Making a Difference in CT and Beyond

Central Eastern Southern Western

Student Pursues Passion for Medicine

Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) may not be thought of as a road to advanced medical education, but for Newington’s Dan Harrington, that’s precisely what CCSU is providing. For Harrington and fellow students interested in the health care fields, an involved faculty who provide both education and guidance make all the difference.

Harrington plans on pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine. This summer, he was one of 10 students nationwide accepted into a prestigious three-week medical program at Des Moines University in Iowa. More than 100 students had applied. He heard about the program from a member of the CCSU faculty, who encouraged him to apply.

Not that he needed much nudging. Harrington is president of the Caducean Club, a pre-med/pre-health club at CCSU that focuses on helping students see the employment opportunities in health care. He’s also president of the Biology Club, has made Dean’s List every semester and brought a 3.89 GPA into his senior year. In addition to his academic studies at CCSU, he works as a patient care assistant in the Transplant Unit at Hartford Hospital and at Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell.

At Newington High School, not even Harrington would have predicted the path he’s now on. “It’s really been a 180 for me. I was more involved in musicals, the arts and design. I was on the lacrosse team. At CCSU, I was undeclared until my second semester,” Harrington said.

Harrington describes himself as very persistent and disciplined. In addition to his challenging academic work, that discipline is evident in his dedication to Crossfit, a high intensity fitness program with elements of endurance, Olympic lifting and gymnastics. Before recently sustaining an injury, Harrington spent time at the gym virtually every morning - usually by 6 a.m. - before his classes begin. Of his over-packed daily schedule, Harrington says “you have to be motivated” and credits the training routine for providing the discipline necessary to succeed academically.

He praises the pre-med committee of faculty for ensuring that students interested in the medical fields stay on track, taking the courses they need and gaining hands-on experience. He will be graduating this spring, in four years – no easy task given the rigors of his academic work and extracurricular pursuits. He reports never having a problem accessing getting a class he’s needed, and would urge fellow students to “get involved – be proactive. Ask questions, help is here. College is what you make of it.”

A biomolecular sciences major and chemistry minor in the School of Engineering & Technology, Harrington says classes are “heavy on independent research and lab experience.” What sets the program apart, he says, is that “it is not based on your ability to memorize facts, but critical thinking after having learned the basic science. The way the professors teach prepares you for the challenges of medicine.”

He is planning to use that solid foundation for a career in osteopathic medicine, which may focus in pediatrics and family medicine. He vividly recalls taking a rigorous organic chemistry class during the summer between his sophomore and junior years, which “changed me as a student.”

Harrington elected to commute to CCSU because he lived 10 minutes away, and enjoys having family nearby. The third of four children, he’s close with his parents and three sisters. CCSU’s affordability also allows him to “focus on what I need to do, not focus on the money.” He’s been impressed with CCSU from day one, pointing out that the university’s reputation has been “stepping up.”

He says his friends understand why, at times, he passes on an evening of fun for a few extra hours of study. “The people you surround yourself with are very important.” Relaxation often comes through time spent playing classical guitar, something he’s been doing since fourth grade. How does he do it all? “Family and friends are major,” he says,” especially when things are tough.”

Harrington has taken the MCAT and applied to 18 schools, from Connecticut to California, and is optimistic about the future. He may defer for a year after being accepted into a program, using the time to travel to a Spanish-speaking country. His goal would be to become fluent in Spanish - which he says would be beneficial in communicating with patients when he returns home - while conducting medical research in another country.

One can’t help believing that whatever the goal, anything is achievable for Dan Harrington.

Helping Students Succeed

Kayla Cortes, a 2010 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, has made a positive impact on at-risk students just beginning their college careers.

When Cortes began college at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2006, she did not consider it a high priority until she attended the Summer Transition at Eastern Program/Contract Admission Program (STEP/CAP) – a program for high school graduates who are the first to attend college, are from under-represented groups on campus or low income families. The program helps these students successfully adjust to college life.

Cortes said Margaret Hebert, acting director of the Academic Services Center, never gave up on her and helped with resume building, networking and looking into graduate schools. “The organizations at Eastern helped me grow and I didn’t want to leave,” said Cortes. “So I wanted to give back.”

She then evolved into a head peer advisor in the STEP/CAP program where she was in charge of 65 students last summer. Cortes also became involved in the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), worked in the Student Center, was a resident hall assistant and made sure her students knew there were many opportunities available to them.

Cortes said the STEP/CAP program last summer included a diverse group of students who may have not done well on their SATs, were the first generation of their family to attend college, or perhaps did poorly in high school. Her goal was to have these students successfully complete the program and enter Eastern in September.

Her work with these students, she said, was a wonderful learning experience. There, she conducted talk group circles, was a homework assistant, mentor and counselor. “I love the impact you can have on a kid who doesn’t really believe they are capable of being successful in college or life in general,” said Cortes.

Cortes, who graduated from Eastern in May with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminology minor, was also very active in Eastern’s Dual Enrollment Initiative program. The program, spearheaded by Eastern President Elsa Núñez, enrolled 10 at-risk youths from the Hartford area in full-time courses at Quinebaug Valley Community College. If these students were successful within their first semester, they enrolled at Eastern as full-time students in their second semester with the goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree.

In this program, Cortes was a bilingual coach tutor to freshman and sophomore students with an emphasis on helping students adjust to college. Many students were Spanish-speaking and Cortes assisted them with homework and ensured they passed their courses. She would also meet with them one on one in the Academic Learning Center with the help of Indira Petoskey in Student Affairs.

Trust in Daniel

Daniel Trust — a 21-year-old Rwandan-American genocide survivor, founder and CEO of Daniel Trust (LLC) and motivational speaker — is also a junior at Southern Connecticut State University.

Trust — born as Daniel Ndamwizeye — has made his life experiences the inspiration to help others in need.

During the horrific Rwandan genocide at five-years-old, he lost both parents and two of his four sisters. He spent years living as an orphan in Africa before moving to Bridgeport to live with his sister when he was 15-years-old. Now, he goes by Daniel Trust, as his name Ndamwizeye means “I trust him” in the language of Rwanda.

As a SCSU junior, Trust lives in New Haven, works at TD Bank and studies business administration with a concentration in finance. He is founder and CEO of Daniel Trust, LLC, with a mission to inspire people through art and words of inspiration; and is founder and chairman of The D-Trust Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help orphans worldwide.

In fact, he blends his love of fashion and inspirational message with the $15 (Daniel Trust) t-shirt, and has pledged 10 percent of Daniel Trust LLC’s annual income to the D-Trust Foundation which now has a board of directors. The t-shirts are available online at www.danieltrust.com.

His ultimate goal is to open orphanages around the world. So far, The D-Trust Foundation has raised $800 for two orphans in Rwanda with money donated to World Vision. In January, he will visit orphanages in Haiti and has raised enough funds from the “(Hope & Strength)” Daniel Trust t-shirt to donate to a local orphanage. He is also a motivational speaker who will take his message to Durham Academy in North Carolina in January.

“My plan is to go to different country each year to see how orphans live and what they go through,” said Trust. “I want to see how I can help”

His foundation’s “D-Trust Award” was awarded to two students from his alma mater, Bassick High School in Bridgeport to help with college book expenses. In high school, Trust knew little English, but joined the National Honors Society, became captain of the volleyball and cross country teams and senior class vice president. He also delivered the graduation speech to a standing ovation. Now, he is the recipient of the Stewardship Foundation scholarship, which provides college funding to orphans and young adults from foster care families.

Trust hopes to possibly attend graduate school. He recently traveled the USC Shoah Foundation Institute in California to share his story of the Rwandan Genocide for the foundation’s archives

SCSU has also been very helpful in this venture, said Trust. His business classes helped tremendously in forming his brand and LLC, and he learned how to manage and work with people. He also hired an assistant, sales representative, and a creative designer. The president, vice president and treasurer sit on the foundation’s board to help meet the foundation’s goals. “Southern has helped in so many ways as most of my supporters — faculty, staff and students — are from Southern,” said Trust.

A Student Voice

Mercedes DeMasi, a civic-minded and volunteer-oriented student, is working to represent the interests of Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) students on the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) Board of Trustees.

DeMasi — who was elected as a CSUS student trustee this year — was homeschooled until 15-years-old and then self-educated at age 16 after attending high school for one year. She then took the GED and earned high honors.

She began taking courses at WCSU as a teenager and earned high marks in English and psychology in what would have been her senior year in high school. DeMasi, a senior, now has a major where she is studying anthropology/sociology with a minor in conflict resolution and mediation. She is interested in alternative dispute resolution. She is in WCSU’s Honors Program, and while a junior, earned the esteemed Vice President’s Award for Student Leadership, 2009–10 and Spring 2010.

She is also a senator in WCSU’s Student Government Association representing the School of Arts and Sciences where she is a member of the Rules, and Environmental Committees. Through the SGA, she learned about the student trustee position and thought she would be a strong voice to represent WCSU students.

While running for student trustee and SGA senator, the tenacious DeMasi stood in the rain for five hours campaigning. After the election, DeMasi said, a student stopped her and said, “’I voted for you because you were the only person who took the time to talk to me about SGA.”

DeMasi hopes to build up a constituency based on this trust. “Western provided me an opportunity to participate in my community and build a sense of trust in people,” said DeMasi. “I want to good job protecting Western’s role in the state university system.”

She is also tirelessly working on WCSU’s campus in many different ways. She serves as a student representative on WCSU’s Strategic Planning Implementation Team for Student Enhancement, is editor of WCSU’s Social Sciences Journal, president of WCSU’s Anthropology Club and writes for The Echo, WCSU’s student-run newspaper. This year, DeMasi has participated in two Honors Teaching Practica by serving as a teacher’s assistant for an Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course.

DeMasi has studied abroad in Nicaragua and in Cyprus and volunteered in educational and community development initiatives in Brazil, Jamaica, Ghana and Nicaragua, in addition to many domestic community service projects.

Her paper, “Textile Production at Athienou-Malloura: The Case for Processing Flax in the Venetian Period” will soon be published in an in-press academic monograph Crossroads and Boundaries: The Archaeology of Past and Present in the Malloura Valley, Cyprus.

She also achieved the Rosa Parks Global Citizenship Award: Howard G. Post Excellence in Sociology Award, Honors Merit Scholarship, Alumni Association Scholarships, Elizabeth Fields Women’s Studies Scholarship and is listed in the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges 2008–09, 2009–10, among other achievements. DeMasi hopes to study applied social studies in urban planning and social policy. To this end, DeMasi was a member of the Hancock Student Leadership Program (HSLP), served as a student representative on the 2009–10 HSLP Steering Committee and is a Distinguished Hancock Student Leader. “I think of myself of a public servant and the Hancock Student Leadership Program put me on this path,” said DeMasi.