In This Section:
Man in constant motion James Patrignelli '03 (BUS)
A passion for music, a calling for medicine Erika Avery '05 (CLAS)

Business student set to finish triple major

James Patrignelli's '03 (BUS) innate drive to excel in varied experiences has made him a student in constant motion at UConn over the past five years.

A high school honor society member and senior class president, Patrignelli used a six-year stint with Connecticut's National Guard to serve his country while beginning his studies at the UConn campus in Waterbury.

Along the way he managed to become active in both a professional and a social fraternity, earn enough credits to carry a triple major - Management Information Systems, International Trade, and Economics - and also work part-time for Pratt & Whitney.

"Getting lots of faculty attention has helped me do well academically despite the heavy workload. None of my classes at the Waterbury campus had more than 20 students," Patrignelli says.

He pledged Delta Sigma Pi, the professional business fraternity, one year after accruing enough credits in his MIS major, and enrolling at the Storrs campus, where he was president of that organization last fall.

"Delta Sigma Pi has helped me build incredible relationships. It has been one of the best experiences I've had," he says. In fall 2002, he also served as homecoming chair for his social fraternity, Kappa Sigma.

Pragmatic by nature, Patrignelli's goals initially had not included studying abroad. But after attending a study abroad workshop sponsored by the International Business Program, he considered it. At the time, he was working at the Lodewick Visitors Center, and he mentioned the possibility to fellow student tour guides. Their enthusiasm for the undertaking was contagious.

"The student staff there do everything, from Marching Band, to living abroad, to managing athletic teams. They're very vocal about making the time to get involved. They convinced me to go," he says.

Patrignelli found great satisfaction studying international marketing and finance, as well as entrepreneurship, during a semester in Italy. While traveling to Europe's great capitals, he saw the headquarters of prestigious U.S.-based corporations and experienced an epiphany - his dream job would be a business career overseas.

When Patrignelli graduates in May, he hopes to begin working in Boston, New York City, or Stamford. He is pursuing positions at financial firms because they can uniquely allow him to become directly involved with his three areas of interest.

"I've had a great time here at UConn, making so many friends. Both of my fraternities have very active alumni, so I'll return often - unless I land that dream job and can't hop a plane back to America," he jokes.
-- Lauren Davis Shea

Erika Avery finds balance in one of UConn's most highly selective programs.

For as long as she can remember, Erika Avery '05 (CLAS) dreamed of becoming a doctor so that she could help people. It's an aspiration that guided her to enroll in a new program at the University of Connecticut that allows students to graduate with a combined undergraduate and medical degree. She is among the first group of exceptional students to enroll in one of UConn's most highly selective programs.

Eight years seems like quite a commitment for an 18-year-old to make. For many, college is a time for exploration, an opportunity to dabble in disciplines that span the academic spectrum.

Conceding a plethora of physiology courses are in her future, Avery's decision to attend UConn hinged upon the quality and flexibility of its undergraduate program. With four years to investigate her many academic interests before concentrating another four years on medical school, she is pursing a solid liberal arts foundation.

"UConn's program relieves the demand to take only pre-med courses as an undergraduate to do well on the Medical College Admission Test," says Avery, who is the recipient of a Leadership Scholarship. "As long as I maintain my grades and get an acceptable score on the MCATs, I'm essentially guaranteed a spot in UConn's medical school. So, I can use this time to really gain a well-rounded education."

Her determination to explore many areas of learning is clear. Avery says she is fascinated about how cultures and organisms evolve as a result of their location, owing to her Japanese-American heritage. Her mother is Japanese and Avery has spent two months each year in Japan for several years. She is majoring in biology and will minor in geography. But her lifelong passion is for music.

"I love music for its self-expression and interpretation," Avery says. "It's an art, not a concrete pursuit with a single direction."

Playing the koto, a Japanese harp, Avery seizes opportunities to perform on campus at venues such as the International Festival sponsored by the Honors Council. She and a fellow UConn musician performed throughout Connecticut during winter break.

Avery's true calling, however, is the study of medicine. An anatomy and physiology course in high school provided her the chance to take the first step in the classroom toward becoming a doctor. Performing volunteer work at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., during junior and senior years provided the next step, bringing her into the realm of helping patients.

"I feel blessed to live in a country in which health care is so advanced and readily available," says Avery. "I want to help people who are less fortunate, and medicine is such a great instrument to accomplish this - either through direct patient care or educational programs that improve quality of life."

Avery and her classmates realize they are in a unique position to blaze a path that others will follow in a new program that they are helping to pioneer.

"Everyone involved has been extremely supportive and especially in tune to our input," Avery says. "Nowhere else would I have the opportunity to shape this type of program."
-- John B. Williams