By Christ-Anne Jean-Francois, UConn Student Administrative Assistant
Since its inception 9 years ago, the UConn ECE Ambassador Program has grown significantly. This extracurricular opportunity plays a crucial role within the UConn Early College Experience Program, where ambassadors actively assist with ECE marketing and administration, support fellow students, and collaborate with Site Representatives at their high schools. In recent years, we’ve expanded their responsibilities to make them more interactive and present on the front lines of our social media platforms and publications.
This year, we have 35 ECE Ambassadors representing 27 schools across Connecticut. Our ambassadors are primarily seniors, with 30 seniors, 3 juniors, and 2 sophomores making up this year’s cohort.
Some of the initiatives that ambassadors have contributed to recently—and will continue to participate in this year—include the ECE Student Advice Column, where ambassadors share tips and insights for success in the program. They also participate in Ambassador Spotlights, allowing each ambassador to highlight their personal achievements and goals, and showcase their experiences with ECE. Additionally, ECE Instagram Takeovers give students a chance to provide a behind-the-scenes look at their daily lives as ECE students, sharing updates, advice, and glimpses into their classes and extracurricular activities.
Ambassadors are also involved in semester reports, providing updates on what’s happening in their classrooms and UConn courses. During the fall term, they assist teachers with student registration, supporting a smooth enrollment process.
The UConn ECE Ambassador Program is an excellent leadership opportunity, and it’s rewarding to see the impact on our students’ futures. Through our intake process, we’ve learned that all of our ambassadors plan to attend a four-year university after high school. This program not only cultivates leadership skills but also serves as an inspiring pathway for other students who share similar values and aspirations to get involved in their schools and the UConn ECE Program.
in-person and virtual. Instructors from Philosophy, American Studies, Maritime Studies, U. S. History, Medieval Studies, Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Chinese, Marine Sciences, Music, Economics, Physics, Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems, Sociology, and English, along with our ECE Library Media Specialists, have had the opportunity to connect with their colleagues, faculty coordinators, and the ECE program staff so far this school year! We would like to take the time to highlight some of these incredible events and thank all attendees and organizers for their efforts this semester.
with some exciting stories of ECE student successes (congratulations to Cheshire High School for placing 3rd in their Future Business Leaders of America competition!), and brainstorming classroom activities. Several guest speakers joined us in the afternoon, including Ariel Slonim, curriculum designer for Marginal RevolutionUniversity, a nonprofit dedicated to providing everyone with a “world-class economic education”, and Mary Claire Peate, a Senior Economic Education Specialist from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
descriptions were as follows:
connected with similarly enthusiastic educators from across the country. The event was a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas and build relationships with colleagues dedicated to advancing language education. I attended engaging sessions focused on equitable practices in language teaching, gaining valuable insights into creating more inclusive and accessible learning environments for students of diverse backgrounds. A standout moment for me was a thought-provoking presentation on integrating AI in the classroom. It highlighted how we as teachers can integrate AI into our curricular planning to create evergreen lessons that reduce the cognitive load and the workload of teachers. The experience reinforced the importance of collaboration and staying current with evolving methodologies in language education and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Academy and present his capstone project, “Navigating the Tide: Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Instructor Certification in an Era of Teacher Uncertainty”. Chris’s project will result in a forthcoming NACEP Policy Brief and NACEP Webinar on strategies for State, District and Educator Preparation Program leaders to mitigate the impacts of teacher shortages on dual credit access. Regarding the conference, he states, “NACEP is an incredible opportunity for practitioners from across the nation to come together and explore best practices in the Dual and Concurrent Enrollment space. While UConn’s Office of Early College Programs is recognized as a national leader, the team and I always walk away feeling inspired and re-imagining ways to better support our partner schools, students and instructors.”
kicked off with a plenary session focusing on Promising Practices at Partner Schools. Representatives from Glastonbury Public Schools, East Lyme High School, Rockville High School and University High School of Science and Engineering discussed ways they are expanding their concurrent and dual enrollment opportunities at their schools. They shared an approach that focused on creating diverse course offerings to meet the unique needs of their high school populations. Site Representatives attended breakout sessions which focused on high school specific program data, expanding access to course offerings, registration 101, a Q&A with a panel of former UConn ECE students, and information from UConn’s Center for Students with Disabilities. The conference ended with a barbecue lunch on the Student Union Terrace for attendees to enjoy a beautiful, sunny day on the Storrs campus. We look forward to having everyone back on the Storrs campus next year.
Conversation: Cultural Topics, since 2012. His unique gift to ECE classrooms was bringing alive the language, culture, and history through his storytelling based on his extensive travel experiences in the Hispanic and Portuguese worlds, and his Chilean heritage. In his retirement, Mr. Lewis will move on to his third career teaching Buddhist philosophy and practice, and eventually living part time in the White Mountains and in Chile.
International Studies Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA in April, where he presented a research paper on Nationalism and identities in South Asia, an article version of his dissertation. He also co-presented on forming national identities, mass culture, and land rights. Dr. Rafiq was able to attend several sessions, including foreign policies, using role theory and Arab Spring 2.0, and civil war research.
ear we had the great honor to recognize thirteen Professional Recognition Award winners along with six award winners of the Silver Jubilee Award (25-year partners). The night was filled with heartfelt speeches, tears of joy, laughter, and celebration as winners, accompanied by their family and friends were able to pause and acknowledge the great impact they have on the lives of their students, their community, and those who work alongside them.
