Meet Our Alumni

BGS graduates measure success in many different ways. Their stories are as diverse as the possibilities the program offers. Here’s a sampling:

Donna Jacobson BGS ’07 was 41 when she entered the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program at the Avery Point campus. She had earned an associate’s degree at Three Rivers Community College in May 2004 (with a 3.8 G.P.A.) and wanted to continue her education. Jacobson chose the BGS program because she wanted the prestige of a University of Connecticut degree and was impressed with the choice of courses and class schedules, BGS advisors and UConn professors.

“The best parts of the UConn BGS program were the flexibility of the class selections, the professors and the BGS advisors,” Jacobson said. “My professors were understanding and engaging. Dr. Nancy Steenburg, my BGS advisor, did everything she could to assist me. Throughout my experience with the BGS program, she has been my mentor, someone I truly respected and admired.” 

Besides the challenges of balancing work, school, and family responsibilities, Jacobson was injured in two separate automobile accidents while earning her degrees. She lost the ability to walk, to read, and to speak coherently, and suffered from six herniated discs, severe whiplash and traumatic brain injury. Yet her commitment, perseverance, and the faith of her advisor helped her to overcome any obstacles that came her way.

“The times that I wanted to give up, not to drive the distance to school are too many to count,” she said. “Dr. Steenburg had faith in me even when I questioned my own abilities to continue. I did push myself harder than I should have, but to reach a goal at times, an individual has to go beyond the norm.”

Enrolling in the BGS program has helped Jacobson to fulfill two of her dreams: to earn a bachelor’s degree and to further her education with the goal of becoming a scholar.

“I have gone farther and done better than I ever anticipated,” she said. “I was able to fulfill my dream of walking to the podium to receive my bachelor’s degree. Since neither of my parents had the chance to finish high school, this is a very special, personal achievement for me. And, as a result, I was accepted into the UConn Graduate School in History with a graduate assistantship. I can say without a doubt, that the BGS program makes it possible for adults to return to school and achieve their goals.”

Wendy Dupree ’04 dropped out of high school when she was 16 and started working as a nurse’s aide. In 1990, she earned a GED (General Education Diploma), and was a single mom on welfare with a five-year-old daughter when she enrolled as a full-time student in the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Counseling Program at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in 1994. After graduation from NCCC in 1996, she got a job as a youth counselor at the Connecticut Junior Republic (CJR), a residential clinic for emotionally troubled boys.

She decided to continue her education to increase her earning potential and because of her love of learning. In 1998, she met with Dr. Ken Fuchsman, the Director of the BGS program, and decided that the program was exactly what she needed. She went on to earn her BGS degree at UConn, despite a debilitating injury that left her in chronic pain. Her perseverance was rewarded in October 2004, when The University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) named Dupree UCEA Student of the Year for New England, and in December 2004, when she received her BGS degree with a focus in Human Services. She graduated with a G.P.A. of 3.955 and was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society for Outstanding Academic Achievement.

Michael Bradford ’98 finished up a 10-year stint in the Navy and was working at Electric Boat in Groton when he enrolled in the BGS program. His UConn writing professor encouraged him to submit his work for publication, and the Off-Broadway American Place Theatre produced one of his plays, “Living in the Wind.” The Manhattan Theatre Club awarded him a one-year fellowship, which included a commission to write a play and an award of $10,000. During that fellowship, he wrote “Willie’s Cut and Shine,” which was produced at New York’s Lark Theater.

Bradford currently works as an assistant professor of Dramatic Arts at UConn’s Avery Point campus.

Denise C. Brown ’98 was a high school graduate working at McDonald's when she decided to continue her education. She earned an associate’s degree at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, Connecticut and transferred those credits to the BGS program. She chose the health and science focus in the BGS program, and maintained an A average.

Brown scored in the 97.7 percentile on the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and was in the top of her class at the University of Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine. She graduated in May 2003, and continued her education in a postgraduate program in orthodontics in San Francisco.

Murray Willimas '96  The BGS Program Helps Former UConn Basketball Player Achieve Two Goals.  When Murray Williams originally attended UConn, academics and basketball both played a key role in his life. His basketball career began in 1988, when the UConn men’s team earned a string of wins at the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). It included the “Dream Season” in 1990, when Tate George – with one second left on the clock – tossed a game winning shot to defeat the Tigers in an NCAA third round game. Despite the breathtaking excitement of that glorious moment, the Huskies lost to Duke in the regional finals and finished the season 31-6.

Although these were heady times for Murray, life got in the way of his academic and basketball careers. He left UConn in 1991 without completing his education: he was just 20 credits short of his bachelor’s degree. It was unfinished business that he couldn’t leave behind.

“My goal in attending the University of Connecticut was to earn my degree, as well as to play basketball,” he said. “So once the basketball part had ended, I had one obligation to fulfill and it was to graduate. To be as far along as I was and to be only about 20 credits short of my degree, it seemed foolish for me not to finish.”

He heard about UConn’s Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program for returning adult students and enrolled at the Torrington campus in fall 1995. By offering students a choice of day, evening, and weekend classes, the BGS program allowed him to keep working while he finished his degree.

“I really enjoyed the flexibility of the program,” he said. “It allowed me to continue my education as well as continue my employment, which was key. My BGS counselor helped me figure out what I needed to finish my degree and then how to fit that into my employment schedule.”

By spring 1996, he had achieved his goal of graduating by earning a Bachelor of General Studies degree. His next goal was to give back to the community where he grew up. His BGS degree helped him reach that goal by opening the door to a career in social services. He was hired as a Case Manager and promoted to Site Supervisor for Connecticut Outreach – West, a mental health services organization in Northwest Connecticut, where he works in the pilots housing program, finding housing in the community for homeless adults who have mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

“The BGS program allowed me to be employed in an organization that caters to folks who are in need, who are homeless, who are down and out, who may have psychiatric disabilities,” he said. “The goal is to get them out of homelessness and back into productive lives.”