Volume XXXVI | November 2025 | | |
“The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to matter– to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.”
-Leo Rosten
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Student Leaders of the Month | | |
We're recognizing Brianna Michaux and Abi Elliott as student leaders of the month for their outstanding dedication and leadership in creating the Preschool Bookpals program. Their nominator wrote: "Both Bri and Abi are constantly spending time in the CO Office and bring such light into the space. They have created a program from the ground up and are putting in crazy amounts of effort to ensure its success. [...] I have witnessed both of them conduct interviews, and they bring so much energy and joy into promoting their program. I know that Preschool Bookpals is going to be an amazing program."
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Abi Elliott
Program Director for Preschool BookPals
Abi is a sophomore pre-teaching major. She first joined Community Outreach as a freshman because she wanted to get involved with the community while working with children. Now, as the Program Director for BookPals, she is able to lead others to do the same. She says, "I love getting to lead a program that has such a positive impact on the children in our community." As an aspiring teacher, Abi finds it very rewarding to watch children learn and grow.
In her free time, Abi enjoys running. This fall, she ran the Chicago Marathon!
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Brianna Michaux
Assistant Director for Preschool BookPals
Bri is a junior majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. She first got involved with Community Outreach as a participant in her first year. “I joined CO as a freshman because I was looking for a community to be a part of at such a large school,” Bri shared. “The first thing I noticed about CO was how welcoming everyone was; it made me feel right at home.”
Now, as a junior, Bri serves as the Assistant Program Director for BookPals. “The service I’ve participated in has been such a rewarding experience,” she said. Bri credits her growth to the supportive CO staff and the other student leaders who have inspired her along the way. She adds, "I have learned so much from connecting with our community partners over the last 2 years as well as the other leaders within CO who helped me strengthen my own skills as a student leader."
In her free time, Bri likes to cook, and she loves having a kitchen this year so she can try out new recipes at school.
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Coins for a Cause
We have wrapped up the 2024-2025 Coins for a Cause cycle and distributed the final donations to non-profit organizations on behalf of student organizations!
On October 17th, members of UNICEF Campus Initiative joined students and staff from SABS and CO representatives for the first coin count of the new cycle.
Here is the list of the six orgs chosen for the 2025-2026 Coins for a Cause program:
- Alzheimer's Awareness Club - The Alzheimer's Association
- Partners in Health Engage - Partner's In Health
- Project Sunshine UConn - Project Sunshine
- UNICEF Campus Initiative - UNICEF USA
- Habitat for Humanity UConn Campus Chapter - Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut
- Canine Companions at UConn - Canine Companions
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Special Olympics 10th Annual Smile Mile and Cornhole Tournament
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On Saturday, November 8th, the UConn Special Olympics Committee and Special Olympics CT (SOCT) proudly hosted the 10th annual Smile Mile and Cornhole tournament in honor of Jeffny Pally.
The morning began with opening remarks from Joel Pally, the older brother of Jeffny, and Special Olympics Committee director Summer Garrepy. The weather was unexpectedly warm for November as students, Special Olympians, and other members of the community arrived and participated in a one-mile walk around campus. Then, cornhole teams began their competition, with Team Skippers winning the overall tournament.
Big thank you to Summer, Jenna, and the Special Olympics Committee, and all who helped organize the event, showed their support, walked to raise awareness, and help SOCT get over $1000 dollars in donations!
| | Alt Breaks Alumni Pickleball | |
On Sunday, October 19, a group of Alternative Breaks alumni gathered at Rye Street Park in Windsor for a fun afternoon of pickleball. Seven alums came out and reconnected with old friends, and shared some friendly competition on the court.
This pickleball meetup was the first event in their new Alternative Breaks Alumni Engagement Initiative, designed to strengthen UConn’s alumni community.
The goals of this initative are to:
- Create opportunities for alumni to network and stay connected
- Encourage continued involvement with Community Outreach and Alt Break programs
- Connect current students with alumni mentors
- Build lasting affinity for Alternative Breaks
- Have fun doing it!
If you’re an Alternative Breaks or CO alum and want to stay involved, please take a few minutes to fill out this Google Form. Feel free to share it with fellow alumni.
Their next event is planned for sometime in December, so keep a lookout!
| Social Media and Misinformation Dialogue | |
On October 28, we co-hosted a dialogue with the UConn Humanities Institute on, “The Spread of Misinformation and the Rise of Social Media Advocacy.” The event featured panelists Dr. Sherry Pagoto, Professor Amanda J. Crawford, and Dr. Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, who examined how emotions, media structures, and algorithms fuel the spread of false information online.
The discussion highlighted the importance of digital literacy, journalistic ethics, and social media influence in addressing misinformation. Panelists emphasized that meaningful advocacy extends beyond online engagement and requires intentional, real-world action.
Students and attendees were encouraged to examine misinformation as both a human and technological challenge critically. The event left participants reflecting on truth, credibility, and their own roles in shaping the digital landscape. The photo is by Colin Mitchell at the Daily Campus.
| Senior Reflection: Part I | |
On November 4, a small group of seniors gathered for the first part of the senior reflection. We sat with questions about who we’d like to share our gratitude with, how our “UConn bucketlist” is going, and what we’ve learned at UConn. Led by Meg Marshall, we set intentions and next steps, like writing letters of gratitude or participating in reflective projects.
Stay tuned in the spring for a second senior reflection event!
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Professional Development: Navigating Rough Waters
We recently hosted our "Navigating Rough Waters" professional development on conflict resolution. This PD featured a presentation from Cinnamon Adams from the UConn Ombuds office, which acts as a neutral party for conflict resolution within the university.
Thank you to our wonderful professional development committee - Brenna McNeece, Robert Boucher, and Maggie Hart - for their effort this semester in planning these meaningful events for our student leaders!
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Gingerbread House Event
December 4th, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Student Union 203
We are excited to announce the Gingerbread House event as our final community-building of the semester. This event has amazing attendance each year, and we hope to keep up the trend!
Please RSVP here so that we can order enough material.
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MLK Day of Service
Monday, January 19th from 8:30am - 3:00pm
Student Union Ballroom
The MLK Day of Service honors the life and mission of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s theme is “Learning to Build Peace and Unity within our Communities." The MLK Day will include both on and off-campus service sites, with transportation provided.
After morning service, we will convene in the ballroom for lunch and to meet with our discussion panelists.
Please RSVP at s.uconn.edu/mlkday2026, and spread the word to others! If you have questions or to request accommodations, please contact uconn.co.initiatives@gmail.com
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Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month
November is Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month. The name of the state of Connecticut is derived from the Mohegan word, "Quinnitukqut," which means “long, tidal river.” The land of UConn Storrs is the territory of the Eastern Pequot, Golden Hill Paugussett, Lenape, Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Nipmuc and Schaghticoke Peoples who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We acknowledge their continued existence and thank them for their stewardship of this land throughout the generations. Those looking to get involved or learn more can contact The Native American Cultural Programs and Native American Indigenous Students Association.
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