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.”
several promising practices to celebrate the work and dedication of their students, starting with a first ever college credit ceremony held last May. The ceremony celebrated the efforts of more than a hundred students who participated in dual credit coursework through one of New Britain’s various higher education partnerships, including UConn ECE.
instructors from 12 different UConn ECE high school partners from across the state. We were also joined by UConn Avery Point and Storrs Administrators, faculty, and staff, and a very special Guest of Honor, Jonathan XV! 
These sessions helped students dive deep into the academic topics related to maritime studies, engineering, and more setting them up for the afternoon’s hands-on competition. 
and The Morgan School placed in two of the four heats, Daniel Hand High School broke their streak and brought home the Cardboard Trophy as the winners of the Championship Race! Daniel Hand High School’s Usain Boat set the record for the fastest completion time during the initial heats, and then took first in the Championship race as well. They will display the Cardboard Trophy until next year, when a plaque with their school and boat name will be affixed to the trophy, and then be passed along to the 2025 Champions!
anticipated 3rd annual Italian Immersion Day & Quiz Bowl. The event, which took place at UConn’s Storrs campus in the Student Union Theatre, set a record for participation. Over 100 students from six high schools across Connecticut came together for a day of competitive fun, language immersion, and cultural celebration.
passion for the language.
French Immersion Day & Quiz Bowl on the UConn Storrs Campus. This year’s event had over 120 students attend representing nine different UConn ECE partner high schools across Connecticut. We welcomed students from Coventry High School, Daniel Hand High School, Glastonbury High School, Lewis S. Mills High School, New Fairfield High School, Wilton High School, Bristol Eastern High School, Jonathan Law High School, and Norwich Free Academy.
Cultures, and Languages Department Head, Dr. Jennifer Terni; and the UConn ECE French Faculty Coordinator and host, Dr. Florence Marsal. Chris welcomed students and instructors to Storrs with a brief commentary on the intertwined histories of the United States and France, particularly the shared revolutionary ideals of the late 18th Century, and the significant cultural, political, and intellectual exchanges which have shaped their paths as modern democracies. Dr. Terni spoke about Technopole, the UConn dual degree in French and engineering that offers great opportunities to travel and internship in France, while Dr. Marsal individually welcomed each participating high school, and provided them with guidance on how the event would unfold. Students were encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with the UConn French Teaching Assistants during the morning immersion sessions, to collaborate with their peers from across the state, and to bring their best to the afternoon’s Quiz Bowl competition.
topics, such as comedy, paintings, BookTubers, European travel, the Breton regional identity, and fairy tales, they mentally prepared themselves for the jeopardy-style Quiz Bowl Competition in the afternoon. To accommodate the higher number of teams who entered the competition than in years past, Dr. Marsal shifted the format of the competition. Instead of single elimination rounds, each team competed a minimum of two times this year. The teams who achieved the highest number of correct answers advanced to the next round.
language skills in Italian, French, and German, while also celebrating the rich cultural traditions associated with each language.
students, with the closest attendees from neighboring E.O. Smith High School, followed by East Lyme High School, and schools from the southwest corner of the state, including Staples High School and Wilton High School.
