Law Degree in DC: Ellie Miske

Updated Story: Ellie Miske, 2011, Washington, DC

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? When I shared my story three years ago, I was in law school doing a semester in DC program through UConn School of Law. Since then, I graduated from law school, passed the bar exam, and started a job as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? I connected with as many people as possible during my semester in DC. Even though over two years had passed before I moved back to DC, I stayed in touch with many of the people I met through emails, phone calls, and meeting for lunch when I visited. This helped me secure my current job. I also clerked at the Connecticut Appellate Court for a year after graduation. This allowed me to develop my research and writing skills with one-on-one mentoring from a judge.

What are your goals now? Have they changed? While in law school, I was focused on getting a job doing something I cared about. Now that I have gotten a job in the field that I want, in the place that I want, I am starting to think long term. Do I have a good work-life balance? Do I picture myself here in 5 years? 10 years? More? What do I like about my job? What don't I like about the job? Is it flexible with leave and benefits? Can I work from home? Essentially, my goals have changed in that now I can focus on if my job is right for me long-term, and if not, what I envision for myself in the future.

February 13, 2017: Ellie Miske, Class of 2011, Washington, D.C.

What are you up to? I'm currently in my second year of law school at University of Connecticut Law School. I'm participating in the "Semester in D.C." program. In this program, I'm working on the Judiciary Committee portfolio for Senator Blumenthal. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over federal judges and other issues regarding the federal courts. For example, handling the Attorney General appointee (Jeff Sessions)  hearings, as well as the upcoming hearings for the Supreme Court nomination. I also do a variety of other projects (many of which are regarding current events).

How'd you get here? After graduating from WHS, I went to University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I double majored in Political Science and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. I graduated a semester early and interned in the Northwestern District Attorney. I started law school the following fall. 

While in undergrad, I was involved in student government and campus activism. I was working on women's issues such as combatting campus sexual assault and domestic violence. I also worked at our women's center as a rape crisis counselor.

I became interested in law while working on these initiatives. I worked closely with our Title IX Coordinator and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. Both of these women had law degrees even though they weren't practicing lawyers. One of my favorite professors at the time also had a law degree. I started talking in depth to these mentors about a law degree and realized how flexible it was. I realized with scholarships (and especially UConn's in-state tuition) this could be an option for me.

What are your goals? I want to work in a position where I am making a difference. I'd love to work in government, public policy, or at a non-profit. I am also interested in labor law and will be working at AFSCME's International headquarters in Washington, D.C. this upcoming summer.

Advice for WHS Students? Don't be afraid to ask to grab lunch or a coffee with people who have jobs that you find interesting. Getting to know people helps you learn what your options are and then when opportunities come up in the future, they'll already have you in mind. "Networking" is a buzz word, but it is also a really helpful skill and the earlier you master it, the more opportunities you will have.

What do you feel grateful for today? I feel grateful that I have been able to continue my education and have had guidance from people who went out of their way to support me. Which is exactly why I want to "pay it forward" and reach out to help any students at WHS who wants to learn more about my career path.

How Art Connects with Medicine: Lindsey Parenteau

Lindsey Parenteau-Oshel, Class of 2011, Jacksonville, Florida Updated Story

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? Since I last shared my story, I graduated with my Masters in Occupational Therapy and moved to North Florida to live with my husband as he pursues his career. A job offer came up for an OT in the school system, and I could not resist. I currently work as a school based OT specifically with kids in elementary schools. A typical day for me in the school generally goes with seeing students with ALL types of disabilities either for individual time or in a small group to work on different goals that help them to be successful and as functional as possible in class and throughout the school day. Typical goals we usually address focus on helping with handwriting skills, cutting skills, transitions between classrooms, attention during seated classwork, and self care tasks like dressing or opening containers during lunch. Often times, my job involves providing teachers various adaptations to skills such as writing with different pencils or grips, using adapted paper with lines and colors, providing assistive technology like ipads or eye gaze devices to assist with reading/writing or providing resources on sensory strategies to allow students to have movement breaks and increase attention. All in all, I love every aspect of my job especially getting to use fun crafts and games to allow my students to be as successful as possible.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? Last time I shared, I was just getting started in the OT field while in graduate school. I truly did not even know what it meant to be a therapist because my only experience was through book learning and teacher lectures. Since then, I've become a licensed "OT" in Florida and have gained so much experience out in the field learning more than ever being hands on. Initially, I started work at a Skilled Nursing Facility helping various patients that have had injuries/illnesses such as strokes, dementia, knee replacements, etc. gain independence back to their daily lives. The work was fast paced and typically you would only work with a patient for a few weeks and they would go home. This job was not the route I had envisioned for my career and sought out to find my true passion, working with kids.

What are your goals now? Have they changed? My goals and to try to get through this first school year as successful as possible and hope that I did a good enough job to be picked up for more school years to come. My goals have definitely changed as I see the realistic side of actual work and adulthood living on my own with my husband far away from Nashville. I still think some day it would be amazing to have my own clinic for kids to come and receive therapy, and maybe 30-40 years from now, become a professor to teach the next generation of therapist. But for right now, I'm keeping my goals to being the best I can be right now for the students I current have everyday.

Lindsey Parenteau, 2011, Nashville, TN September 20 2016

What are you up to? I am currently enrolled in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at Tennessee State University. I was 1 out of 30 students chosen from a pool of 500 applicants for the program, so I am still in shock and very thankful. What is occupational therapy, you ask? Well, it can help you get back into your work or job, but it can also be much more than that. Occupational therapy is the therapeutic use of everyday activities or occupations that are meaningful to the patient to promote independence in function. The profession works with all age groups and many different types of disabilities, both physical and mental.

How'd you get here? I have always loved art and music but I also knew I wanted to use my time helping others and making an impact in their lives, specifically children. As I was choosing my future profession, I tried my best to pick something that incorporated both of those aspects I enjoyed. Luckily, OT focuses on using crafts and participation as a type of therapy, so I knew it was the perfect route to go for me. I graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Science. OT is a very competitive field so I had to work hard to keep up a high GPA so that I could be accepted into a graduate program.

What are your goals? My number one goal is to get through the program so I can get started with my career. Once I get my Masters of Occupational Therapy, my dream is to become a traveling OT and pick up contracts around the around the globe. I couldn't pass up such an amazing career opportunity that allows me to travel and get paid at the same time.

Advice for WHS Students? If you have a dream or goal that seems unreachable or unrealistic, don't give up on it. Make it achievable.  I went a direction that allowed me to incorporate art and creativity in a purposeful way. I still get to do what I love everyday, but I choose a path that allowed me to grow and have a stable career that I truly enjoy.

If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? I would go to London, England in a heartbeat!

Expect the Unexpected: Lindsay Bugryn

Lindsay Bugryn, Class of 2009, Watertown, CT

What are you up to? I just started my 2nd year of teaching! Last year I taught 2nd grade and this year I am teaching Kindergarten in Waterbury. I absolutely love being in the classroom day to day. It's amazing to see how much my students learn throughout the year. I am also coaching the dance team at WHS. This will be my 4th year coaching the team. It's a great way to share my passion of dance with others! 

Who would of ever thought I'd be dating someone from high school that I never spoke to?! Well, I am! We've been dating for 4 years, 3 of those years he's been serving in the Air Force. Only a few months left until he's back to Watertown! 

If I'm not teaching, planning lessons, coaching or spending time with friends and family, you can always find me hanging out with my dog!

How'd you get here? I attended University of New Haven for my undergrad. I received my Bachelors Degree in Communications. My dream was to become a news anchor. That dream quickly changed after I was crowned Miss University of New Haven my senior year and started working with children in school systems. As I began to spend more time working in different schools, I realized I could be a positive influence while doing something I really enjoyed. I was able to work with children of all ages, however, I became very passionate about working with elementary aged children. Seeing how eager elementary school children are to learn made me recognize I could make a huge impact and help mold their futures. 

This led me to go back to school for my masters degree. Almost two years ago, I received my Masters in Elementary Education from The University of Bridgeport. After completing my student teaching in Wolcott, I was awarded Outstanding Student Teacher of the year. I was then offered a full time position teaching in Waterbury. Since then, I have loved every minute of it and can't wait to see what the future holds.

What are your goals? I plan to go back to school for my 6th year. Down the road I may decide to take on an administration role, but for now the classroom is where I want to be! I also hope to continue to build the dance team at the high school!

Advice for WHS Students? Expect the unexpected, prepare for obstacles, dream big, be happy and always believe in yourself.

How did you start your day? With 20 big smiles from my Kindergarteners!

Software Engineer and Underwater Investigator: Joseph Adamski

Joseph Adamski, Class of 2009, Newington, CT

What are you up to? I am currently working as a software engineer at HYPACK in Middletown, which was a small start up company that was bought out by a Fortune 500. The software we develop deals with the field of hydrography, such as using echo sounders in order to generate maps of the ocean bottom. Most of my time is spent working on magnetometers, which assist various organizations in finding all sorts of objects on the seafloor such as unexploded ordinance or ship wrecks. I've also recently been doing some work on measuring water quality using environmental sensors in order to ensure drinking water is safe. 

I'm currently finishing up my MBA at Central Connecticut State University in business analytics. So hopefully when I'm burned out on being a code monkey I can move onto new things.

How'd you get here? Probably the biggest help in getting to where I am today was financial assistance. Mr. Lozaw and Mr. Brown wrote me a letter of recommendation for a National Science Foundation scholarship, which ended up covering the majority of my tuition at CCSU while getting my Bachelors in Computer Science. AP Java was also a big help in getting me started in the field, so kudos to the now retired Miss Smith. Other than that, I just really like programming and so I made it my job.

What are your goals? In my undergrad, I double majored in sociology and computer science. I have always wanted to get my PhD in a topic such as computational social science which combines the two fields.

Advice for WHS Students? Find a career path you really like. Don't rush into anything and take your time. You're bound to have a few flounders and failures but it is how you learn and recover from them that really matters.

If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Bletchley Park

Determined and Filled with Coffee: Olivia Grella

Olivia Grella, Class of 2013, Willimantic, CT

What are you up to? I'm in my senior year at Eastern Connecticut State University. I study psychology and have done a lot of research in the areas of eating disorders, body perceptions, cultural standards, and exercise behaviors. Other than that, I run cross country and track. I also work in the Advising Center where I help freshmen and sophomores with any school counseling problems or concerns.

How'd you get here?  A lot of coffee to carry me through long nights of sitting behind a computer running statistics. My roommates would rotate who would come to the lab and bring me the next cup. To be completely honest, I never thought I would become so invested in the research aspect of psychology.

When I first started psych I was completely set on becoming a high school guidance counselor and didn't want to spend time in any other area. But after I took a class where I conducted my own research on physique anxiety and exercise behaviors, I realized I wanted to keep doing more. I became close with some of my professors and started helping them with their own projects. I also became a TA for research classes and started helping other students with their research projects. With the guidance of one of my professors, I did an independent study where I looked at cultural standards, body perception, and eating disorder rates. It wasn't until I built these connections with my professors that I went back to my original research and starting doing more with it. This past December, I was given the honor to present this research at Eastern’s Psychological Science Conference. I’m in the process of finding new conferences, possibly ones outside of Connecticut, to present at. 

What are your goals?  I really want to go to graduate school and become a licensed clinical psychologist. I submitted applications to master’s programs in the area of clinical mental health counseling for the time being. Once this degree is completed, I plan to move onto a PhD program in clinical psychology and meet those licensure requirements. I plan on continuing to research and to start focusing more on eating disorders. I really want to use my degree to do something that will make another person's life better. This is where I feel the most passionate. My dream is to become an Eating Disorder Specialist and work on developing new prevention programs. Even though I "narrowed" it down to a concentration, I could still go in so many different directions. That's the great thing about psychology: even if I don't get there right away, the thought of working on a college campus as a clinical mental health counselor or working at an outpatient center with a mixture of patients would make me just as happy because I would still be helping other people improve their mental health.

Advice for WHS Students? Don't pick a path just because it's comfortable. For me, I wanted to be a guidance counselor because it was the only aspect of psychology that I really knew. I was comfortable knowing that the job was actually out there and it was attainable. I'm so happy though that I experienced different parts of psychology and found the research aspect to it as well as the clinical/counseling side. So I really encourage you to explore new things. I know it sounds cliche, but you only know what you've experienced and it's hard to make a life decision if all you know is what's happening around you. If you have an interest in a field, explore every part of it because you never know what you may discover. Also, I highly encourage getting to know your professors, especially if, you have any plans of going to graduate school. They really want to help you succeed and if you build relationships with them early on then you're going to be the one they remember for awesome opportunities. Overall, if there is something you are passionate about, pursue it. Don't let being afraid hold you back. More importantly, don't let others make the decision for you. Your dream may sound crazy now, but with lots of hard work and dedication, you'll be amazed at how much easier and attainable it seems to be.

What are the ingredients for a perfect day? Going for a long run in the morning and coming back to coffee and a good book!