Shows
My First Year StoryS3E3. Swap, Don’t Shop: Sustainable Fashion With Madeline KizerIn this next episode of season three, the My First Year Story Podcast welcomes Madeline Kizer, who is the founder of The Swap Shop and Kizer Collective. Located on UConn’s campus, Madeline describes her story of how she got into fashion, the first ideas of a swap shop through a UConn program, and the struggles of establishing the store on campus. Even though she is amazed at how it all happened, she still wishes to see the store grow and continue to give space for the fashion and art-loving community on campus. Make sure to tune in so yo...2023-04-2021 minMy First Year StoryS3E2. Welcome to The Underground with Riley ScarrittHow do we make space in our lives? How do we create space across campus and our communities, even when it's difficult? How do we make space for all our own passions? As Riley Scarritt completes her senior thesis, a magazine, she is giving space to the various musicians and bands across campus. She is allowing them to tell their stories and their passions while also participating in her own through graphics and this thesis. Tomaso and Riley in this episode discuss the vulnerability of art and music, as well as being a transfer student. They also talk about...2023-04-0622 minMy First Year StoryLet’s Talk About Season 3!We’re back!!!! Welcome to season 3 of the My First Year Story podcast! This season we will explore the theme of creating spaces that are missing on campus that would enrich student experiences at UConn. In this introduction episode Tomaso sits down with the exec board for the 2023-2024 academic year to introduce them and talk about their journey at UConn. Some of the members even share personal stories about creating their own spaces!
2023-02-2421 minMy First Year StoryA Phone Call From London!In this week’s episode, Tomaso discusses anything and everything about studying abroad! Tomaso takes us through his experience from first considering going abroad to actually living and learning in another country! Before heading overseas, Tomaso worked with UConn Experiential Global Learning to find the best program for him. He is currently studying in the communication and graphic design program at the University of the Arts London in London, England! Tomaso felt intimidated by the size of the program compared to UConn’s smaller art department. Tomaso has not let any worries get the best of him, sharing his exci...2022-11-0319 minMy First Year StoryIntroducing: My First Semester AbroadMy First Year Semester Abroad will be a mini-series special following our host, Tomaso, as he spends the semester abroad in London! This season we will learn about Tomaso’s experience adjusting to new changes while exploring a new place. Follow along with us this season to hear about the ups and downs of college life: abroad.
2022-10-1403 minMy First Year StoryS2E12. UConn Majors: American Sign Language (ASL) with Linda & DonnaSeason two of My First Year Story concludes with special guests Dr. Linda Pelletier and Donna McNeil, both of whom discuss their roles within UConn’s relatively new American Sign Language (ASL) program which began in 2020. As a current faculty member, coordinator, instructor and major advisor for the ASL program, Linda’s knowledge and familiarity of ASL stems from being a CODA (child of deaf adults), having used ASL amongst family for all of her life. As a Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) major, Donna initially intended to be an ASL minor. However, after experiencing the immersive nature of ASL...2022-04-2826 minMy First Year StoryS2E11. UConn Leaders: Avital Sutin, UConn Hillel PresidentThe My First Year Story podcast welcomes our special guest Avital Sutin, the President of UConn Hillel. Avital’s authentic take on working smarter not harder has evolved with her through her leadership positions on campus, namely UConn Hillel. She discusses the value of connecting to and reflecting on her identity through the support she found in the Jewish community at UConn. This drives her to continue to be that resource for others as the leader of this identity-centered group. Avital also emphasizes the importance of self-care especially when being so busy whether it be going for a walk or...2022-04-1418 minMy First Year StoryS2E10. UConn Majors: School of Business with Kelly, Alexandra & KatelynOn this week’s episode, Tomaso sits down with Kelly Kennedy, the Director of Transformative Learning, and two undergraduate TA’s, Alexandra Stamboulis and Katelyn Desautels to discuss UConn's School of Business. With experience working in universities and in private companies, Kelly felt drawn back to the college setting help young professionals and ensure that students can bridge the gap between what they learn in their academics and how to apply those experiences to future careers. She wants students to take advantage of every opportunity and resource available to them. Alexandra and Katelyn, both seniors, feel as though they have...2022-03-3129 minMy First Year StoryS2E9. UConn Leaders: Emma Rocheleau, Alpha Epsilon Phi PresidentThis week, the podcast welcomes Emma Rocheleau, the current President of Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Xi Chapter (or AEPhi for short) to discuss her experiences with Greek Life at UConn. Emma’s life sounds truly changed for the better as she has grown into different leadership roles, first as Vice President of Risk Management and now as President. She talks about her own experiences rushing as well as recruiting. She also covers the hardships of running chapter meetings virtually, but describes how that experience made her more sure of herself and her decisions. If you are interested in learning mor...2022-03-1727 minMy First Year StoryS2E8. UConn Majors: The Neag School of Education with Carlton & TamashiIn another installment of the major series, UConn alum Carlton Jones and graduate student Tamashi Hettiarachchi join as special guests to discuss their engagements with Neag, UConn’s School of Education. As an alum, Carlton was already familiar with the ins and outs of UConn culture and community, where he first saw himself getting involved in higher education. His educational journey started at UConn, and still continues at UConn, as he now resides as an academic advisor in Neag. In this episode, Carlton goes into detail about his professional arc and how his undergraduate years helped shape him into hi...2022-03-0356 minMy First Year StoryS2E7. UConn Leaders: Abbey Conrad, HuskyTHON Executive DirectorWith HuskyTHON quickly approaching, the My First Year Story Podcast welcomes Abbey Conrad, this year’s Executive Director. Abbey walks Tomaso through the different aspects of HuskyTHON, from what it is to how to register (spoiler alert: anyone in the UConn community can register!) to the different levels of getting involved. She also goes into her journey in getting involved in HuskyTHON, which started freshman year in her sorority, and her “why she dances”. HuskyTHON is more than just a fundraiser, it is about strengthening the community and “dancing for those who can’t”. If you are looking to learn more a...2022-02-1727 minMy First Year StoryS2E6. UConn Majors: Biology with Dr. Kline and NayduThis week, the My First Year Story Podcast returns to the major series, welcoming Dr. Elizabeth Kline and Naydu Nunno from UConn’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) Biology Department and Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Department. Dr. Kline is a professor in both departments, teaching introductory biology courses along with higher-level MCB writing courses. Naydu, a pre-med student, facilitates Dr. Kline’s BIO 1107 Supplemental Instruction (SI) and works in a research lab on campus. This episode covers themes of support, purpose, and taking your time, as our guests talk with Tomaso about pre-med culture, the struggles of grad...2022-02-0343 minMy First Year StoryS2E5. UConn Leaders: Live from the Benton Museum!For this week’s episode of My First Year Story Podcast, we join Tomaso, not in the usual recording space, but at the Benton Museum of Art at UConn. This very special episode was recorded live during the First Thursday event and features four guests! We had individuals at the First Thursday event submit their college confession for our guests to react to. The first session welcomes Will Raccio and Nicole Mealha, two Academic Achievement Center (AAC) mentors. Listen to them react to different college confessions from anonymous students and then how they would navigate these situations. In the se...2022-01-2037 minMy First Year StoryS2E4. UConn Majors: Engineering with Nick & ValerieOn this week’s episode of the Major Series, the My First Year Story Podcast welcomes Nick Delaney and Valerie Lee from the School of Engineering (SoE). Nick, while now promoted to a new position within the college, was an advisor. He has worked in the College of Fine Arts and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences before finding his place in the SoE. Throughout his time with engineering, he has found a unique community filled with diversity in mind and work styles. Valerie is a junior Mechanical Engineering major, who fell in love with engineering in middle sc...2021-12-1638 minMy First Year StoryS2E3. UConn Leaders: Qianqian Chen, First Year Experience Mentor & TAOn this week's episode, Tomaso welcomes another student leader, Qianqian Chen, a previous First Year Experiences (FYE) mentor and a current FYE TA. Being an international student from Wuhon, China, Qianqian has faced many challenges such as homesickness, the language barrier, and culture shock. However, through her experiences in the FYE program, she was able to find her place on campus. Now, she is giving back to the program, mentoring first year students and other FYE mentors. Qianqian stresses the importance of getting involved, especially for international students, and how the FYE program allowed her to explore campus. She a...2021-12-0224 minMy First Year StoryS2E2. UConn Majors: ACES with Micah & AshleyThis week, we are kicking off a new series with our host Tomaso: Every other episode this season will focus on a major or college at UConn. To kick off this series, we felt it was only right to have guests Micah Heumann & Ashley Gospodarczyk talk to us from ACES: the Academic Center for Exploratory Students. Ashley was once a transfer student with Micah as her mentor, connected through his class, “Making Major Decisions.” Both Micah and Ashley emphasize some important takeaways about college majors in general with nuggets of wisdom from their own experiences, breaking down the common misc...2021-11-1851 minMy First Year StoryS2E1. UConn Leaders: Mason Holland, Undergraduate Student Government PresidentThe “My First Year Story Podcast” is back for season two, and we are starting the season off with UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President, Mason Holland. In this episode, listeners get the inside scoop on Mason’s decision to come to UConn (and how he pivoted from his original plan of majoring in Business). He talks about his experience in ScHOLA²RS House, and the impact it had on his first year. As his discussion with Tomaso continues, Mason also touches upon his decision to run for USG President and how he selected his running mate- or rather ho...2021-11-0430 minMy First Year StoryIntroducing Season 2 of My First Year StorySeason 2 of the My First Year Story Podcast is just around the corner! Join returning host, Tomaso Scotti, as he continues his journey at the University of Connecticut. With a focus on highlighting the variety of academic majors offered by UConn, this season, Tomaso will be sitting down with professors, advisors, staff, and other student leaders as they share their insight into their respective fields and offer advice for navigating all that UConn has to offer.
2021-10-2101 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #6: Navigating Mistakes & Your AcademicsWherever you are in your life story, we hope you’ve enjoyed our Schooltime Survival Guide about living (or commuting), learning (in-person or virtually), and thriving at the University of Connecticut. This final episode is going to focus on how you can practice academic resilience and learn from challenges and mistakes you might make along the way. Make sure you check out our Season 1 episodes if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to stay tuned for Season 2 which is coming soon!!
2021-09-0919 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #5: Living, Eating & Working at UConnAs the start of the fall semester nears, we have a special surprise for our listeners this month: we’ll be releasing one more episode, so make sure to come back for the final installment of the Guide! This episode of our summer Schooltime Survival Guide features tips from our staff about University life: from living in a residence hall with a roommate, to working as a student employee, to finding the best dining hall or local spot to eat. Tune in and take note as you make final preparations for the semester!
2021-08-1913 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #4: Getting the Most Out of Your Time at UConnWith the start of the semester being so close, we have a special surprise for you this month: We’ll be releasing two more episodes before the semester begins, so make sure to come back next Thursday for another episode! In this fourth installment of our Schooltime Survival Guide, we wanted to focus on some of the ways you can maximize your UConn experience while navigating the complexities of such a large university.
2021-08-1211 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #3: Making Storrs Feel Like HomeThis episode of our Schooltime Survival Guide is all about Storrs!! The UConn Storrs campus is the largest, most residential of our campuses, and we know that adapting to living and learning in rural Connecticut can be a huge adjustment for some students. This part of the Guide will give you a little glimpse into finding community and your sense of place among Horsebarn Hill, the Wilbur Cross Building, Gampel Pavilion, and everything in between. Tune in for tips on how to make Storrs your home away from home!
2021-08-0511 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #2: Our Favorite Advice for College Students from Season 1Welcome to our special advice episode of our summer Schooltime Survival Guide! In this part of the Guide, you will hear from our Season 1 guests as they impart wisdom upon our listeners. To hear more from these guests, make sure you check out all our full-length Season 1 episodes. We hope you enjoy!
2021-07-1516 minMy First Year StorySchooltime Survival Guide #1: Our Staff Reflects on COVID-19 & CollegeWith Season One of our My First Year Story Podcast complete, we are excited to introduce our summer BONUS series, the “Schooltime Survival Guide.” Some of you, our listeners, have followed along as first year students yourselves without ever having stepped onto UConn’s campus because of COVID-19. Others might just be discovering this podcast and are getting ready to start their own first year stories in the fall. Wherever you are in your own life story, join us this summer for some tailored content about living (or commuting), learning (in-person or virtually), and thriving at the University of Connect...2021-06-1717 minMy First Year StoryS1E14. Tomaso Reflects on Season 1In this final episode of season one, our producers Casey and Hannah flip the script and put Tomaso in the hot seat, asking him to reflect on his unique and transformational first year experience at UConn. Tune in as Tomaso shares what he’s learned from being the host of My First Year Story and how he intends to build on all he’s experienced this year in his future endeavors. As the inaugural season of the My First Year Story Podcast comes to an end, we want to thank our guests, the student staff who worked tirelessly to make...2021-05-2015 minMy First Year StoryS1E13. Judy & Justis LopezIn celebration of Mother’s Day, we have a special treat for our listeners with two guests on this week’s episode! Tomaso sits down with mother/son duo and UConn alumni Judy and Justis Lopez. Judy currently works with the UConn Women’s Center, while Justis is the CEO of his educational entertainment company Just Experience, LLC, and a consultant for the Council for Opportunity in Education. The discussion begins with Justis and Judy describing their transformational journeys with UConn, explaining the full circle feelings of helping and inspiring each other through their educational goals. As the conversation shifts t...2021-05-0637 minMy First Year StoryS1E12. Sage PhillipsThis episode features Sage Phillips, a junior Political Science and Human Rights major, who was recently named a Truman Scholar. The Truman Scholarship is a tribute to the late 33rd President and public service with the goal of inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. Listeners will quickly learn why Sage was selected for this premier graduate fellowship as they follow along with her conversation with Tomaso. As the conversation begins, Sage shares her experience of being a member of the Penobscot Nation and growing up in Maine. Sage goes on to talk about the impact that her fam...2021-04-2235 minMy First Year StoryS1E11. Yiyi AnJoining Tomaso this week is Yiyi An, a first-year international student from China. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UConn partnered with institutions around the world to offer international students ways to complete their coursework elsewhere while still connecting and engaging with other international students attending those schools. One such institution is the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), which is where Yiyi studied for the fall 2020 semester. Now taking classes fully online through UConn, Yiyi talks about the challenge of being in a different time zone than her peers and professors while simultaneously enjoying the flexibility of online...2021-04-0814 minMy First Year StoryS1E10. Myra CerratoThis episode welcomes Mrya Cerrato, a first generation college student double majoring in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies. Myra shares her story of how she transferred from UMass Dartmouth to UConn Stamford, and then arrived at UConn Storrs in the spring 2020 semester. Now, as a junior, she participates in virtual clinical psychology research, collecting qualitative data from mothers with PTSD, through UConn’s McNair Scholars Program. She gives valuable insight about McNair, explaining how it’s not only a gateway to research, but also to graduate school and post-graduation life. Beyond academics, Mrya is involved with Jumpstart, whic...2021-03-2529 minMy First Year StoryS1E9. Colin ClearyColin Cleary, a Ph.D. candidate studying Physiology and Neurobiology at UConn, lets us in on the studying secrets he discovered as an undergraduate and explains that for him, different STEM classes required different approaches. During his first year at UConn, Colin developed a passion for science but wasn’t sure about which direction to pursue. After completing coursework in Physiology & Neurobiology (PNB) and Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB) courses, he decided to declare his major in those areas. Beyond the classroom, Colin’s passion for the medical field brought him to the UConn Medical Humanitarian Society where he and other club...2021-03-1232 minMy First Year StoryS1E8. Exploring Entrepreneurship with Kathy RochaIn this week’s episode, Tomaso chats with the Operations Director of the Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UConn, Kathy Rocha. Kathy talks about the nonlinear path from a major to career, using her Political Science major from Providence College as an example. Kathy had planned to enter the field of law, but upon graduation, she felt drawn to the business world, ultimately pursuing her MBA and a career in high tech, persisting proudly in a male-dominated field. Listen to this episode to hear how she found herself at UConn and working at the Werth Institute co...2021-02-2532 minMy First Year StoryS1E7. Dr. Thomas Long"Faculty should always be willing to challenge students but also not...overwhelm them," says Dr. Thomas Long, Professor in Residence for the UConn School of Nursing and Director of the Nursing Learning Community. With our host Tomaso, Dr. Long transports us back to his early years of college as he reminisces about difficulty in finding a parking space while Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” played on the radio. He also talks about how one of his own professors “shaped the trajectory of [his] thinking and teaching for the last 50 years.” Throughout the conversation, Tomaso and Dr. Long discuss the importance of connect...2021-02-1136 minMy First Year StoryS1E6. Damani DouglasJoin Tomaso as he sits down with Damani Douglas, the first Chief Diversity Officer in UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government history, to talk about his journey and involvement in student government. In this episode, Damani explains his beginnings as a member of the ScHOLA²RS Learning Community that inspired him to explore different leadership roles. Throughout the discussion, Damani reaffirms the “cliché that there really is a club or organization at UConn for everyone”, no matter what their passion is. The conversation then shifts to the importance of the new Chief Diversity Officer position in USG and how it came to...2021-01-2829 minMy First Year StoryS1E5. Professor Jamelia MorganThis episode features Associate Professor of Law at UConn, Jamelia Morgan. Through her education at Stanford University and Yale Law School, Professor Morgan gained expertise in criminal law, critical race theory, equality law, disability law and policy, prison law and policy, and policing. Professor Morgan talks about how she supported creating the 'U.S. Anti-Black Racism Course' at UConn alongside other faculty because of student demand for the course. Although she began her career as a paralegal, teaching was important for her to explore because she believes education is the key to changing structural racism which still exists today. O...2021-01-1437 minMy First Year StoryS1E4. David OuimetteIn this episode, Tomaso sits down with the Executive Director of UConn's Office of First Year Programs and Learning Communities, David Ouimette. David shares his own experiences as a first-year student at Gettysburg College, and as the conversation continues, listeners will hear about how David's strong passion for “student success from the start” helped to pave the way for the development of UConn's First Year Experience Program, Learning Communities, the Academic Achievement Center, and the LCIZ Makerspace. Under David’s leadership, these innovative initiatives strive to provide holistic guidance, opportunities, and resources to enable students to actively engage and thrive...2020-12-3126 minMy First Year StoryS1E3. Allison DetermanOn this episode, we sit down with published author, vlogger, and first-year UConn student Allison Determan. Tomaso talks with Allison about her book, "Goat on the Lam," and how the (soon to be famous) novel came to be. Tomaso and Allison also discuss how their shared first semester at UConn has differed from past years, how the past has an important impact on the future, and how learning experiences can inform future success, in whatever form it takes for each person. This episode calls to all students looking for motivation to blaze a new path during their first year of...2020-12-1730 minMy First Year StoryS1E2. Destiny CruzIn this episode, Tomaso sits down with UConn senior Destiny Cruz, an Allied Health Sciences major with a minor in Psychology. Through their discussion, we learn more about Destiny's first-year experience as a FirstGen student, and how her personal experiences informed her peer mentoring philosophy in her roles as an FYE mentor and Academic Achievement Center coach. This episode offers great perspective and insight about UConn's culture of support for every student.
2020-12-0329 minMy First Year StoryS1E1. UConn President, Thomas KatsouleasOn this inaugural episode of My First Year Story, the 16th president of the University of Connecticut, Thomas C. Katsouleas, walks our listeners through his first year as a student at UCLA “way back in the day”. Tomaso and President Katsouleas bond over their shared love for the “small things” at UConn and delve into the close-knit, unique community that is UConn Nation.
2020-11-1934 min
My First Year StoryIntroducing- My First Year StoryMy First Year Story will follow the journey of Tomaso Scotti, a first-year student at UConn and the host of this podcast, as he has insightful conversations with members of UConn Nation about their first years of college. Witty and engaging, this podcast will provide a snapshot of what it is like to be a first-year student at UConn and how we are connected by the shared experience of going to college, learning, growing, and making mistakes along the way.
2020-11-0203 min