By: Allison O’Donnell, Written Communications Specialist, UConn School of Engineering

Tara Walsh is a fourth-year Ph.D. student from Boylston, Massachusetts. She is currently a GAANN Fellow in the Environmental Engineering program at UConn. Walsh has been researching power outage restoration in Connecticut in order to minimize the time and costs involved with storm recovery. 

Outside of her academic endeavors, Walsh enjoys doing “anything where [she is] not sitting still.” Her activities of choice are running, hiking and crossfit. She is also a member of the Student Association of Graduate Engineers (SAGE).

Walsh was encouraged to apply to JLLA by an environmental engineering professor, who even provided assistance with the application process. Her professor’s confidence in JLLA is what assured Walsh it would be a worthwhile program. 

“I needed to work on stepping out of my comfort zone, and all of the activities that we do at JLLA make me do that,” Walsh said. “So having the space to practice and the people who are willing to give feedback and help me grow has helped a lot.”

Now that she is in her final semester of JLLA, Walsh has had time to reflect on how the program has prepared her for a career in the engineering field. 

“It gives you the time and space to think about who you want to be professionally,” said Walsh. “You can work on getting there and filling in the gaps that we don’t otherwise have a way to work on.”

JLLA has introduced Walsh to potential career paths through networking with professionals and engineers from other departments. She says she has learned a lot about her leadership style through collaborating in workshops. 

One of the main takeaways she did not expect from the program was learning what her values are and how to incorporate them into a leadership style.

By: Allison O’Donnell, Written Communications Specialist, UConn School of Engineering

Christina Feng Chang is a third year Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering, and hails from Puerto Rico. Feng Chang can’t pinpoint the one reason why she chose UConn, but she knows exactly why she chose John Lof Leadership Academy. 

“JLLA is a worthwhile program because our workshops and meetings challenge us to think about things that we normally don’t have to think about,” said Feng Chang.  “As a JLLA member, you are also challenged to get out of your comfort zone and make an effort to improve on your weaknesses.”

Outside of JLLA, Feng Chang is the current Vice President of the Student Association of Graduate Engineers (SAGE). She actually decided to apply to JLLA after seeing it promoted at a SAGE event. 

Joining was a way for Feng Chang to become more involved on campus outside of conducting research, and was a great way of developing new relationships. Since starting JLLA, she describes herself as willing to assert herself.

 “Through JLLA, I have learned how to become more confident and more comfortable with myself and others,” said Feng Chang.

When she is not in class or the lab, Feng Chang enjoys simple, relaxing activities like watching Korean Dramas or playing a game of badminton. In order to de-stress, she plays the video game: League of Legends. 

Feng Chang is researching how to predict water quality in freshwater systems, specifically modeling and understanding harmful algal blooms and hypoxia through machine learning and numerical prediction models. 

Looking into the future, Feng Chang wants to use her academic knowledge and leadership skills to be “a good leader that people will look up to.”

By: Allison O’Donnell, Written Communications Specialist, UConn School of Engineering

Julia Czarnecki is a third-year Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering, and received a  bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Marist College: “Transitioning into engineering was a bit of a change,” said Czarnecki. “I like the more system-based, quantitative approach.” 

Czarnecki’s passion for the environment translates into how she spends her free time. She enjoys gardening and photographing nature. In her undergraduate years, she rowed the Hudson River for sport.

Her current research keeps her in touch with water resources, as it relates to alternate water sources for greenhouse agriculture and plant uptake of contaminants.  

JLLA has helped Czarnecki reign in her passion and tailor it towards being an active and effective leader. 

“I had a general idea about aspects of my leadership, but bringing that together and figuring out the leader I want to be was what I hoped to get out of JLLA,” said Czarnecki. “I definitely think I have a better idea now.”

She says that JLLA members have the ability to make it into whatever they want or need it to be. Different members have different leadership styles and different strengths, which is why it is so important that the program can accommodate this diversity. 

“I see the results [of JLLA] showing themselves immediately because you have to learn your strengths and weaknesses,” said Czarnecki. “I hold roles as a researcher and club president that I exercise my skills.”

As president of the Student Association of Graduate Engineers (SAGE), Czarnecki values the skills-based focus of JLLA. She says that there is a fundamental difference between the two programs.  

“John Lof has a set curriculum that works on individual leadership styles, where SAGE is more social, generic resources provided by the university… John Lof teaches us how to maintain connections with people and develop professional personas.”

Czarnecki says she joined JLLA because she wanted to supplement her educational progress with professional advancements. She wanted to have an outlet to work on herself to better prepare herself for when she graduates. 

“From high school to college, involvement is so important. But the transition from graduate school to the real world doesn’t develop students in a holistic way, which is what sets [JLLA] apart.” 

Looking into the future, Czarnecki is interested in performing agricultural research for the government. Although, she likes keeping her options open and is always willing to adapt to change.