Phil’s Blog

The Last Blog. It feels so strange to finally say it. When I started this UConn blogging experience back in August, I never thought of the day when it would end. This experience has been one of the greatest things that I’ve done at UConn so far, it has given me the opportunity to chronicle my entire life for the 2007-08 school year, and that’s huge.

Photo Taken By Matt Przywara (Clutch Timing, Bro, Very Clutch)

This coming year, I will be a junior on campus, the youngest of all of the current UConn student bloggers, and I’m so excited to finally become an upperclassman.

Over the summer, I will be researching at the UConn Health Center through the Summer Fellowship Program. I have to select a lab and that will all be squared away by May 16th. The program will run from May 30th to August 13th, the bulk of the summer.

UConn Health Center in Farmington, CT

As for next year, you can see me all around campus. I will be serving as the Program Director for the UConn Homelessness Project, Vice President of the Honors Council, and as an undergraduate researcher in the Molecular and Cell Biology Lab.

I’m really looking forward to the future and what the University of Connecticut has in store for me. I see a lot of great changes going on and I’m really excited for all of you coming into UConn as part of the Class of 2012. Congrats and be prepared to take this University to the next level.

SHOUT-OUTS!! Go out to all of my faithful readers (you kept me pumped throughout the year), to Maria Sedotti from the Office of Orientation for recommending me (thanks so much Maria, this was an amazing experience), to University Communications for getting the whole blogging program ready and for selecting me to write, and to everyone at the University of Connecticut for providing me with things to do so that I could write some interesting blogs.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!

-Phil Gorecki

This past week was a terribly stressful mix of hardcore studying and taking Final Exams. This year, I had a CHEM 243 final on Monday, an MCB 229 final on Thursday, an ANTH 100W final on Friday, an ECON 102 final on Friday, and a final essay for INTD 299 (the class to train INTD 198 facilitators).

This was me the past seven days (WOOF!!).

At the beginning of the week, I felt totally overwhelmed with so many tests, each going to require so much of my time. But as the days went on the tests were being taken, it felt more manageable. The first step I took was to complete my INTD 299 final essay on Sunday so that I could free up the rest of the week for studying. After the essay, I prepared for organic chemistry, then moved onto microbiology, economics, and closed out with anthropology.

My favorite approach to studying is looking at PowerPoint presentations that the professors provide and then reading through the books again. I’ve been getting back some of my grades recently and it seems that my strategies have been paying off since the results are pretty strong.

Finals are a tough time for me because not only is it stressful trying to study for tests, but it also marks the end of the semester, so you have to say goodbye to all the friends you’ve spent all year with having a great time (college is so much fun).

SHOUT-OUTS!! Go to Prof. Lee Aggison Jr. (MCB 229), Marsenia Harrison (MCB 229), Hung-Chieh Lo (MCB 229), Prof. Michael Smith (CHEM 243), Dr. Jennifer Lease Butts (INTD 299), Missy Korduner (INTD 299), Prof. Bob Martel (ECON 102), and Prof. Timothy Ives (ANTH 100W) for teaching me everything this semester, it’s been a great time and I wish all of you the best in the future.

After four months in the making, this morning we had the University of Connecticut Honors Program Distinguished Alumni Award banquet to honor Mrs. Bonnie Sarno Vontell.

The banquet had around 60 people there including Ms. Sarno Vontell’s family, HBAD (Honors Board of Associate Directors) members, Dr. Goodstein, Dr. Lease Butts, members of the UConn Board of Trustees, and all of the University Scholars along with their families.

The event was amazing, everything from the brunch catered by University Dining Services to the atmosphere of the event to the incredible pride and excitement that Ms. Sarno Vontell exuded.

The event included opening remarks by Dr. Goodstein, my introduction of Ms. Sarno Vontell, and then an acceptance speech by Ms. Sarno Vontell. Ms. Sarno Vontell’s speech was incredibly well thought out and it discussed the growth of the University, the tremendous changes in the Honors Program since her time here, and her experiences after UConn.

After the banquet, all of the students and Ms. Sarno Vontell’s family went to the Honors Medal Ceremony where she spoke to the graduating Honors students.

SHOUT-OUTS!! Go to everyone involved with today’s banquet, especially Ms. Sarno Vontell and all of the graduating students. Congratulations to Ms. Sarno Vontell on the Distinguished Alumni Award, and to all of the graduating students for four successful years at UConn.