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!