Special Education Teacher

September 26, 2022

Elizabeth “Liz” DeVitto ’14 (ED), ’15 MA, a special education teacher for the past eight years at Roaring Brook Elementary School in Avon, Connecticut, had a goal to write a children’s book before she turned 30. When she looked for a book to help her students deal with emotions, she couldn’t find anything appropriate. Since she couldn’t find the right book, she decided this was her chance to fulfill her goal by publishing a book, Finding a Safe Spot, to help her students when they become overwhelmed with emotion.


Gentry Building.

Neag School Accolades: Summer 2022

September 26, 2022

Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more: Dean’s Office Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Teacher Education Department of Educational Leadership Department of Educational Psychology Faculty/Staff Students Alumni In Memoriam Dean’s […]


More Kids Are Repeating a Grade. Is it Good for Them?

September 1, 2022

Ultimately, there shouldn’t be just two options of repeating a grade or going on to the next, said Alex Lamb, who has been looking at research on grade retention as part of her work with the Center for Education, Policy Analysis, Research and Evaluation at the University of Connecticut to help advise school districts.

“Neither of those options are good,” she said. “A great option is letting students move on, and then introducing some of these supports that are research-backed, that are effective and that allow for academic and social-emotional growth of students and then communities.”


New Faces Highlight the New School Year in Waterford

August 31, 2022

Last week, the district announced Amanda Batty would fill the assistant principal vacancy at the high school, which opened after Alison Mullane resigned. Batty has spent her entire 22-year career in education as a science teacher at the high school and has served as the chair of the school system’s science board since 2007. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biological science and master’s in education from the University of Connecticut before receiving her sixth year administration certificate from Sacred Heart University.