In this Senior Spotlight, meet Meaghan Lynch, a senior from Plaistow, New Hampshire! Meaghan double majors in Human Rights & Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Meaghan has been nominated for her involvement in Leadership Programs – “Meaghan has become a young woman passionate about human rights and environmentalism, she is an advocate and ally for many social justice issues, and she is a leader among leaders.”
What are your post graduation plans?: All that I know as of now is that I want to continue service throughout my entire life, whether it is in my career or volunteering. One of the options I have been looking into would be going to graduate school for Higher Education and Student Affairs to become a staff member at a university overseeing a Community Outreach or Leadership program. I have been heavily involved in Community Outreach and Leadership programs throughout the last four years here and I would love to continue my involvement into my career and inspire other students to be service minded. Wherever I end up, I just want to be doing what I love and being able to interact with fascinating people.
What is your favorite UConn memory?: My favorite UConn memory would have to be alternative breaks. It is difficult to choose just one because this spring will be my 5th alternative break with UConn and each and every alternative break is its own incredible experience and so I cannot pick just one of them. I will say though my best memories and friendships at UConn have been because of alternative breaks and I highly recommend applying because it will change you in some way, shape or form. I know for a fact that I would not have grown into the individual I am now without deciding freshman year to apply and I could not be happier to be directing my second alternative break this year.
Why did you become a husky?: I am from New Hampshire, so most people from my high school go to the University of New Hampshire. However, I have always been very independent and love the opportunity to branch out and meet new people and be outside of my comfort zone. Therefore, during the application process I found universities with lots of unique opportunities and UConn stuck out to me the most. When I came to visit the campus I loved it and I knew I wanted to go here.
What is your favorite place on campus?: Eddy Hall. I lived in the Leadership Learning Community and it is the reason I heard about several of the involvement opportunities that became such a large part of my undergrad career. The Leadership Learning Community was unique in the fact that we were all different majors and we had different plans for what we were going to do at UConn, but we were all leaders and so this created a fun dynamic in a dorm. Attending a university where you do not know anyone can be intimidating but being in a learning community is the most welcoming way to start college. We had an open door policy and so at any hour you could always find a friend to talk to. We hung out in the hallways a lot too because we all wanted to be together all the time. I created incredible friendships with the learning community members my freshman and sophomore year and I am so grateful to have had that experience. I am still friends with my fellow learning community members and it is a beautiful network of fantastic human beings.
What have you been involved in at UConn?: Anyone who knows me knows that free time was not something I ever had during college. I thrive when I am over involved and there were so many opportunities and I knew that I had to take advantage of everything I could within these four years. Community Outreach and the Leadership Office were my main involvements. I was a member of the Leadership Learning Community, which then led to my involvement in the organization H.O.L.D.U.P.! which I am currently the Co-Chair of. I was also a Husky for a day and a Learning Community Ambassador. I went on my first alternative break freshman year and then fell in love and this year is my second year as a trip director and is my fifth and final alternative break as an undergraduate. I also did many semester long Community Outreach programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Big Friends, COPE and Windham Heights Tutoring. I have enjoyed being so involved and devoting so much time to my extracurriculars because these have been what truly made my last four years unforgettable.
What will you miss the most about UConn?: The people. Every opportunity that I have had has given me the most incredible friendships. To get the chance to create such deep connections with others in several capacities is unforgettable. I am so grateful to UConn for giving me this opportunity. Being so involved on campus I was able to get a wide array of friendships and connections and I am sad to be leaving this university. However, I know I made the most out of my four years here and will always be able to reach out to those I met.
What was your biggest accomplishment while at UConn?: Creating opportunities for myself. I always made sure to take advantage of every opportunity that UConn had to offer. I made sure I could go abroad and had the most amazing five months of my life in Australia. I found an organization in South Africa to do my volunteer internship at and I had to organize a lot on my end in order for it to work out but I never gave up. I also found scholarship opportunities to help afford these wonderful journeys. I always found a way to do as much as I could, even though the balance of everything was difficult I was able to create experiences that would not have been possible if I allowed obstacles to hinder my motivation.
What advice do you have for underclassmen?: Always try to expand your comfort zone. I can happily say that I have expanded my comfort zone greatly in my undergraduate career. Through education abroad, leadership, community outreach, and even in my academics. The saying “Life begins when you step outside your comfort zone” is incredibly true and once you start to realize this and step outside what is limiting you, many more opportunities come your way. Be bold and do not allow any limitations to stop you from aiming as high as you can.
What is one little known fact about you?: I am an adrenaline junky with no fear. I have been skydiving, bungee jumping, cage diving with great white sharks, and many other things and I am still trying to find something that scares me.
Anything else?: UConn truly has been my home these last four years and I could not thank everyone enough who made these years as fulfilling as they were. A big thank you to everyone in the Community Outreach and the Leadership Offices because I found my home at UConn through my involvements. Although it is difficult to be leaving behind such a big part of my life, it is also exciting to know that there are so many opportunities waiting out there in the real world.