Who are the Student Mentors?
Student Mentors (SM) oversee the day-to-day community building aspects of the First Summer program and support the social, academic, and personal development of our students. They are every student’s first point of contact and are available to talk with students before and during the program. SMs support students as they make the jump to college-level learning and facilitate workshops and social programs that help students feel comfortable and confident as they prepare for their lives as Huskies. These mentors are familiar with the nuances of college life and our students can rely on their expertise. Mary is one of UConn’s best and brightest students, and we are thrilled to have her on our staff. You can learn more about her below.
Naia Springer (She/Her/Hers)
Rising Sophomore, Naia, calls Boston, MA her home and is double majoring at UConn in Nursing and Psychology with a Minor in Human Development & Family Studies (HDFS). Naia aspires to work in pediatrics someday having been inspired by her mother who is a school psychologist and strongly feeling the call to care for others. Naia began her time at UConn as a participant in First Summer last June where she met her first lifelong friend. She then joined the Women in Math/Science/Engineering Learning Community where she got to share a resident's halls with other empowering women that share her career interests. As a strong advocate of UConn, Naia became a Husky Ambassador where recently admitted students can shadow her for a day to get a taste of college life. Next year, Naia plans to get more involved in intramural sports she used to play in high school like soccer or lacrosse. For now, Naia is very happy ending her day with a nice science fiction book and is always looking for recommendations. Naia’s best advice to first year UConn students is actually advice she received from her UCFS student mentor: Say YES. “Everyone else is in the same boat, you’re all trying to make friends and learn your way around campus,” she explains, “so if it’s safe and you feel comfortable, say yes as many opportunities as you can!”
Hannah Leibowitz (She/They)
Hannah is a Connecticut Native, having grown up in East Haddam which is about 45 minutes from the Storrs campus. Hannah has a strong passion for saving our planet which is why she is majoring in Environmental Studies and advocates that we avoid using disposable plastics whenever possible. Once on campus, you are very likely to run into Hannah who works FIVE different jobs. You might have her as your RA, you might see her as a stagehand at a show in Jorgenson, or swapping hats between 3 Homer Library departments while you're in study group. Hannah does it all and still manages to be an honors student taking 19 credits a semester and throwing flags in our UConn Marching Band Color Guard! Once you meet kind and gracious Hannah, you’ll be surprised to learn she has a black belt in karate and considers herself introverted. Hannah’s advice to incoming UConn students is that the Daily Digest is NOT the “daily delete”, which is what most people call it. She found a lot of valuable opportunities and free give-aways by paying attention to the announcements on that email. Hannah is excited to be welcoming everyone this summer as one of the UConn First Summer Student Mentors and has lots of excitement planned for everyone.