“I knew that the Neag School of Education had a nationally recognized teacher prep program. Additionally, the special education program is filled with top faculty in their fields of research, and I was so excited to learn from their expertise. Not only did I attend for the academics, but I knew that in Storrs, I could be free to challenge myself through my extracurriculars,” says graduating master’s student Kaitlyn McGuire ’20 (ED), ’22 MA.
“I chose UConn because I wanted to go to a big school with many opportunities and groups of people. Also, knowing that I was going into education, UConn was the perfect fit with an integrated bachelor’s and master’s program,” says graduating master’s student Madison Levine ’20 (ED), ’22 MA.
“UConn was my first-choice college because of its school of education. I was very impressed by the Neag School of Education and thought it would be the perfect fit as I pursued a degree in secondary English education. I grew up in Tolland, Connecticut, so I was also fortunate enough that I was 20 minutes away from my hometown, giving me enough independence but the convenience of a quick drive home when I needed a home-cooked meal,” says graduating senior Lucas Knight-Vezina ’22 (ED), ’23 MA.
“I chose to come to UConn because it offered academics and extracurriculars that fit my needs to be successful. In high school, I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to run track at a competitive level and to be able to continue that into college. However, I also knew that I wanted to become a teacher, and so I wanted to attend a university that supported both ambitions. UConn had a competitive track team and had one of the top education programs around. I also didn’t want to be too far from my hometown,” says graduating master’s student Tyler Gleen ’21 (ED), ’22 MA.
“I came to UConn because it was the best financial decision. I knew I didn’t want my mom paying for my education. So, with the scholarships I earned and the money I was receiving, I decided to come here,” says graduating senior Larrese Folk ’22 (ED).
“I chose UConn because it is almost a no-brainer to apply due to being someone who’s lived in Connecticut for a large chunk of my life, but it is also synonymous with producing great teachers through the Neag School of Education,” says graduating senior Zene Charlton ’22 (ED).
“I came to UConn because I’ve heard so many great things about UConn. My high school Band teacher went to UConn and spoke great things about it. When I came up to visit and shadow a student, I saw the countless possibilities and opportunities right before me and thought I could thrive the best here compared to other schools,” says graduating senior Bryan Carrera ’22 (ED).
It was coming home,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona ’01 MA, ’04 6th Year, ’11 Ed.D., ’12 ELP said of heading to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field to give this year’s commencement address. Students could not have agreed more. At a string of outdoor ceremonies May 8–12, students and families gathered together for the first time in many long pandemic months.
Kiana Foster-Mauro’s mother, grandmother and great-grandmother watched with the 22-year-old elementary education major as she became the first in her family to graduate college. Nadeige Bailey, another first-generation graduate, said she cried on her couch last May as she watched her name flash across her computer screen “for like two seconds.” That was the culmination of her two-year, sports management graduate program.
.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona praised new University of Connecticut graduates for their work in helping to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and urged them to use their uniqueness as their “superpower” to accomplish their career and life goals, in a recorded speech played Saturday at a virtual 2021 commencement. Cardona, Connecticut’s former education commissioner who earned graduate degrees at UConn, taped the speech Friday at UConn’s football stadium in East Hartford, the site of Saturday’s ceremony. The school awarded nearly 8,200 degrees.
