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 Kathleen Renna!
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When are you graduating?
August 2020
What are you studying?
Major: Diagnostic Genetic Sciences, Minor: Molecular and Cell Biology
Hometown?
Brunswick, NY
What on-campus activities/organizations are you involved in?
I was Founding President of Students for One Health and President of United Against Inequities in Disease; I am a BOLD, University, and Honors Scholar; I worked at a neuroregeneration lab through the Health Research Program at UConn Health; I was a College Ambassador for CAHNR; and I worked for the cafes on campus!
What is your favorite “hidden” spot on campus?
Definitely not hidden, but only those who work there have the pleasure to be *inside* Bookworms Cafe. It was always a wild time. The crew was a bunch of fun and as much as we were ~working~ we would laugh and play music and take a little mental break from academics to make coffee and catch-up with one another. Bookworms became my second home for most of college and my coworkers became a second family 🙂
What has your day-to-day been like since virtual classes and social distancing were introduced?
My major requires a clinical rotation for my last semester, and so I have been based in Boston working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in a cancer research lab. Because of the pandemic, I had to wrap up some of my experiments early and head back to NY until our lab is allowed to open again. Since then, I have been working remotely on my research project and studying for the MCAT!
Are there any campus traditions you missed, and any that you might want to take part in as an alum?
OOzeball was always one of my favorites that I wish I could do again – I love all of the creative puns people come up with for team names. I also didn’t get to see as many basketball games as I would’ve hoped so I’d love to see some as an alum!
If everything could go back to normal for one hour today, what would you use that time for?
I would probably go back to UConn to visit my friends. My old roommates brought a Wii to the apartment ~conveniently~ after I had already moved out, so I would like to challenge them at Mario Kart for one singular hour.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I have accepted a job as a Program Analyst at the National Institutes of Health in their branch focusing on genetics research (NHGRI).
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to be accepted to medical school following my stint at the NIH, so in five years I’ll be studying medicine if all goes well!
If you could thank one person for their help throughout your time at UConn, who would it be and what would you say?
My program director/professor/advisor/school mom Dr. Judy Brown has been a huge role model to me throughout my entire time at UConn. She is the fearless woman in STEM that I aspire to be and has never stopped helping me achieve that goal.
What’s a piece of advice you’d like to share with the Class of 2024?
Have many mentors! One of my mentors told me, “You should always have more than one mentor because if not, you will only do what one person believes you should do which may not always be right.” Furthermore, if you only take advice from one person, you will never know how to think for yourself!
Anything else we should know about you? Fun facts, hidden talents, favorite memories, advice, etc.?
One of my favorite memories was a trip my best friend and I went on with UCOC to hike in the Adirondacks! It was early November so everything was frozen, including all the waterfalls which was super cool. Although it was crazy cold – it was 3 degrees when we camped that night – the view totally made up for it!