Class of 2007: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, B.A. in English
Interviewer: Gregory Chun
AsACC Student Staff Member
Class of 2015: Psychology Major, Neuroscience & Business Fundamentals Minors

Aamna Qureshi is a University of Connecticut Pakistani American graduate from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in English. She was born in Pakistan, the middle of three, but immigrated to the United States when she was about six months old to Shelton, Connecticut. Aamna grew up in the same town and went to the schools with the same name, after which she attended the University of Connecticut. She spent a lot of time in the Asian American Cultural Center, doing homework, some sleeping, and visiting on a daily basis. She got to know Angela and Sheila well and they helped shape her life and who she is. Aamna worked on the AsACC staff where she was a co-founder of the publication Catamaran, and spent two more years working on it and further developing it. She also helped plan the event with Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Bengali poet. In her senior year, she worked on the coordination and planning of Senior Night. Aamna also was involved with AMP, in being both a mentor and mentee, and KUBE, when it was known as Killingly and UConn Bridging Education.

She graduated in 2007 and went to the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School and got her Masters in Teacher Secondary Education Program. She currently works with first year college students or students with disabilities at the University of Bridgeport and is the Director of the Student Support Services. The Student Support Services helps college students, who are the first to attend college in their family, with anything that might come up.

Aamna was heavily influenced by the philosophies of both Director Angela Rola and Assistant Director Sheila Kucko where Angela always knew just what to say and Sheila had an open door policy.  She visits UConn frequently but misses the sense of community and family that was formed by AsACC, and especially misses Horsebarn Hill.

She advises current students to do what you are doing now, since it will last as long as you live and to find a mentor. However, not studying abroad is her biggest regret from her time at UConn.

Greg and AsACC would like to thank Aamna for taking the time to share her experiences with us. We hope Aamna all the best in her current position with the University of Bridgeport, and welcome her to stop by the next time she is visiting UConn!

Class of 2004: B.A. in English
Class of 2006: M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs

Interviewer: Athena Tao

AsACC Student Staff Member
Class of 2016: PharmD

Jeff: Past & Present

Jeff Alton is currently the Associate Director of the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center at University of Illinois at Chicago. He is in charge of the Asian American Mentoring Program and programming such as the Lunch Box Series, College Day, and inviting speakers to campus.

After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Asian Americans Studies, Jeff continued at Uconn to earn a Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Jeff’s first job after graduation was at University of Georgia working in Multicultural Programs. He then moved to Chicago for the city scene where he loves his current job and working with Asian American students on campus. The only complaint he has about Chicago is that it is very cold—much colder than Connecticut!

In his undergraduate years at UConn, Jeff was a mentor in the Asiantation Mentoring Program (AMP), president of the Filipino American Students Association (FASA) and was involved with the Asian American Students Association (AASA). He was very involved, participating in Homecoming, going to basketball games and playing volleyball.

Jeff’s favorite memory of UConn was during the Final Four against Duke University in 2004. He and his friends were watching the game at Hilltop Apartments, and near the end of the game he heard everyone banging their feet on the floor since UConn won the game! Everyone in the building erupted into cheers, and Jeff went to Gampel to celebrate with hundreds of other UConn students. On the way, a live news crew stopped Jeff and his friends, asking them to be in the background. His dad even called Jeff to tell him that he had seen him on TV!

Jeff’s favorite moments in AsACC were all of the conversations that he had with Angela and Sheila. Anytime he was feeling up or down, they are always there to make insightful comments. He saw AsACC as one big happy family and he misses AsACC dearly. He strives to make his Asian American Resource and Cultural Center the same way. Jeff believes UConn’s Asian American Cultural Center is one of the best in the country and a model for everyone.

Reflecting back, Jeff really believes college is the best time of your life. He says that at no other time will you have the amount of opportunities to try new things, make mistakes, and be guided through them. In real life, travel and learning cost a lot more and there is less time to do them. Therefore, his advice to seniors is to enjoy the time as much as possible and cherish it dearly. Jeff notes that there is no other time to do whatever you want (but be safe of course!). His message is to “use this time to discover yourself and love what you’re doing. It’s important to figure that out now and don’t be afraid to follow your heart. You’ll be happier in the long run! Then, come back in five or ten years and give back to the campus and the community that helped you along.”

Jeff would like to tell the seniors that if the first six months in the real world, working your first job, is kind of depressing. He says that you’re truly on your own with no safety net. If you mess up on a project, you’re most likely fired. If you don’t pay rent, you’re going to be evicted. Budgeting becomes your most precious skill and you find most of your paycheck going towards living expenses. All of this you just have to get used to. Be patient, and things will start to make sense.

To help you through this period, Jeff suggests looking for mentors to guide you—talk to them and form relationships. Your mentors in the real world are different; they’re not going to tell you what to do but instead only listen to your ideas and give you suggestions.

Lastly, Jeff says “give Angela and Sheila a hug when you can!” He thinks they are the two most amazing women and the best supervisors you’ll ever have. Jeff will be back when he can to give them a hug himself; he misses the close relationships he formed during his time in AsACC. Lastly, Jeff says AsACC helped him find what he wanted to do with his life. The Asian American Cultural Center would like to thank Jeff for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us. We hope to see you back at AsACC someday soon!