Cleo Alberts
Mechanical Engineering (2019) | cleo.alberts@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Senior Resident Assistant, Hilltop Apartments Hall Association, Pi Tau Sigma (Mechanical Engineering Honor Society)

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
Stay on top of your homework, study harder than you think, eat healthy foods and drink a ton of water! Don't forget to take time for self-care amidst classes or work or studying.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Make friends and make new adventures with them! Seriously, explore Mansfield and Storrs, try out Blaze, go to the Puppetry Museum, buy a plant and take care of it. You must experience being away from home and making the most of it by adventuring and going out of your comfort zone!

Emily Borges
Biomedical Engineering (2020) |  emily.borges@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Alpha Epsilon Phi

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Time management and balancing your life is key. Get involved and make as many connections as possible!

MUST EXPERIENCE
The food truck festival during Spring weekend

John Brindisi
Management & Engineering for Manufacturing (2020) | John.Brindisi@uconn.edu

INVOLVMENT
UConn Consulting Group, Men’s Club Volleyball, Volunteer Firefighting

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Go to class and pay attention

MUST EXPERIENCE
Horsebarn Hill sunset

Frederick L. Calkins
Chemical Engineering (2020) | Frederick.Calkins@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Men’s Club Volleyball

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
Learn to manage your time well and start working in advance.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Oozeball is a definite

Caitlyn Cushman
Chemical Engineering (2020) | Caitlyn.Cushman@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Husky For a Day Ambassador, Rock climbing, Petting every dog I see on campus, AIChE

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Use your resources! The Q Center is a big help! Go to office hours and get to know your professors and TAs. Make friends in your classes and make study groups.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Join at least one club that sounds interesting. This is a great way to meet friends and take a break from classes.

Daniel Fernandes
Chemical Engineering (2020) | Daniel.P.Fernandes@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Husky-for-a-day program, Nathan Hale Homework Club

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
Get involved! There are too many clubs and organizations at UConn for you not to take advantage of at least a few! Not only do extracurriculars provide you with the full college experience, but they help you manage your time and workload to prepare you for upper level classes, and after college!

MUST EXPERIENCE
I would recommend to go to one of the UConn football games in Hartford! These games totally immerse you in the “Husky Pride” mentality. You can participate in chants, experience the adrenaline rush of a close game, and even attend a UConn tailgate before the game! These games give you the opportunity to truly feel what it’s like to be a Husky!

Shannon Fortier
Engineering Physics (2019) | Shannon.Fortier@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Phi Sigma Rho, Resident Assistant, Physics Mentor

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS 
Always go to your professors office hours! It’s a great way to get answers to any questions you may have but also a great opportunity to network with your professor

MUST EXPERIENCE
As a first semester student you HAVE to go to every event that gives away a free t shirt! You get free t shirts and you’ll get to see all of the different opportunities UConn has to offer! 

Dana Hamed
Biomedical Engineering (2020) | Dana.Hamed@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Student Assistant for the Engineering Undergraduate Programs Office, Middle Eastern Student Association, Society of Women Engineers, Alpha Lambda Delta

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS 
Stay organized! Make a to-do list! Use Google Calendar! Also, don’t be afraid to contact your professors for any type of help. They are a great resource.

MUST EXPERIENCE
I would highly recommend watching the sunrise at Horsebarn Hill and going to see the cows! You also MUST watch a women’s basketball game from the student section in Gampel! The energy is unparalleled.

Gregory Joyce
Materials Science & Engineering (2020) | Gregory.Joyce@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Student Assistant in Undergraduate Admissions Office, Confetti for Kids, HuskyTHON, Intramural Sports

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Don't stress about the little things, stay organized, and make friends in all your classes, you're going to see a lot of them over the next few years!

MUST EXPERIENCE 
HuskyTHON, Oozeball, or any sporting event. BLEED BLUE!

Anastasia Kipor
Computer Science (2019) | Anastasia.Kipor@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Lambda Delta president, Russian Student Association, Jujitsu Club

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Get your priorities straight and you will not stress out 

MUST EXPERIENCE
Blaze Pizza. I wish I had experienced that deliciousness my first semester. 

Joao Mbaya
Computer Engineering & Electrical Engineering (2020) | Joao.Mbaya@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
CyberSecurity Club, Peer-Mentor for The Major Experience (TME), AACC, NSBE, Cigna Remote Internship

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS 
1) If you're struggling visit the Engineering Tutoring center, you'll make friends who also happen to be struggling and receive help from some of the best tutors on campus (for free).
2) Take advantage of professors’ office hours. Go in prepared with questions; whether they be about class, research, interning...etc.
3) A nicely worded email can take you farther than you might expect. The worst thing people can say is no.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Jazz Nights at the ballard theatre

Ryan Murphy
Mechanical Engineering (2020) | Ryan.c.Murphy@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Q Center Tutoring, Confetti for Kids Vice President, Chiu Research Lab

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS 
Go to all your classes in your freshman year, even if they are easy or even if you have already taken the class in high school. College is much more challenging than high school, and your classes will get much harder, so it is good to develop good study habits early on. Also, make friends that have the same major as you because you will take similar classes as them for your whole college career, and you can help each other along the way.

MUST EXPERIENCE 
One-ton sundae

Kevin Musco
Electrical Engineering (2019) | Kevin.Musco@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Student Supervisor for Union Street Market and UC Cafe systems, Vice President of Pi Kappa Phi at UConn, UConn IEEE, MegaBiblion Society

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Take academics seriously and put in due time, but realize that college is about so much more than the coursework and resulting degree. This is a very exciting time in your life and you should approach it as such. Go to the involvement fair, sign up for some clubs, and experience new things. However, more important than trying new things is finding the right people to be around (finding your "tribe"). I wanted to transfer after my first year, but after meeting people who are now some of my closest friends, I could not be happier. I guess the best way to summarize this in just a phrase would be: get out of your dorm room.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Dairy Bar ice cream, football tailgates, SUBOG Spring Concerts, living off campus (even if only for a short time, it's a very different experience all together)

Christiana Nisco
Chemical Engineering (2020) | Christiana.Nisco@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT 
RUF, Research in Dr. Wagstrom’s Lab

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Make sure to go to office hours for all your engineering courses. Sometimes that’s the only way to figure out how to do the homework for your classes, which count for a portion of your class grade.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Definitely apple picking. There are farms all over the place near UConn that are so fun to go to. The sports games are always exciting to go to and the tickets are always really cheap for students.

Daniel Pinto
Civil Engineering (2020) | Daniel.Pinto@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Student Assistant for the Engineering Undergraduate Programs Office, WHUS Radio

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Check your email, reach out to Professors/Advisors for help... your biggest resource at UConn is your network!

MUST EXPERIENCE
Blaze Pizza and the spring concerts!

Cassie Rossetti
Biomedical Engineering (2020)  | cassandra.Rossetti@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Phi Sigma Rho, HuskyTHON, Husky Ambassadors, Undergraduate Engineering Tutor, Teaching Assistant

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
At the beginning of the semester put into your agenda or calendar all of your important exams and projects for the semester to help keep yourself organized and for time management!

MUST EXPERIENCE
Going to a basketball game and getting dairy bar ice cream.

Francesca Rudi
Chemical Engineering (2020) | Francesca.Rudi@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) E-Board, Engineering Ambassadors, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Research with the School of Pharmacy

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Attend both TA and professor office hours for class both for help and to get to know them. Don't be scared to attend meetings of any club that interests you or something you have never tried before! Getting involved outside of academia is very important for balance.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Spring weekend, the women's basketball games, career fairs, and the Dairy Bar!

Megan Scott
Material Science Engineering (2020) | megan.scott@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Phi Sigma Rho, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Engineering Learning Community Floor Mentor, Student Administrative Assistant for the Engineering Undergraduate Programs Office, Club Ultimate Frisbee

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Utilize the Q center if you need help with any subject while you can.

MUST EXPERIENCE
All 18 hours of HuskyTHON, Oozeball, and any basketball game

Tom Smith
Management & Engineering for Manufacturing (2020) | Thomas.Smith_v@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT:
Teaching Assistant, Intramural Sports, Skiing

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Make friends with people who are in your major.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Hanging out in the grass on the first warm day of the spring after a typical UConn winter.

Matt Stofko
Mechanical Engineering (2020) | Matthew.Stofko@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
Engineering Ambassadors Presentation Team, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Secretary, Student Assistant for the Engineering Undergraduate Programs Office

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Put in the effort and start your GPA baseline well, Chem SI is great

MUST EXPERIENCE
Meet your floor in your dorm, Grab & Go, Mirror Lake

Anthony Tripodi
Civil Engineering (2020) | anthony.tripodi@uconn.edu

INVOLVEMENT
UConn Wrestling Club, Healthcare Engineering Club, Civil Engineering Honors Society

SUCCESS TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
My advice for incoming first-year students is to get out there and try new things, different clubs and sports to meet new people and find out what you like. Also make sure to manage your time wisely because work adds up quickly.

MUST EXPERIENCE
Dairy Bar, Ooze Ball