Eastern Connecticut State University

Eastern's first cohort of nursing students was honored at the university's inaugural "white coat ceremony" on Jan. 23 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall. A rite of passage for nursing students across the world, the ceremony marks the beginning of students' clinical education and their commitment to compassionate patient care. During Eastern's ceremony, 28 students donned their white coats and received a "Keeping Healthcare Human" pin from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, whose namesake established the ceremony in 1993. The students will now begin on-site clinical experience at two sites this semester: Pierce Memorial Baptist Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn and Westview Health Care Center in Killingly.

Eastern's Office of Opportunity Programs hosted the Dream Awards, where students were recognized for their achievements and TheDream.US class of 2025 received stoles to showcase at graduation. Taking place on March 28 in the library's Paul E. Johnson, Sr. Community Conference Room, the event served as a night of celebration and inspiration for TheDream.US scholars at Eastern.

A biology major at Eastern Connecticut State University recently published a children's book based on her study of marine biology. Junior Jasmine Antonucci's "Friends with the Ocean" takes readers into the depths of the ocean through the eyes of the various creatures dwelling in its waters.

A group of incoming first-year students interested in STEM fields participated in Eastern's inaugural Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program this July. The program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and aims to diversify Connecticut's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

Senior English major Lilia Burdo has published a chapbook of poems, "Yin Ri Bei," inspired by her life growing up as a transracial adoptee from China.

Two honors history majors from Eastern Connecticut State University presented research at the recent New England Historical Association annual meeting.

With financial support from the federal government, Amirah Foster, a senior majoring in business administration at Eastern Connecticut State University, is getting a jump start this summer on a career in international business.

Four sociology students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented on their experiences with "open pedagogy" on March 4 at the 2022 Connecticut OER Virtual Summit, where they spoke on a panel titled "Student Perspectives on Open Pedagogy."

Four Eastern Connecticut State University psychology majors presented student-faculty research projects at the annual Eastern Psychological Associations (EPA) meeting in New York City on March 5. The research topics included depression among parents and children, parent-child relationships, sibling relationships and differential parental treatment.

Eastern Connecticut State University students Alexa Franchetti and Madeleine McGee were recognized as Outstanding Future Professionals by the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD) at its annual conference on Nov. 18 and 19.

Three Eastern Connecticut State University students have been hired as peer mentors for the "Beyond the Curriculum: A Learning Community for Success" program. Funded with a $650,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the "Success Scholars" program is designed to support lower-income students who are pursuing science-related careers. The peer mentors are working closely with the first cohort of Success Scholars.

Eastern Connecticut State University music student Samantha Warshauer is midway through an intensive five-week opera training program by the name of La Musica Lirica, which runs from June 21-July 23. Traditionally held in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the program has relocated to the Al. Ringling Theatre in Wisconsin due to the pandemic.

Six Eastern Connecticut State University students and alumni recently concluded a 600-mile bike ride to raise awareness of mental health issues. The group, known as "The Valley Boys Ride," concluded their two-week journey in mid-June in the Outer Banks, NC, and raised more than $5,000 for the National Alliance of Mental Illness of Connecticut (NAMI CT).

Eastern Connecticut State University senior Lacoy Brown was honored at the 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Awards on Feb. 26.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Tara Nguyen '21 presented and organized a session at the 2019 annual Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (SSSI) conference on August 9-11 in New York City.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Education Department held its sixth annual Education Awards ceremony in the Cafe of the Student Center on April 20. Six graduating seniors and three Eastern alumni were awarded for their contributions to the field of education.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Psychology Department held its annual award ceremony on April 29. Twenty-six students were inducted into the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology and 14 students were honored for achieving high and highest distinction department honors in the major.

Students in Eastern Connecticut State University's Biology Department presented their independent research projects at the 73rd Annual Eastern Colleges Science Conference (ECSC) on April 6 at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Shawn Dousis '19 of East Lyme was the student recipient of Eastern's annual Ella T. Grasso Distinguished Service Award on March 27.

Twelve history students from Eastern Connecticut State University presented at the 2019 Connecticut State University Making History Conference on March 22. The conference was held at Southern Connecticut State University.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Demitra Kourtzidis '19 of East Hampton was one of two researchers from Connecticut who presented their projects at the highly selective Posters on the Hill (POH) research conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on April 30. The annual event featured 60 representatives from colleges and universities across the nation.

Two Eastern Connecticut State University students recently presented posters at the American Historical Association (AHA) annual meeting in Chicago, IL, on Jan. 5.

Eastern Connecticut State University students and staff recently expanded their law enforcement knowledge through an extensive program offered by the Willimantic Police Department (WPD). Eight students, in addition to Christopher Ambrosio, interim director of the Office of Student Conduct, completed the WPD's Citizen's Police Academy this past November.

The English Department at Eastern Connecticut State University held its semesterly celebration of student excellence this December. "English Night" featured an awards ceremony, induction into the Sigma Tau Delta international honor society and student presentations.

A group of Eastern Connecticut State University students and faculty recently embarked on a Veterans Day trip to visit Gettysburg National Military Park. The trip, which took place Nov. 10-11, included students enrolled in either History Professor Barbara Tucker's Civil War and Reconstruction or Professor Thomas Balcerski's Antebellum America courses.

Members of Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Activity Board (CAB) attended the regional National Association for Campus Activities conference in Hartford on November 1. The group participated in the Excellence in Programming competition and were honored to be selected for the award.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Jacob Dayton '19 of Bolton, a Biology major, recently presented research at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium (GCURS) at Rice University in Houston, TX.

This past August, two Eastern Connecticut State University students traveled to Daytona Beach, FL, for the 2018 Athlete Development Research Symposium (ADRS). They presented their research titled "The Effect of External Dissociation of Attention on the Duration of a Plank to Maximum Exhaustion, Performed by Male Collegiate Soccer Players."

Four Eastern Connecticut State University students presented research essays at the Connecticut State University (CSU) English conference on Oct. 5. The event was held at Central Connecticut State University.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Patrice Eugene '20 recently completed a leadership development program, Leading Off Campus (LOC), through Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH), a diverse and effective community leadership organization. Two recent Eastern graduates also completed the program.