Newsletter Spring 2013 - Center for Academic Programs

University of Connecticut
Center for Academic Programs
ConnCAP Newsletter
Volume VI Issue I
Please Submit to
the Newsletter:

Academic, Civic, and
Athletic Honors

Original Writings

Community Service
News & Activities

Original Artwork

School or Class News

Issues or Questions
Information for the
newsletter is drawn from
the information you
provide to your advisors
during team meetings.
Inside this issue:
Trio Day
Academic Days
Senior News
New Haven Tribute
2
2, 6
3
5-6
Spring 2013
Letter from the Director
I want to take this opportunity to
welcome our new students and bid farewell to our graduating seniors. Congratulations to our senior class on all
their accomplishments and recent college
acceptances.
This has been a difficult year of
transition for the program and we are
grateful for the parents, students, and
school staff who have helped us and our
students through it. We couldn’t be
more grateful for the community support
we’ve received this year!
I also want to congratulate our
new students and their parents/guardians
on their acceptance into the program. It
is always difficult to select new students—so many talented young people
apply, and we can only offer admission
to a small number. New students and
their parents and guardians will attend
Orientation on Saturday, June 1st. I’m
looking forward to welcoming them to
campus.
I would also like to thank all the
high schools for making the recruitment
process a success.
Our students have been attending
team meetings and I encourage everyone to
continue to take advantage of these meetings, along with the tutoring that we offer.
We have begun preparing for the
(quickly) approaching Summer Program,
which starts June 23rd. Please remember
that you must do well academically in order
to participate in the summer component. If
you have any questions please talk to your
advisors!
Please stay connected and updated
about upcoming activities and announcements throughout the coming months.
I look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Susana Ulloa,
Director
Congratulations and Welcome to Our New Students!
Bulkeley High School
Hartford Public High School
Danielle Allerdyce, Kasey Morales,
Leonardo Fernandez, Tara Mishra,
Omari Brooks, Zuleyma Reynoso, Lil-
Yaisha Perez, Shanta Edwards,
iana Garcia, Laura Stokes, Grace Tyler
Ariadna Davy, Javaughnie Edwards,
Roger Vasquez, Andrew Alers, Dasha
Windham High School
Isaiah Adams, Jesus Alvarado, Seiji
Arzuaga, Jennifer Figueroa, Mikayla
Laboy, Alandra Morales, Brayan Plaza
Hill, Taj Banks
Page 2
C O NNC A P NE WS LE T T E R
Spring 2013
TRiO Day 2013
Our Annual TRiO Day event this year was held from February 21-22, in Nashua, New Hampshire. The
eleventh grade high school students from the Upward Bound/ConnCAP Program left their homes in Hartford,
New Haven, and Windham to travel to University of Massachusetts, Lowell where they toured the campus and
heard testimonials from students about the importance of going to college and what to fight for when choosing
a college. One student directly asked the admission representative, “why should I come to your University and
will your University invest in me as I am in it,” applause filled the room as students agreed that most Universities seem to be focus on the money and not the student’s needs. After an intense discussion between the students and the admission representative, students loaded the bus and head to New Hampshire for the other
TRiO DAY events.
The other events included a college fair, college preparation and informational workshops, and even a
gathering for students to unwind and enjoy their peer attendees. Donya’e Broadnax noted that the two days
were very exciting and the workshops helped her to understand that there are “many benefits in socializing”
and networking especially when it comes to establishing a career. Another student, Ziael Aponte, noted he got
a lot out of his networking workshop, he stated the workshop taught him “skills that aren’t taught in school.”
Another popular part of the trip was the speech by Mr. Richard Haynes, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of New Hampshire and a close friend of TRiO. His specialty is inspiring students and
staff with a drive to succeed and to promote deep reflection on their future. Students heard about Mr. Haynes’s
struggles in Harlem as a kid. He recalled being in apartments infested with rats and being bitten by them. He
assured students that if they are working hard and believing in themselves they can overcome any struggles
that they may be facing.
Students also noted that they appreciated the style Mr. Haynes used to tell his story. They appreciated the
singing, which some said reminded them African traditional story telling. Most importantly, the speech was
very inspirational.
Academic Day April 27
On Saturday, April 27, ConnCAP students
gathered for the final academic day of the year.
Events for the day included a goodbye to New Haven
students and their families as well as workshops about
careers in Pharmacy sponsored by students in the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy.
Students from the UConn School of Pharmacy
spent the day working in small workshops with sophomore and junior students. These hands-on experiments gave students a chance to see what careers in
pharmaceutical science might be like.
Seniors spent time with Upward Bound
alumni, who spent the day answering questions and
preparing students for their transition to college in the
fall. Students had an open forum to discuss all of the
many fears they had with the transition.
Throughout the day, we celebrated our New
Haven students. Parents were invited to attend the
Academic Day with students and we spent time celebrating the many accomplishments of our New Haven
students throughout the years.
New Haven students also had the opportunity
to meet with representatives from Educational Talent
Search, another TRiO Program that will continue to
service the New Haven area. We hope to see many of
our students participating with ETS in the coming
years!
Thanks to the staff of the School of Pharmacy,
our alumni association, and our wonderful students
and parents for making this day memorable and meaningful!
Page 3
C O NNC A P NE WS LE T T E R
Spring 2013
Congratulations Class of 2013!
Celebrating College Acceptances from the Senior Class:
Hartford:
Tania Banks: University of Hartford, Central Connecticut State University
Maman Cooper: University of Connecticut-Hartford, Central Connecticut State University, Bay Path University
Ajah Davy: Manchester Community College, Goodwin College
Luis Ramos: Central Connecticut State University
Ajla Rustemovic: University of Hartford, University of Connecticut
Anthony Sampson: University of Connecticut-Hartford, Eastern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University
Sharlene Torres: University of Hartford
Edinson Vasquez: University of Connecticut-Storrs, University of Hartford, University of Bridgeport, Central
Connecticut State University
New Haven:
Zeanna Beckford: Western Connecticut State University
Tareja Brown: University of Connecitcut-Waterbury
Sherroine Lewis: Southern Connecticut State University
Marquel Peterson: Gateway Community College
Jordan Ransom: Morehouse College, University of Connecticut-Waterbury, Columbia College Chicago
Charlene Scott: University of Bridgeport
Windham:
Albert Ware: Sage College of Albany, Utica College, Eastern Connecticut State University
How College Is Different than High School
Freedom, Classes, Professors, Studying, Tests, Grades
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Have to manage your own time.
You decide what your priorities are
Get to chose own classes of interest.
Professors will most likely take attendance.
Classes range from 20 to 400 students.
Professors may not give out homework or will
not always check it, but will assume you can
perform the same tasks on the test.
Professors are usually open and helpful, but
most expect you to initiate contact if you need
help.
Professors my not even follow the text, they
may expect you to relate the class to the readings.
Should study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of
class for each hour in class.
Need to review notes and text regularly.
Assigned substantial amounts of reading and/
or writing, which may not even be directly
addressed in class.
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It is up to you to read and understand the assigned material.
Testing is usually infrequent and may be cumulative, covering large amounts of material.
Some courses will only have 2 or 3 tests in a
semester.
A majority of the time make up tests are not
an option.
Professors usually schedule tests without regard to the demands of other courses or outside activities.
Grades on major tests/papers usually provide
most of the course grade.
Watch out for your first tests. These are usually the “wake-up calls” to let you know what
is expected—but they also may account for a
substantial part of your course grade.
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C O NNC A P NE WS LE T T E R
Spring 2013
Celebrating our New Haven Students
The end of this semester marks an the end of an era for our program. Because of the recent changes in
our grant funding, we will no longer be able to service students in the New Haven area. We have spent many
years at Wilbur Cross and James Hillhouse High Schools and these students will be missed during the upcoming summer program.
Students from New Haven have made a tremendous impact on our program and have been very successful. They have excelled in academics, participating in statewide History Day events, getting accepted to
numerous colleges, and graduating with honors and AP credits. Our New Haven students have also been a joy
to spend time with. Here are a few photographs of memorable moments with our recent New Haven students.
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C O NNC A P NE WS LE T T E R
Celebrating our New Haven Students
Spring 2013
Page 6
C O NNC A P NE WS LE T T E R
Spring 2013
Academic Day March 23
On March 23, ConnCAP students gathered
for the first academic day of the spring semester.
The day’s activities focused on
college acceptance and the college experience, featuring guest
speakers from the University of
Connecticut Admissions Office,
Study Abroad Program, and
Journalism Department.
Sophomores and Juniors
spent the morning with Aida
Silva, Senior Associate Director
at UCONN. Ms. Silva told students about the requirements for
admission to UCONN and other universities and
stressed the need to study hard for the SAT. She
recommended that students take it two or three
times to try to get the best score possible to help the
admissions process.
Seniors spent the morning with Abigail
Hastillo, Program Specialist from the Study Abroad
program. She showed students the many innovative
and exciting study abroad programs available to students at UCONN. She showed videos from trips to
Guatemala, Paris, and South Africa.
She also showed students how to
find programs and how to pay for
them.
In the afternoon, Juniors and
Sophomores continued to talk about
how choosing courses and community service relate to the college
admissions process. The seniors
met with Dr. Maureen Croteau
from the Journalism Department.
After taking a tour of the department’s facilities, students had the opportunity to ask
questions about transitioning to college and making
the most of their freshman years.
Thank you to Aida Silva, Abigail Hastillo, and
Maureen Croteau for making the day interesting and
informative!
Thank you to all High School Personnel!
We would like to thank each high school’s guidance department and support staff for
assisting us in the recruitment of this year’s ConnCAP incoming class. Their time, energy, and
support is invaluable!