By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

“When I first started working in lighting, I always had my sights set on winning a Tony Award on Broadway,” said Dan Rousseau ’08 (FNAR-Honors). Now, just five short years after graduating from UConn with an Honors degree in Design/Technical Theater, Dan has established himself as a television lighting director in New York City. He also has his first Emmy.

Dan’s love for the stage began as a child singing in local musical choirs. He eventually gravitated backstage where he felt the real magic happened, with lighting and set design. “It’s the ability to heighten scenes and push emotions,” said Rousseau, “just through creating an image that can resonate in audiences’ minds well after the curtain comes down.”

As an Honors student in the School of Fine Arts, Dan encountered numerous mentors who helped him develop his expertise. Professors Jim Franklin and Jeff Davis “shaped my design skills,” said Rousseau. Professor Tim Hunter taught him not just design, “but the business side of being a designer,” he said. “And the late David Taylor showed me the world of theatre consulting.” Dan holds the entire Department of Dramatic Arts in high esteem. “Faculty and staff were constantly supporting and inspiring me to do more,” said Rousseau. This included taking graduate-level design coursework during his undergraduate degree.

While at UConn, Dan worked as an assistant lighting designer with the Connecticut Opera and was involved with various productions at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT). His experience at CRT served as the foundation for his Honors thesis: “Lighting Design for Pentecost.” As part of this project, he created a comprehensive design procedural guide that included his “early design process, production photos, and critiques and reviews,” said Rousseau. “It was my goal to provide a document that showcased the work that went into designing that show.”

After a short stint as a freelance theatre designer and a call to a UConn alumna, Dan was contacted by the Lighting Design Group, the largest television lighting design company on the east coast. He was hired as an assistant lighting director and soon after moved to New York City. His first assignment was with CNN, and in less than two years Dan was promoted to lighting director for “Anderson Cooper 360.” Now five years after his UConn graduation, Dan and his assistant oversee several shows for CNN, including “Quest Means Business,” “Piers Morgan Live,” and “Anderson Cooper 360,” as well as additional special projects.

In 2012, Dan was offered a very special assignment: Decision 2012 – Election Night Coverage from Democracy Plaza. The team was asked by NBC to bring breathtaking patriotism to Rockefeller Plaza for Election Day 2012. “My main job was to make sure it was installed according to plan,” said Rousseau. However, the arrival of Super Storm Sandy made that task a true challenge.

“Sandy slowed us down with the load in, but we made up the time working around the clock leading up to the big night,” said Rousseau. Technological advances in lighting served as an important part of the project. “We had to keep a low power footprint because NBC and Rockefeller Plaza didn’t want to bring in large generators to power the sight. Robotic moving lights were used to paint 30 Rock in the red, white, and blue that could be seen all over. LED [lights] provided a low power option to highlighting smaller features of the plaza,” he said. “It used to be that if you wanted multiple colors washing a wall, you needed independent lights with color in front of them. Add that all up and it can be about 5,000 watts! Now, with a single 10 watt [LED] light, you can have every color of the rainbow,” said Rousseau.

Production for Democracy Plaza began on Election Day at 7 a.m. with “The Today Show” and continued live into the evening, as millions at home and a packed plaza awaited the results. In addition to the lighting installation, “I also was stationed down at ice rink level for a mini studio where exit polls were reported on an 80-inch touch screen monitor overlooking the ice. At times we were even on the ice!” said Rousseau. “The only way to describe such an event would be to call it the Olympics of broadcast.”

Almost a year after the Election Night production, the News & Documentary Emmy Awards were held in New York City. On October 1, 2013, while overseeing the lighting for a “Piers Morgan Live” special audience edition, Dan received the great news. “I was following the awards as they were announced on the Twitter page, and when I saw the tweet about Democracy Plaza winning the Emmy for “Outstanding Lighting Direction and Design,”  I was ecstatic and shouted ‘YES!,’ scaring my co-worker who was in the room,” said Rousseau. Dan waited until a commercial break to call his parents.

While Dan still has a passion for the stage and the dream of a Tony, “winning the Emmy was unexpected and wasn’t a goal I had set for myself,” he said. “But now that I have, it has moved my sights on to winning the next.”

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

Jane (Presnick) Lyon ’78 (NURS-Honors) has ties to UConn that run deep. This Honors Scholar began her nursing career with her education at UConn, and she learned many lessons at Storrs, ones that have helped her maintain a sense of harmony in all aspects of her busy life.

Jane followed in her siblings’ footprints when she attended UConn, and it was here she met her husband, David ’78 (CLAS), ’81 (BUS), in McMahon Hall on October 14, 1977, during a Yankees and Red Sox playoff game. Despite a difference in team loyalties, they married five years later and began their family. They had four boys, who all eventually attended UConn as well: Michael ’08 (CLAS); Robert ’11 (CLAS), ’14 (LAW); David ’14 (CLAS-Honors); and William ’16 (BUS).

Jane’s family was the impetus for her career in nursing. Her mother was a nurse as were her aunts. But her mother foresaw changes coming to the profession and encouraged Jane to earn a formal college degree in the field. “[My mother] was a diploma graduate (St. Raphael’s in New Haven) but knew that the future of nursing was the baccalaureate and encouraged me to get my BSN,” said Lyon. “I am forever grateful to her for that advice.”

When Jane came to UConn as an Honors student, the Honors Program was still relatively new, though its ranks were growing. “I believe our graduating class in the School of Nursing had 106 students in 1978 with two of us graduating from the Honors Program,” she said. Jane fondly remembers the structured education of the UConn Nursing program, the clinical on-site experiences her senior year, and the exceptional faculty. “In addition to the coursework,” said Lyon, “the time management, responsibility, and professionalism learned at UConn have served me well.”

Before she even graduated from UConn, Jane was already building her resume and gaining experience at an institution that would eventually become a large part of her career. “Between my junior and senior year, I worked as a Student Trained Aide at Waterbury Hospital,” she said. “That auspicious beginning led to a 35-year affiliation with Waterbury Hospital. I was hired as a graduate nurse in 1978 in the float pool. Being in the float pool was great because I learned about many different areas of nursing. Every night was different!” During the course of her nursing career, Lyon continued to challenge herself. She has worked in surgical intensive care, post-critical care, and cardiac care, ranging from a charge nurse to a nursing supervisor, and even worked briefly as a nursing instructor.

The option of a per diem schedule was another reason why Jane chose nursing. This scheduling system afforded Lyon the flexibility “to accommodate my other passion—raising a family,” she said. Jane has been able to effectively blend both career and home life for her four sons. She served as PTA president, member of the Soccer Club Board of Directors, registrar for the Soccer Club, coach for her sons’ youth baseball teams, and Merit Badge Counselor for the Boy Scouts. “The Honors Program taught me to push myself and not say ‘no’ to a challenge,” she said. “I took on all of these tasks wondering how I would get it all done, but the lessons learned at UConn about working hard have paid off.”

In 2007, when her boys were mostly grown or already off to college, Jane focused her attention again on nursing, and she accepted a position as nursing supervisor at UConn’s Health Center, where she remains today. Her job requires her to closely monitor staff levels and problems across 14 units, address policy and procedural questions for medical staff, and assign beds to patients if the shift need arises, she said. It also rekindles her link to UConn, though it is safe to say that connection never went away.

The Lyon boys attended and watched UConn games throughout their childhoods, ate at the Dairy Bar, and wore UConn gear from infancy. Jane proudly admits to sending subtle hints to the children about attending UConn. “Our oldest son, Michael, was quite a good soccer player and we hoped he would play college soccer. He told us, ‘I’d rather go to UConn and not play soccer than go anywhere else and play,’” said Lyon. “Having my children attend UConn has been a wonderful experience. It was so comforting dropping them off as freshmen because it held such fond memories for me, and I knew they were going to have a wonderful four years.”

Her UConn connection does not end there. Jane and her siblings are also UConn donors, having established the Presnick Family Scholarship in honor of their parents, which is awarded to a junior nursing student. Jane gives of her time as well, at the School of Nursing’s annual “Postcards” event to offer advice to aspiring nurses and as a member of the alumni board.

“The UConn flag hangs proudly in front of our house whenever possible,” said Lyon, “but especially during the Final Four and whenever a son was accepted there.”

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

Amy Nocton, B.A. ’92 (CLAS-Honors), M.A. ’93 (CLAS) became a teacher by chance. Once in the classroom, her love for the Spanish language inspired her students to love it as well. A small group of those students even followed her footsteps, becoming UConn Honors Scholars and educators, too.

Amy began taking languages classes in high school. Her father initially pushed her to Latin, but her teacher frightened her, she said. Amy wanted to study French, but her father convinced her to study Spanish, with the promise of a trip to Spain after two years. Amy’s competitive nature accepted the challenge, and at age 17 she went to Valencia for five weeks. Amy was completely immersed in the language there, and when she returned to the U.S., her skills had advanced one year’s worth of high school curriculum, said Nocton.

Spanish became her pursuit at UConn, woven in between history and literature courses in Latin American Studies. “Everything clicked,” she said. “It’s awesome when that happens.” She completed an Honors degree in Latin American Studies-Spanish, and also began taking coursework for her master’s degree in International Studies. At graduation she earned the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for the Humanities and distinction as a University Scholar.

After college, Amy was awarded a Fulbright and went to Chile to prepare. However, shortly she learned the funding was pulled due to the economy, and she found herself without a job or any clear direction in life. She returned to the U.S. and applied for a childcare position she found in her local paper. The family initially intended to hire Amy as a home helper, but Amy’s Spanish skills filled a different need. The family’s father worked at the private Westminster School in Simsbury, Conn., and the school was looking for a new Spanish teacher. “I interviewed and was hired that day,” said Nocton. “I had never wanted to teach, but I ended up loving it.”

Amy spent three years in private school before transitioning to public school, and for the past 16 years she has taught at RHAM High School. Nearly a decade of her time there overlapped with her husband, Jason Courtmanche, B.A. ’91 (CLAS-Honors), Ph.D. ’06 (CLAS), who taught high school English. Their years at RHAM introduced the couple to many students, but some have specifically stayed with them: Hannah Mondrach, B.A.’12 (CLAS-Honors), B.A.’13 (CLAS-Honors), M.A.’14 (EDUC); Dana Lovallo, B.A./M.A. ’13 (EDUC-Honors); and Seana Marceau ’11 (CLAS).

Hannah graduated from RHAM in 2008 after having had both Amy and Jason as teachers. She credits the couple for her decision to choose the UConn Honors Program. “When I think of Amy and Jason and their approach to teaching and life, I think of grace and grit,” said Mondrach. “They put all they have into everything they do, but make it look so effortless.”

Dana was also encouraged by Amy and Jason to attend UConn Honors, and she felt prepared for the experience. “Amy’s Spanish ECE class gave me a huge glimpse of what a college-level course would be,” said Lovallo. “She challenged us to read literature that I actually encountered again at UConn,” she said. Lovallo was a 2008 graduate of RHAM and former student of both Amy and Jason as well.

Amy taught Hannah and Dana in their Early College Experience (ECE) Spanish courses, which are high school classes designed to introduce students to the rigor of college. “The high school students are truly getting a sense of what college-level classes are expecting,” said Nocton. ECE classes are different from the more well-known Advanced Placement (AP) courses high school students can also take for college credit. However, Amy noted that ECE credits are becoming more accepted by universities than AP credits. “AP is a snapshot,” said Nocton, “it’s just one day, it’s a test. [ECE] are courses that are credited, they are vetted by university personnel,” she said.

Hannah believes teachers such as Amy and Jason have unique abilities in the classroom. “They make you feel like, at the end of it, you did all of that hard work yourself, even though in the background they were working harder than anyone to help you succeed,” she said.

Becoming teachers

In many ways, the young women were becoming teachers through their close association with Amy and Jason. “My friends would joke that I was going to become ‘the next Señora Nocton,’” said Mondrach. Amy is inclined to agree. “Hannah is an extraordinarily talented linguist” said Nocton. “She studied Italian with me as well. She has a little box for Spanish and a little box for Italian, and never shall they meet.” Hannah studied Spanish and Italian literature as a UConn Honors student, but stayed an additional year to major in geosciences as well. Hannah is finishing up her education master’s degree this year at UConn with the intention of teaching STEM.

Amy inspired Dana as well, not just in her career, but also in her Honors thesis. Dana, who was hired in 2013 as an E.O. Smith High School Spanish teacher, completed a two-pronged Honors thesis project. She encouraged immersion programs for current college students by developing a marketing booklet for the Office of Study Abroad to promote the program she pursued: UConn in Granada. Dana also wrote a paper in Spanish that examined her survey research about the importance of immersion experiences for Spanish teachers, noting how Amy’s many overseas excursions enhanced her ability to teach, she said.

Hannah and Dana knew early on that education was their future, but another one of Amy and Jason’s students did not. Seana had Amy for ECE Spanish at RHAM, but she never formally took a class with Jason. He met her while on sabbatical to write his dissertation, when Seana began assisting the family after school as a mother’s helper. Once Jason returned to RHAM, “Seana had a habit of crashing my classes anytime she had a free period, and she became more like a co-teacher,” said Courtmanche.

Seana’s presence in his classroom was specifically important during his lower-level courses, classes where students were less interested in literature. “Seana would come in, and when we read…she’d take a part, I’d take a part, the students would take a part, and she and I would put effort into acting out the scenes, which provided a good example and motivation for the other students,” said Courtmanche.

Despite her obvious skill in the classroom, “[Seana] used to swear up and down she was not going to go into education,” said Courtmanche. “But she hung out with Amy and me—and all our friends are teachers… It got into her skin somehow, whether she wanted it to or not.”

At the start of her senior year at UConn, Seana was still adamant she was not going to teach, though she was majoring in Spanish and English. It was a year that almost didn’t happen. Personal issues nearly forced Seana to leave school, so Amy and Jason persuaded her to move in with them, and she would help around the house with chores and child care. But soon after she moved in to help take care of the family, Seana was struck head-on by a drunk driver. She was taken by LifeStar and survived, though she required a new kind of support from Amy and Jason, who assumed the caregiver role for her. “She didn’t even take an incomplete though,” said Courtmanche. “She finished the semester, made the dean’s list, and then in the spring semester finished up her senior year with me driving her around,” he said.

After graduating from UConn, Seana accepted a teaching job in southern Spain. She floated between various classrooms during her time there, teaching subjects as the need arose, such as physics and chemistry. “She was self-teaching herself to be able to teach the kids,” said Nocton. “Whatever they needed her to do.” Seana’s principal nominated her for a teaching award, which she won. The award led to a fellowship at Columbia’s Teachers College. Jason remembers Seana saying: “You always said I’d be good at teaching; you said the kids would love me, but you never said how much I would love them.”

These teachers’ lives, a generation apart, are linked by even the small details. In 2011, Amy—the woman who never intended to become a teacher—won the Teacher of the Year award from the ECE program. That was the same year Seana won the Spanish Distinguished Scholar Award from UConn. Dana received the same award the following year. Hannah graduated from UConn not just an Honors Scholar but also a University Scholar, as Amy did. And all four women found their love for teaching in a Spanish classroom.

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1960s

Bill DeWalt ’69 stepped down as Founding President and Director of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Ariz., in May. During his six years there, he presided over every aspect of building the $250 million museum. He has returned to Pittsburgh, Pa., to head the local office of the Arts Consulting Group where he serves as a senior consultant.

1970s

Anne Levy Paluck ’73 is the personal librarian to the first cohort of students in the new Honors Program at Middlesex Community College in Middletown, Conn. Barbara Hastings ’75 is Director of Development at Fraser Woods Montessori School in Newtown, Conn. Jim Oleksiw ’75 was elected to the UConn Alumni Association National Board of Directors in June. He is currently serving on The UConn Club Board of Directors and past president of The UConn Club. Mark Romanoff, M.D. ’79, ’83 was named a finalist for 2013 Physician of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. Cited for work in preventing misuse of prescription medications. He is a founding member of the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Prescription Medication Database and a core faculty member for Project Lazarus (grant-based state-wide program teaching primary-care physicians the rational use of narcotics).

1980s

Vibha Miller ’83 earned her M.B.A. at NYU Stern after UConn. She and her husband Gregory (UConn Ph.D. 1987) have pursued non-profit careers in our nation’s capitol. Vibha is a board member of the Potomac Conservancy, a Girl Scout troop leader, and active in the McLean community. WETA is D.C.’s public television and classical music station, where Vibha leads Human Resources. Glenn Sarno ’89 was appointed to serve a three-year term as the Chair of the Committee on Private Funds of the New York City Bar Association. The committee, comprised of leading practitioners, addresses legal and regulatory issues affecting private equity funds, hedge funds, and other facets of the alternative asset industry. Glenn is a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Charles Wynn ’89 received an R&D100 award on Nov. 8. These awards are given by R&D Magazine to the top 100 technology products of the year. This award is for an invention using photo-acoustic technology to detect explosives. Dr. Dan Zelazny ’89 was recently named head team physician for Marist College athletics.

1990s

Jason Courtmanche ’91 was awarded a Teaching Scholar award by the Institute for Teaching and Learning last spring, and was elected President of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, effective June of 2014. Shawn Fisher, B.A. ’91, M.A. ’93, has been active in the process of helping physicians and hospitals make the transition from a “fee-for-service” to a “fee-for-value” environment, focusing on helping improve quality of care, reducing costs, and improving the care experience. “It’s amazing to be on the proverbial front-lines of healthcare reform. We’re really making a difference.” Seth Jaffe ’91 was recently named the Acting General Counsel for the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics is responsible for setting a uniform ethics policy as well as interpreting ethics laws and regulations for the executive branch of the federal government. Seth graduated cum laude from Duke University School of Law in 1998. Carmela Townsend ’91 received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree on September 6, 2013, from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Dr. Townsend’s capstone project, “Describing the Transition to Practice Experience of the Clinical Leadership Collaborative for Diversity in Nursing Baccalaureate Graduates,” was successfully presented to her faculty, colleagues, and friends. She looks forward to preparing a manuscript for publication. Ken Whittemore ’91 attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine and graduated with an M.D. with distinction in research followed by a surgical internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, then a residency in the Harvard Combined Otolaryngolgy Program, then a year pediatric otolaryngolgy fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. He practiced for four years in Rochester, N.Y., and now practices at Boston Children’s Hospital where has been since. He was promoted to an assistant professor this year. His current research involves hearing loss in children and has numerous publication including articles, book chapters, and national meeting presentations. Morgan Hills ’92 is currently the Director of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at the UConn Health Center. He has been with the Health Center since 2010. Chad Landmon ’96 was re-elected to his third term on the Board of Selectmen in the Town of Southbury on November 5, 2013. After the new Board is sworn in, he will be the longest-serving Selectman on the Board. Michael Bodakowski ’99 accepted a position in August with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) as Program Officer for South Asia, managing a program portfolio covering Nepal and Sri Lanka. In his new role, Michael oversees electoral technical assistance programs and voter education campaigns with the Government of Nepal, and a civil society participatory governance project in Sri Lanka. Matt Rogalski ’99 has joined Obstetrics-Gynecology and Infertility Group, PC in New Haven, Conn. He will also be teaching medical students and OB-GYN residents at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is accepting new patients and thrilled to be back in Connecticut to help improve women’s health where he grew up.

2000s

Vicki Welch ’00 is working on her second book. Dr. Karen Hook, B.S. ’01, M.D. ’05, was chosen by the UCHC medical and dental students to receive the Charles N. Loeser Award. The award is given to one faculty member in recognition of teaching excellence. Dr. Hook is the most junior faculty member in the school’s history to receive this prestigious award. Michael Vuolo ’03, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University, was the recipient of the 2013 Junior Scholar Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco. He is currently the principal investigator on a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Sam (Shiv) Sharma ’04 founded “The Northwood Program” this year, an Experiential/Service Learning travel program for high school students and adults in which they travel and explore India and perform community service. The program has partnered with the White House by becoming an Officially Certified Organization to deliver the PVSA (Presidential Volunteer Service Award). Website: www.thenorthwoodprogram.com. David R. Agrawal ’05 and Olga Malkova were married on June 30, 2013, in Norwich, Conn. Jessica O’Connell ’05 passed the Virginia Bar Examination and will be sworn in at the Virginia Supreme Court on December 4, 2013. Carleton Coffrin ’06 received a Ph.D. in computer science from Brown University in 2012. Completing one year early from his Ph.D. made up for taking one extra year in undergrad at UConn.  Carleton is currently living in Melbourne, Australia, and working as a full-time research scientists at an outstanding national laboratory for computer science called NICTA. Sarah Domoff ’06 received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University in August 2013. She is currently a post-doctoral clinical psychology fellow at the University Center for the Child and the Family at the University of Michigan. Vanessa Kafka ’06 married Doug Hills at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, N.H., on Sept. 27. She and her husband live in Boston. Gregory Bombard ’07 is an associate in the consumer/class action litigation department of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP in Boston. Dan Rousseau ’08 recently won his first Emmy for “Outstanding Lighting Direction and Scenic Design” for NBC news: Decision 2012 Election Night from Democracy Plaza. Eric Roy ’10 and Laura DeMaio ’09 were married on June 22 at the beach in Westbrook, Conn.

2010s

Dipayan Ghosh ’10 recently defended his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Cornell University. He was funded by the Department of Defense and Qualcomm during the course of his Ph.D. work. Michelle Farber, CNM ARNP, ’11 recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Seattle University, specializing in nurse-midwifery. Kelly Smith ’11 is expecting her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in May 2014. She is currently participating in the UConn Law D.C. Program, working for the DOJ:Criminal Division: Organized Crime and Gang Section, and following graduation, Kelly has been selected as a clerk for the Connecticut Appellate Court for the 2014-2015 term. Evan Byron ’12 recently started a job at Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Conn., as a science teacher. He is a Honors CLAS (B.S. in MCB) and NEAG (M.A. in Education) graduate. Connor Bergen ’13 is working as a seventh grade ancient history teacher in Greenville, Miss., as a corps member in Teach For America. Allison Fitch ’13 was recently engaged to Ryan Molony ’11. Deanne Wallace ’13 now attends UConn Graduate School for a Master in German Studies, expected graduation May 2015.

Return to the Spring 2014 issue of the Honors Alumni eNewsletter