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!