See where some of our Hillyer Hawks have landed.
Hillyer College Helped Student Build Strong Campus Connections from the Start
Health sciences major Frederica Dampson ’26 says she was drawn to Hillyer College, where she began her academic journey, because of its smaller class sizes and in her third year seamlessly transitioned into the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions.
Hillyer College Gave Caroline Mehner ’25 the Resources to Succeed
Psychology major Caroline Mehner ‘25 says her transition from Hillyer College to the College of Arts and Sciences was flawless.
Hillyer Honors Student Arohi Verma ’26 Serves as a Leader and Mentor to Others
In addition to serving as the manager of Hillyer College’s tutoring center, Arohi Verma ’26, completed fieldwork in a second-grade classroom last semester at Allgrove Elementary School in East Granby, Connecticut.
Benjamin Weiner ’25 Applies Skills Learned in the Classroom to Marketing Internship
Benjamin Weiner ‘25 is interning this summer in the Field Marketing Division of A.P. Keaton, a marketing firm in Great Neck, New York, where he is researching event spaces for client launch events, assisting with scaling brands, and helping to come up with innovative ways to market their clients' products.
Internship Experience Confirms Student’s Desire to Pursue a School Psychology Career
Psychology major Kicha Pinthiere ’23 describes her internship at Intensive Education Academy (IEA) in West Hartford as an amazing experience that reinforced her desire to attend graduate school to pursue an education specialist degree in school psychology.
Psychology Student Emily Schwartz ’23 Prepares for Graduate School
Emily Schwarts '23 started her academic career in UHart’s Hillyer College and says the experience helped her academically and prepared her to be more confident when she transitioned into the College of Arts and Sciences. Now she's moving on to graduate school.
Successful Communication Student Hannah Shershow ’23 Values Start in Hillyer College
Communication major Hannah Shershow ’23 says her time at Hillyer College was academically challenging, fun, and the best way to transition from high school into college. When Hannah started at UHart, she was not sure of her academic goals and says with the help of her Hillyer professors, she soon found what she enjoyed and was able to fully delve into her academic journey.
Internships and Faculty Support Contribute to Student’s Success
Casey Fishman ‘23 says he was thinking about a major in history but decided on a marketing degree after taking an Introduction to Business course with Hillyer College Professor David Goldenberg.
Veteran Finds a Fresh Start in UHart’s Hillyer College
Cynthia Puerta was in charge of 40 Marines when she was in the military. She hasn’t let “hard” and “impossible” stop her, and she’s gotten to the other side of too many traumatic moments.
Support from faculty prepared Nicole Gianakos ’22 for her teaching career
Even as a child, Nicole Gianakos always had an interest in teaching. “I had wonderful teachers growing up who made such an impact on my career choice and my life that I knew this was the career path for me,” she says. Nicole was able to fulfill her dreams at UHart and will begin her job as a third grade teacher at Dwight Belizzi Elementary School in Hartford this fall.
Kyle Conti ’20, M’22 Takes His Documentary Filmmaking Experience to NFL Films
Kyle Conti has accepted a position with NFL Films to work on HBO’s Hard Knocks, a reality sports documentary series that focuses on a new NFL team each year. Kyle is a recent graduate of the UHart School of Communication’s MA in Communication program, and also earned a double major in Cinema, and Digital Media and Journalism after starting his academic journey in UHart’s Hillyer College.
Morgan Hoadley ’22 Hired as Kindergarten Behavior Technician After Graduation
Morgan Hoadley ’22 is working as a Kindergarten Behavior Technician at Mary P. Hinsdale Elementary School in Winsted, Connecticut after graduating with a degree in criminal justice from the College of Arts and Sciences.
As Psychology Student Heads to Grad School, She Reflects on Faculty Support and Mentoring
Madeline Blinderman ’21 is heading to the University of Saint Joseph in August to pursue a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Madeline graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in December. She says she decided to study psychology because of her personal experiences with mental health difficulties and her passion for helping others. Her long-term goal is to become a mental health therapist.
Graduating Communication Student Appreciates the Strong Academic Foundation Offered in Hillyer College
When Communication major Ethan Frankel ‘22 started in Hillyer College, he was planning on a teaching career and took several education courses and completed fieldwork for those classes at the Farmington Valley Transition Academy. But the opportunity to explore various subjects beyond his major resulted in Ethan changing his major to communication. “Taking different courses allowed me to get a peek at multiple fields of study that the University has to offer,” he says.
From Hillyer College to Graduate-Level Courses, Communication Student Excels Beyond the Classroom
Ryan Gorneault '22 is enrolled in UHart’s School of Communication’s accelerated degree program which allows high-performing undergraduate communication students to take courses that count toward both an undergraduate and graduate communication degree. Ryan, who is pursuing a major in communication with an emphasis in media studies, and minors in creative writing, and digital media and journalism, started his academic journey in Hillyer College where he says his professors helped him cultivate his interests in writing and communication.
Hillyer Alumna Silver Marbiah ’21 Prepares for Grad School
Silver Marbiah ’21 is applying to graduate programs as she works as a Pre-K teacher’s assistant at the Mildred Barry Gavin School in East Orange, New Jersey. A criminal justice major with a psychology minor, Marbiah’s career goal is to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She has already been accepted to Seton Hall University’s psychology sciences program and has applied to Montclair University and Rutgers University.
Meet Hillyer Alumna and Board of Visitors Chair Ebony Campbell
Hillyer College alumna Ebony Campbell '04 is Chair of Hillyer’s Board of Visitors. As the first person of color to lead the board, she says, “As a Hillyer alum, I'm happy that I get to serve. I truly believe in Hillyer, and when serving, I'm thinking about every type of student that's walking into that building and what will make their experience a great one."
Hillyer College Experience Ensures Student’s Smooth Transition into ENHP’s Integrated Elementary and Special Education Program
Shannon Hammer ’22 is going to be working as a special education paraprofessional in the Oxford, Connecticut, school district this summer. The integrated elementary and special education major, who started her academic journey in Hillyer College, says she’ll be placed in an elementary or middle school under the guidance of a special education teacher.
Honors Student Launches Humanitarian Outreach Project for Ugandan Women
Thanks to the support of a Dorothy Goodwin Scholarship, Kerren Katembo ’22 is hoping to visit Uganda this summer to fulfill her dream of working with the Avon, Connecticut-based organization Guiding Light Orphans (GLO). A biology major and psychology minor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Kerren is also part of UHart’s Pre-Medical Professions Advising Program and is planning on a career as a pediatric surgeon.
Hillyer College Experience Heightens Alumna’s Interests in Business and Public Service
Myeisha Boyd is working as an analyst with Goldman Sachs in its Investment Banking–Operations Division and says her educational experience at UHart and Hillyer College has prepared her for her career in many ways. She recently earned a graduate degree in public administration from New York University.
Faculty Support Helps Hillyer Alumna Prepare for Respiratory Therapy Career
Wiktoria Milewska, a respiratory care major in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP), has been named as an associate board member of the American Lung Association (ALA), Northeast Region, based in East Hartford, Connecticut. Wiktoria, who began her academic journey in Hillyer College, was recommended for the position by a current board member this summer after she helped the organization with its fundraising efforts.
Annie Odell A’19, ’21
Annie Odell A’19, ’21, a marketing major in the Barney School of Business, completed her for-credit marketing communication internship with Connecticut Institute For Communities (CIFC) this summer.
Management Student Applies Skills Learned in Classroom to Connect Amazon Fulfillment Center with Local Charities
Stephen Root, a management major, is participating in a for-credit internship remotely this summer with Amazon through UHart’s Charitable Giving Project team.
Communication Student Accepted Into Exclusive Disney Internship Program
Zach Stewart was accepted the highly competitive Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Internship at State Legislature Feeds Student’s Passion for Politics
Hillyer College sophomore Macyana “Macy” Harris, A ’20, ‘22, is one of a select number of college students who completed an internship this spring with the Connecticut General Assembly at the State Capitol. “If you want to be successful in the legislature and government, you have to be willing to eat, breathe, and sleep politics,” says Macy
From Social Worker to Personal Trainer, Alumna Credits Hillyer With Her Success
Although her life has taken her across the country, Julie Shiller (A'05, '07) says she still recognizes her roots in Hillyer College and the University of Hartford. Shiller credits her academic and professional success to the relationships she made with her Hillyer professors.
Jacob Lamoureux '20
Upon graduation with a communication and sociology (minor) degree, senior Jacob Lamoureux will begin a customer success specialist position at Madison Logic, a marketing-technology company headquartered in New York City. Jacob says, "UHart helped provide me with the resources I needed to be successful and to secure a job before graduation."
Hillyer College’s Outstanding Young Alumni. Where Are They Now?
Each year, Hillyer College honors an outstanding alumna or alumnus of the College whose devotion to their community or profession is exemplary. Take a look at where some of the past recipients of the Hillyer Young Alumni Award are in their professional and personal lives.
Hillyer College Alumnus’s Achievements Have Surpassed His Expectations
Like so many first-year students, Chris Cowie (A’16, ’18) was nervous when he started at UHart’s Hillyer College. He admits that although he struggled with academics in high school, he was able to succeed in Hillyer due to its tremendous support system.
First-Year Student Appreciates the Advantage that Hillyer College Offers
Kicha Pinthiere A’21, ‘23, a first-year student and psychology major from Providence, Rhode Island, credits the Hillyer College Summer Bridge program with helping with her smooth transition into college.
Student Becomes International Filmmaker Before He Graduates
“I never thought in a million years that I would be doing documentary filmmaking and traveling around the world,” said Kyle Conti A'18, ‘20. A Hillyer College alumnus, Kyle is a cinema, and digital media and journalism major in the College of Arts and Sciences. He has travelled to Lithuania three times with a team of UHart students and faculty to film the documentary, Finding Matilda, about Matlida Olkin, a college student who along with her family was killed during the Holocaust.
Legislative Internship Program
For the past half century, the Legislative Internship Program has afforded countless college students the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about how state government works, through direct experience in the legislative offices of the Connecticut General Assembly.