Jul 16, 2021 | Stories
The thing Max Pevna ’21 likes most about his summer internship with the Flock Theatre is sharing in a sense of normalcy with the public after a tumultuous year.
“Contributing theater to the local community, being able to entertain people after a year of the pandemic and letting people know that things are starting to happen again is the best feeling.”
Max recently performed as a Cadet in the Flock’s staging of Cyrano de Bergerac on the lawn of the Red Barn at Mitchell College, July 15-18 and 22-25.
In addition to performing, Max helps out with the day-to-day tasks of the small local theater company—from distributing posters to businesses for the performances to helping with props and rehearsals, sound and lights.
This summer is the second time Max, who graduated in May with a degree in communication, is working with the Flock Theatre, which is Mitchell’s theater-in-residence. A few years ago, he performed in Henry IV, and he also helped the theater group make an effigy of Benedict Arnold out of papier-mâché for its annual festival, The Burning of Benedict Arnold, in downtown New London.
“It took a while to make, then it was burned. It kind of upset me, but it had to be done.”
In addition to his internship, Max is currently applying for jobs in his home state of New Hampshire. His post-graduation goal is to get into TV production or radio broadcasting, where he had an opportunity to watch and learn during another internship with Jammin’ 107.7.
Max is appreciative of his time at Mitchell.
“Mitchell is school where, if you struggle with academics, you can get the support you need through its system of advisors. But it also holds you accountable and won’t just pass you because in the real world you will be held accountable.”
Jul 15, 2021 | Stories
Andrew (Drew) Castagna ’14, Michael Genovese ’14, David Shoemaker ’18, Dan Prior ’11 and Rob Mullin ‘10 all speak highly of the academic and extracurricular activities afforded them at Mitchell College and credit its foundation with where they are today.
Although they work in a range of fields professionally, rugby ties the five men together. They are all former players on the Mitchell College Rugby Club team and now make up the governing board of Shoreline Mitchell Old Boys (MOB), an alumni rugby club with non-profit status that hosts tournaments, networking and social events, holds fundraisers and partners with Connecticut youth and high school co-ed rugby programs. One of its annual tournaments raises money for the Smiles 4 Michael: The Michael Cody DiZenzo Foundation, named for former Mitchell rugby player Michael DiZenzo, who died of myocarditis in 2015.
Castagna, the president of MOB, says, “We are continually growing upon each graduation. I am excited to reconnect our members to Mitchell, and we all look forward to watching the current Mitchell College Rugby Club play on the new turf athletic fields!”
MOB’s corresponding secretary Genovese adds, “Something about the rugby club has always stuck with me. The camaraderie in the sport of rugby is unlike anything else I have ever experienced. It is a very welcoming environment to be in. MOB is a group of mainly former Mitchell alumni members who have played or currently play rugby. We create events that keep alumni connected, as well as creating a welcoming atmosphere for all former Mitchell students and other individuals, who wish to learn and play rugby or even just socialize.”
Shoemaker, the current team captain, echoes those sentiments.
“Playing rugby allowed me to fulfill my love of sport and competition. MOB has allowed me to continue the friendships I made while attending school. Mitchell College was and is a great place to be. I still enjoy returning to campus to watch rugby matches and cannot wait to get to watch and hopefully play on the new turf field one day.”
Mullin, game day operations auxiliary for the team, says, “I can’t say enough about the game of rugby and what it’s done for me on a social and personal level. I hope to be a part of this game for years to come.”
Prior, founder of Mitchell’s rugby club team and current MOB treasurer, met his wife Stephanie (Myette) Prior and lifelong friends at Mitchell.
He sums it up by saying, “Life after Mitchell wasn’t the easiest, as we were going through a recession, but I used the same determination from starting the rugby club and succeeding in the classroom to land a job I love doing. All of the victories I have post-graduation, I owe to Mitchell College.”
For information on how to join the MOB, contact https://mobrugby.com/.
Mitchell College and Thames at Mitchell students interested in learning more about our club rugby program should contact Joe Pardee at pardee_j@mitchell.edu or 860-701-5076.
Jun 30, 2021 | Stories
For senior Grace Burns, the desire to be a preschool teacher started at home and has carried through to her years at Mitchell College.
“My family has fostered a lot of younger children over the years, which is what gave me the passion for working with young children.”
On campus, she participated in a practicum at the Children’s Learning Center, one of Mitchell’s on-campus career labs. There, her coursework in Early Childhood Studies was brought to life. Although cut short by the pandemic, the time spent in her practicum made an impression.
“At the Children’s Learning Center, I helped with the routine throughout the day and developed lesson plans to implement in the classroom. I enjoyed every second of it until the pandemic hit. It made me sad to leave campus and not see the children anymore.”
Happily, Grace looks forward to another opportunity to work in the classroom this fall when she completes her senior practicum at the Friendship School in Waterford.
A Dean’s List student who earned her associate’s degree in early childhood education at Mitchell in 2020, Grace credits her time at Thames at Mitchell for her success as a Mitchell College student. Thames at Mitchell is the only college transition program in the nation fully integrated on a college campus.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for my experience at Thames at Mitchell. My challenge was finding the right support to overcome my learning difference and transition to Mitchell College for my freshman year. My advisors Karen Sweeney and Natalie Sabino, tutor Gill Castangna and Bentsen Learning Center specialist Laura Beplat also helped me do that.”
In addition, she counts among her successes her participation on the Women’s Cross Country team, including making second team all-conference, her induction into the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society for student-athletes who maintain a minimum 3.4 GPA during their junior and senior years, and serving as a student ambassador.
Grace has already secured a position at a childcare facility for when she wraps up her requirements for her bachelor’s degree in December.
“Mitchell’s small-knit community, individualized learning and support and unique learning experience are all standouts to me that have helped me be successful in working toward my goals. I am excited for the future!”
Jun 29, 2021 | Stories
Jay Matthews ‘20 used his Mitchell College connections to land a job in the field he loves. Working as a video editor for META (Maryland Esports Training Academy), Jay edits video of national college Esports games and packages them into hour-long videos. He also creates promotional videos for the Esports management and development company – which leads Mitchell’s Esports program, introduced in Spring 2021, providing coaching and other services for its Rocket League team.
“I’ve loved video editing since I was a kid. As a creative medium, it’s second nature to me, yet it never fails to teach me something new with every project I start. I’m glad to have a job in my field, doing what I love and learning new things about the field and the content I am helping to create. I knew absolutely nothing about Esports before taking this job, and I’ve learned so much since. I’m just grateful to be creating.”
Jay credits Paul Dunn, integrative career development coordinator, with pointing him to the job, and he urges other Mitchell students to take advantage of the college’s resources when pursuing job opportunities.
“I often advise my recently graduated friends to utilize their Mitchell connections, like professors and the Integrative Career Development Office, because they are very helpful. I absolutely have Mitchell to thank for helping me find the job! Paul Dunn got me the job interview and wrote a recommendation about why he thought I was a good fit for the job.”
Jay also felt well-prepared for his new job by his Mitchell coursework, using many of the software programs he worked to master as an undergraduate.
“I came to Mitchell with some editing experience, but there was so much I didn’t know that I learned in my college studies and now use every day. I use programs like Adobe After Effects and other Adobe programs all the time. I’m so incredibly thankful to Luke Walden, Karen Ward and so many others who helped me polish my skills to a professional level.”
Working in a fully remote job is something that Jay finds especially rewarding.
“I work with people all over the country, and it’s really cool! We all do our parts and collaborate digitally. It runs smoothly that way.”
Still, being remote during the pandemic has presented some challenges.
“I’m a very social person, so I go a little cabin crazy with no excuse to leave my apartment. But now that I am fully vaccinated, I can bring my laptop and do more work in other places.”
Jun 18, 2021 | Stories
Junior Kyra Brimdyr is spending her summer knee-deep in pursuit of her passions – working on an oyster farm on Cape Cod. Her internship at Avery Oyster Company in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, gives Kyra, who is studying marine biology at Mitchell, an opportunity to exercise her interest and build skills as both a biologist and environmentalist, as she sees the interconnectedness of the natural environment close up.
“It is amazing to work with the oysters and learn about their life cycle and the process of growing them. I am working hands on with many different tools and learning new terms related to the field. These oysters are sold to a local restaurant, so I have to know exactly what to look for in the oyster, like how big the oyster and the cup, or bottom, has to be. The bigger the cup and the bigger the oyster, the better.”
Kyra sorts through trays of oysters, usually 10 to 20 trays per day, to pull out the big oysters, making room for the smaller ones to grow.
“On the farm, there are rows and rows of oyster trays, stacked up three to four trays high. The water from the tide gives nutrients for the oysters to grow, so the trays have to be positioned to make sure water goes into the trays. There is a science to it. Certain nutrients in the ocean make the oysters grow, and it’s a process to make sure they have the right amount.”
Her biggest challenge is lifting the heavy trays.
“Big oysters get heavy! I have moved from lifting one tray to two trays. Showing others that I am able to do the hard work that they are doing is rewarding.”
Lessons learned about natural habitats in her ecology class at Mitchell come to life in Kyra’s internship, and she understands the importance of keeping the environment healthy, for mollusks, like oysters, and other marine life alike.
“Since I was younger, marine animals have been a passion of mine, and I liked having experiences working with them. I think it’s important for people to see other people caring about something. An example is a whale watch. If you see a whale washed up on the shore, you know something is not right. Whale watches educate people about the whales, what is going on in the environment and what can be done about it.”
Kyra says that the dead stock and shells at the oyster farm go to someone who uses them for other purposes, such as teaching tools about different types of oysters and shell identification.
“Saving the shells is doing something good for the environment. As a marine biologist, you have to think about the impact of what you are doing before you do it.”
Jun 16, 2021 | Stories
Megan Roche ’13 used the early days of COVID-19, when the world locked down in a global quarantine, to write about something near and dear to her – an almost 15-year friendship with Paula Abdul.
The result? Her self-published first book, Forever Her Girl: The Stories and Experiences of a Major Fangirl.
“It’s no secret that every teacher and person I interacted with at Mitchell knew that I was a huge fan of Paula Abdul. I have just always loved her and what she stood for. Knowing that I was different, I endured a lot of bullying and teasing. I was often the kid that had no friends in school, and I always felt alone.”
A member of the Paula Abdul Fan Club, where “members all had the common bond of loving Paula and easily became friends with one another,” Megan was lucky enough to meet the singer-songwriter in 2007, when she waited by the stage door of The David Letterman Show in New York City, where Paula was a guest.
“She was late for her interview, so she didn’t stop for anyone as she was on her way in. I was absolutely heartbroken that I started crying. One of the security staff noticed my tears and promised me that she would be back when she was leaving the show. About 10 minutes before she was set to leave, the same security guy came over and brought me to the very front of the line. When Paula came out the door, I don’t remember much other than getting a hug and taking a picture. Thankfully, I was videotaped meeting her for her reality show that was set to air that summer on Bravo.”
Megan’s book talks about how she has been able to stay in contact with Paula, and through writing her book she discovered why she loves her so much.
“She was one of the first people to show me kindness and compassion when everything else in my life was upside down. I’ve learned from her that an attitude of gratitude is one of the best things you can have in life. Since that day in 2007, I’ve always found a way to see her. We’ve become close friends, and because of her I’ve met some of my best friends. Thanks to her, I’ve been to countless TV tapings, concerts, philanthropic events, galas, and award shows.”
Megan, who earned her B.S. in communication with a concentration in production, performance, and technology and holds a master’s degree in digital multimedia journalism from Sacred Heart University, hopes that her book reaches “kids of all ages who are ultimate fangirls and boys.”
“I want kids to know that being different is okay. I always say, ‘the weirder and more out there, the better.’ I want everyone who reads my story to know that they can accomplish their dreams and goals, no matter how big they are.”
Megan credits her time at Mitchell with learning the important skill of “knowing how to work with people who may be different from you.”
“I took many classes that focused on group work, which can always be a struggle. Being in a managerial position now as an editor, I have to work with people of all different backgrounds and skill levels. At Mitchell, I met all sorts of different people of all ages. I learned to listen better, how to effectively communicate my needs and wants, how to accept criticism, and that sometimes, your idea isn’t the best way of going about the problem. I also learned time management and self-advocacy skills that l use in my job today.”
For a copy of Megan’s book, email her at megan.roche13@gmail.com.
