IMJR Graduates 2023-24 | Individualized & Interdisciplinary Studies Program

Individualized Major: Entrepreneurship in Animal Science Technology

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I'm going to continue R&D on my veterinary simulation venture outside of college. I am the founder CEO of a toy company, and when I exit, I will be ready to jump into animal science technology full time.

"I had been on the Pre-Vet track for almost three years and had been working in animal hospitals for seven years. I started to realize the lifestyle of veterinary science was not for me because I have a fundamental need to be innovative and I felt I could do more with entrepreneurship than clinical in the veterinary world. As a creative ideator, I love taking concept to execution but find maintenance mundane, so being able to design my major to fit what I'm good at made me feel at peace with my academic career for the first time in years. Incorporating entrepreneurship into animal science kept the repetitive nature of scientific maintenance out and allowed be to work on something that has never been done before. It's so rare to find out what you truly want to do in college and actually be able to do it, so I'm very grateful that I was able to do this program; being unhappy with your major has such a toll on your motivation, and since I've been in IISP, I don't feel like my work is work anymore."

Individualized Major: Global Health and Social Inequalities

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: With graduation around the corner, I will be taking growth years to travel and study for the MCAT before I apply to medical school.

“This program not only allowed me to combine my interests, but also gave me a unique major that is relevant in today’s world. The courses in my plan of study helped me truly capture the essence of how social inequalities play a role in global health.”

Individualized Major: User Experience Design

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: For my future plans, I am looking for a full-time job in User Experience Design where I will be able to create prototypes and interfaces for apps/websites that can ease frustrations for users and create efficiencies in everyday life. I am very happy with the knowledge I have obtained from UCONN and can't wait to enter the next chapter of my life!

“I chose to pursue an Individualized Major because I believed it would give me well-rounded knowledge on my topic of interest. With communication, psychology, and art/design I was able to learn lots of valuable information on the world of user experience design and develop hard and soft skills for my future profession!"

Individualized Major: Computational Statistics

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: After graduation, I am excited to start my career at Apple as a Software Engineer, where I will leverage the knowledge and skills I've gained from my major. At the same time, I will be pursuing a Master's in Data Science to further my research interests and achieve my aspirations in the field of finance. This dual path will allow me to deepen my expertise while contributing meaningfully to advancements at the intersection of technology and finance.

"I chose an individualized major because it was flexible and allowed me to create a plan that perfectly matched my goals and passions in school. This personalized approach ensured that every course and project was directly relevant to my career ambitions and academic interests, providing a deeply engaging and practical educational experience."

Individualized Major: Global Studies

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: Following my undergraduate career at UConn, I hope to attend graduate school in a sustainability-related field that incorporates business management and/or international development. Since my program of choice is yet to be determined, I plan to work a full-time job in sustainability management or ESG so that I can gain professional experience and continue building my network!

"The individualized major program allowed me to develop a plan of study tailored to my interests and expand the scope of what I might want to pursue following my undergraduate career. I really liked the flexibility and creativity of being able to curate a major from an interdisciplinary lens, while also being under the guidance of several faculty who advised me on which courses would be most appropriate according to my specializations within the field. My participation in the program gave me a special opportunity to explore what existed beyond the standard offerings at UConn and how intersections between different disciplines are critical to developing new ways of thinking, learning, and collaborating both inside and outside of the classroom."

Individualized Major: Government, Policymaking, and Law

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I will be joining the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) as a Postgraduate Technical Assistant. In this role, I will work with a brilliant staff of standard-setters to improve our accounting system–by seeking out and responding to state/local government practitioner feedback, conducting research on proposals, and analyzing the implementation of past changes.

“My individualized major allows me to academically explore government and policymaking in an intuitive way that complements my accounting background. Through this program, I am able to engage in courses I would not have otherwise been able to take.”

Individualized Major: Law, Rights, and Crime

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I will be interning at the State's Attorneys office this upcoming summer! I will then be finishing out my last 2 years of law school at UConn Law!

"As a student in the Accelerated Program in Law, creating an individualized major allowed me to take human rights classes and criminal justice classes all while also being able to include my first year of law school classes into my major! I was able to cultivate an education in the areas I found the most interesting and beneficial to my future career as a lawyer. My IMJR advisors have been the best in helping me plan everything out and ultimately helping me be on the right path to graduation!"

Individualized Major: Gender Inequity and the Law

Graduation Date: December 2023

Future Plans: Attending Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University beginning in Fall 2024 with a focus on women's justice and intellectual property law.

"The individualized major allowed me to have a unique education tailored to my specific interests. It gave me the ability to take classes far outside of my first major in different schools. I believe my IMJR gave me an advantage in pursuing my legal education post-undergrad, giving me invaluable knowledge. My IMJR advisors were there to help me every step of the way."

Individualized Major: Creative Writing & Film

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I am planning on attending graduate school this coming fall where I will work to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. Although things are subject to change, I am interested in potentially becoming a professor. Regardless, I plan on continuing to write no matter where the future takes me.

"Around the time of my junior year, I realized that I had nearly finished taking all of the courses required for my mathematics major and would thus have the opportunity to take classes the suited my interests outside of math. Analyzing films and writing are areas I had always been passionate about and curious about pursuing, though I had never explored these areas in an academic setting. In searching for pre-existing ways to learn more about both creative writing and film, I fortunately found out about the individualized major program. I was excited to see that I could take the initiative in selecting the classes that most interested me as an individual and was not bound to any strict pathway."

Individualized Major: Visual Storytelling for Children

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: In the future, I hope to work in the production field as either an editor or camera operator. I want to focus on media for children, wether that be working on educational media with National Geographic Kids, or on fictional media with PBS or Disney. Additionally, I think it would be really fun to work with middle school age students, teaching them video production and photography skills. Using the skills they learn, they would produce photographs to display in a student gallery or work together to produce a student film. They would have the opportunity to share their projects with friends and family in an end of year red carpet event!

"I chose to be an individualized major because it gave me a lot of flexibility with my college curriculum. Rather than being forced to choose one of my passions to pursue, the individualized major allowed me to combine my interests and take the classes that I wanted to take!"

Individualized Major: Multimedia Production

Thesis: Optimizing Media Advertisement: Social Media Strategy for Supporting a Creamery Business

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: Currently I work as a social media intern for The Farmer's Cow Calfe and I plan on continuing to do so after graduation. My ultimate goal is to work either in journalism or sports reporting fields and see where opportunities may present themself. I would like to also continue to work in UConn Athletic Video Services or start at a local news station.

"I felt like I didn't fit into just one major at UConn. There were so many classes and opportunities presented and I wanted to explore as many as I could. When I transferred here halfway through my freshman year I was disappointed to find out there was no film program available. I learned I could create my own major that suits me and I immediately chose this route so that I would be able to take courses from different disciplines. Since then I have learned a lot in many areas and I feel that this was the most beneficial choice for me."

Individualized Major: Land Surveying and Geomatics

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: In the future I plan to start working as a surveyor, get licensed as a Land Surveyor In Training, then after four years of work I will hopefully be able to get licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor.

"I chose individualized major because it gave me the opportunity to tailor my degree to exactly what I needed it to be to become a Land Surveyor. The courses in my degree are taken from various different disciplines which would not be possible to take under a normal degree at UConn. My degree will set me up for the best success in my future as a Land Surveyor."

Individualized Major: Visual Media

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: As of right now, my plan is to move to Austin, TX and pursue some kind of career in music. I've considered positions such as artist relations, marketing and music supervising. Apart from this I plan to continue exploring concert photography and merch design as a side gig.

“I wanted to make sure that I was making the most out of my college career. In terms of time and money, I didn't want to spend my time taking classes that weren't exactly what I was looking for/needed. Being able to design my own plan of study meant I could ensure my time was being used as productively as possible.”

Individualized Major: Entrepreneurial Communication

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: Currently have been working as a Business Development and Marketing Manager at a Corrosion Engineering firm. I was offered the position after working 2 years as an intern for the company.

"I wanted to combine both entrepreneurship and business development with professional communication as it would allow me to learn all the skills necessary for the business I aspire to grow in business consultation."

Individualized Major: Health Disparities Among Marginalized Groups

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I will be attending Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to pursue my Master of Public Health in the Sociomedical Sciences program. Through this education, I want to continue to learn more about the social determinants of health and the actionable steps I can take to advocate for communities.

"I chose an Individualized Major due to the different perspectives it entails. It was intriguing to combine different disciplines into what I wanted to study as I knew it would better equip me for my plans. As my concentration is on health disparities, I knew that I wanted to learn about health equity from the science perspective and the social sciences to cover the intersectionality of this field."

Individualized Major: Integrative Exercise Physiology and Nutrition

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future plans: I plan to attend physical therapy school, and sometime in my future I would love to be involved in personal training and lifestyle coaching aimed towards helping individuals achieve their goals and live a healthier life in a world that has made it increasingly difficult.

"I chose an individualized major because I saw an opportunity to create a plan of study that integrated several aspects of two different majors and that was tailored to opportunities I see within my future."

Individualized Major: Cognitive Neuroscience

Thesis: Enhancing Resilience: A Novel Fear Conditioning Intervention for Mitigating Social Anxiety in Undergraduate Students

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I'm taking a gap year, where I'll be studying for my OAT, working as an Optometric Technician, and eventually applying to Optometry schools. Also, I plan on traveling and spending time with friends and family! Eventually, I hope to go to Optometry school and then become an optometrist (potentially specializing in Vision therapy).

"I did an individualized major because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only take the classes that all seem most interesting to me, but also combine them with my optometry school prerequisites to create an efficient schedule. Plus, I felt like my major would provide a solid foundation for graduate school, as it's an interdisciplinary major that covers several topics like Biology, Psychology, Cognitive Science, etc. Overall, I knew these classes would help me, as a doctor, better understand and treat issues in a holistic manner."

Individualized Major: Health Performance and Nutrition for Youth

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: My future plans involve acquiring my teachers license and personal trainers license in order to have the proper teaching tools. The rest of my plans will involve discovering what I want to do with my life now that one of my biggest chapters is over. I want to try a lot of more of everything life can offer.

"My individualized major's title is Health Performance And Nutrition for Youth. It is a mix of knowledge gained from Kinesiology, Nutritional Sciences, and Human Development and Family Studies classes. This major fits my future career goals of being an athletic educator, and I hope to teach children about nutrition and exercise in the outdoors."

Individualized Major: Global Studies: Peace, conflict, and security (regional focus in East Asia)

Thesis: Not all violence is forgivable: How narratives of violence against civilians are recorded in South Korean history textbooks

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I will be working in cyber risk and services for Otis Elevators. I have interned there part time for the past semester and look forward to transferring to full time. I plan to take a few years to work and explore cyber security before attending law school and pursuing a career in data privacy law.

"I wanted to be able to explore courses from a variety of departments, including history, anthropology, and political science. I am also a political science major, but I wanted to really focus on international issues and the background of what contributes to peace, conflict, and security in an area of the world with a rich tradition of consolidated political power."

Individualized Major: Drugs, Disease, and Illness

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I plan to go to medical school in 2025 in the hopes of becoming a physician.

"I wanted to create an individualized major that uniquely incorporates different aspects of the sciences to investigate the human body and mind. The focus of this major is mental health, psychical health, and their relationship with each other and medications. There is an additional focus on drugs and addiction that no other major encompasses."

Individualized Major: Geoscience Communication & Visual Media

Capstone Project: The Icefield: An Expedition Memoir ("a documentary about my experience as a student in the Juneau Icefield Research Program")

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I plan on taking a gap year after graduation to work as a science communicator at a university, to gain more experience working alongside a wide variety of professionals. I plan on going to graduate school to continue doing research in my main major, Earth Science.

"An individualized major allowed me to take the courses I wanted to take in a non-traditional plan of study. With the IMJR, I have gained skills in both science and creative lines of work, both of which I will be able to use in my future career."

Individualized Major: Criminal Behavior

Capstone Project: The Progressive Woman's Guide to Serving Men: The Use of Cannibalistic Violence in Feminist Literature

Graduation Date: May 2024

Future Plans: I will be attending Washington University in St Louis for law school in the fall!

"I wanted to make sure that I didn't waste my college career by taking classes I wasn't passionate about. IMJR let me choose each of my classes from a range of fields and explore my options in a way traditional majors and minors wouldn't have."

Hashir Ahmed

Jennifer Alarcon

Lyla Andrick

Joseph Annan-Kingsley

Alexus Armoogam

Zachary Arzano

Ariadna Aucapina

Dylan Barkasy

Marckwin Bristhole

Kelly Chaudhry

Janice Cheng

Okem Chime

Christian Chlebowski

Patrick Cummins

Eleanor Curley-Holmes

Emily Diaz

Ana Laura Faoro

Melanie Ford

Jeffery Gamer

Ricky Garcia

Sadie Gjonaj

Renee Haddad

Remy Hurd

Emily Jajliardo

Kailey Kerrigan

Rehana Konate

Kekoa Krautkramer

Aanya Mehta

Ryann Merseth

Aidan Metcalfe

Anushka Molugu

Abigail Mori

Patrick Murphy

Justin Nappi

Riley Noonan

Erin O’Neill

Emmanuel Ortiz

Mason Pawelek

Dhwani Patel

Nahjae Petty

Kelly Ruesta

Garrett Sasseville

Nour Shraiki

Yang Shao

Mikha Shrestha

Eric Sturtevant

Uthara Sunderesh

Sheela Tavakoli

Alexis Torres

Madison Tyburski

Grace Vaidian

Zhanbo Wang

Caroline Wexler

Vanessa Witheridge

Stefan Wnuk