We asked the campus community to nominate seniors who are deserving of recognition, so we can showcase how much the Class of 2020 means to UConn. We’ll be posting interviews with selected seniors as our Senior Spotlight series. Enjoy.
Meet Noelle Albert!
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When are you graduating?
May 2020
What are you studying?
Nursing – I was one class away from officially minoring in Anthropology but never had room in my schedule to finish! Hopefully, I will get an advanced degree in Anthropology one day instead.
Hometown?
Suffield, CT
What on-campus activities/organizations are you involved in?
Spring Valley Student Farm, Honors Across State Borders, UConn Rec Outdoor Adventure Center, and more
What’s your favorite “hidden” spot on campus?
Spring Valley Student Farm. While it is located about five miles off of main campus, close to Depot, it is still considered part of UConn campus. I live there and grow food for UConn Dining using organic and sustainable methods. It is an absolutely magical place, an oasis, that I hope more people will find their way to in the future!
What has your day-to-day been like since virtual classes and social distancing were introduced?
Wake up, hug my pup, Maverick 🙂 Play some music and dance around to wake myself up! Stretch, do some yoga. Cook breakfast, go to class/online clinical and get work done, occasionally while watching Friends! Midday break to take Mav for a walk while I listen to true crime podcasts (my new addiction). Come home in time to sign on to my next class or clinical post-conference. Sit outside and read until my parents get home from work (both are medical professionals risking their lives to save people everyday!), greet them when they get home. Cook and eat dinner while trying to talk about anything other than the sad stuff. Call my brother to hear more about what it’s like to be self-quarantined in Hawaii. Watch Jeopardy and answer some questions right, watch Wheel of Fortune and wonder if I actually know how to spell anything. Then, FaceTime some friends or watch the next Lord of the Rings with my dad. Get ready for bed, do some art or read or watch New Girl, journal along with prompts I’ve found online or whatever I feel like I need to write about then, and go to sleep feeling ready to tackle the next day!
Are there any campus traditions you missed, and any that you might want to take part in as an alum?
I will definitely miss the WHUS Spring Concert 🙁 And I’d love to come back for the next one if it was possible!
If everything could go back to normal for one hour today, what would you use that time for?
I would use it to farm the veggies at Spring Valley with all my housemates (aka my family) and our wonderful volunteers at Farm Friday <3
What are your plans for after graduation?
I’m not sure yet! I hope to work as a Labor and Delivery nurse for a few years before going back to school to become a Midwife. I want to work with under-served populations and help improve the maternal mortality rate and gross disparities in our country and around the world. I also plan to have a veggie garden and support local farms and small businesses and hike and bike and grow and learn and love.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I think by then I will be in school to become a Certified Nurse Midwife! Where? I’m not sure!
If you could thank one person for their help throughout your time at UConn, who would it be and what would you say?
My parents! I would say thank you so much for supporting me through all my crazy adventures, trusting that it was all a part of my journey. From biking across America to living on a farm to stepping away from Honors when I knew it was not for me anymore, I love you both so much for giving me the space to make their right choices for myself and loving me through it all!
What’s a piece of advice you’d like to share with the Class of 2024?
Do what is right for YOU. Trust your intuition and your heart to guide you, because you are in charge of your own life and you know what’s best for you better than anyone else. Have adventures and don’t be afraid to act in a way that aligns with your dreams <3
Anything else we should know about you? Fun facts, hidden talents, favorite memories, advice, etc.?
I cut my own bangs during quarantine…we’re all going a little crazy right now and that’s okay! 🙂