Mitchell College has received funding from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut to launch the Mitchell College Healthcare Academy (HCA).

The HCA is an early college, on-campus program that expands healthcare career pathways for New London County middle and high school students. It combines classroom learning with hands-on experiences to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals and address local workforce needs.

Inspiring Future Healthcare Leaders

President Tracy Y. Espy said:

“Mitchell College is proud to offer the Mitchell College Healthcare Academy to middle and high school students in our region, inspiring the next generation of healthcare professionals and helping to address local workforce shortages. Thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, we can begin this initiative to empower students, promote economic mobility, and advance health equity in the region.”

Program Highlights

Middle School Program – HCA Rising

• For grades 6–9

• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) exploration phase

• Fun, engaging activities to build interest in healthcare

• Launches July 2025

High School Pathway

• For grades 10–12

• Career education, leadership, and soft-skills development

• Shadow days, hands-on labs, research and writing skill-building, summer experiences

• Opportunity to earn college credit through dual enrollment

Community Support

Maryam Elahi, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, said:

“The Community Foundation is pleased to support Mitchell College’s program which aligns closely with our priorities: health equity, early career development and educating a diverse group of students. Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to make grants to support area youth, meet the basic needs of our residents and protect the environment.”

Learn More

For details about the Mitchell College Healthcare Academy, contact:
Dr. Alicia Martinez
Dean of Student Experience and Belonging
martinez_a@mitchell.edu | 860-701-7708

Applications for the Student Loan Reimbursement Program (SLRP) through the Connecticut Office of Higher Education are available beginning August 15, 2025. They will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis through December 2025 until funds are exhausted.

An eligible applicant:

• Must be a current Connecticut resident who has lived in the state for at least 5 consecutive years.
• Must have an outstanding student loan balance and made a qualifying payment in 2024.
• Must have graduated from a Connecticut college/university or attended a program to earn a professional license/certificate.
• Income limits apply: $125,000 for individuals or $175,000 for married applicants.
• 50 hours of verified volunteer service since January 1, 2024, at a qualifying nonprofit, municipal agency, or through military service.
• A hardship waiver may be requested in certain cases of degree non-completion.

Find more information at the Connecticut Office of Higher Education.

It is with deepest gratitude and sincerest fondness that we remember Mitchell College Trustee George White, who passed away last week.

In addition to serving on the Mitchell College Board of Trustees since 2019, he founded the renowned Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., serving as its chairman for 37 years. In 2022 he was awarded the O’Neill’s Monte Cristo Award, given annually to an individual whose body of work has made an indelible impact on the arts. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he served many years as co-chair of its Theater Management Program.

His work and service were far-reaching, and his accomplishments were many.

George White loved Mitchell College, our students, and our mission. We are grateful for his longtime support and friendship.

Longtime Connecticut Sun fan Kilian Okech ’25 joined the team for the summer as a community relations ambassador. In his internship role, he works with the organization that is part of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The sport management major, who played on the Mitchell men’s basketball team, said, “When it came time to find an internship, I already had the idea to work with the Connecticut Sun.”

Kilian worked with Paul Dunn in the Integrative Career Development Office to secure the internship.

“Thanks to his connections, I was able to apply and get a response quickly,” Kilian said.

Tasks on Game Day
Kilian attends every home game at Mohegan Sun and handles other aspects of his work remotely. On game day he arrives in the morning to work in the office and arena before the game. Pre-game tasks include helping to prospect leads for groups to attend games. He also assists with “seat notes,” envelopes containing special offers that are placed at seats around the arena.

In addition, Kilian observes office calls about ticket sales and other questions. At game time, he helps fans at a concessions table or booth. He said he uses the Mitchell Abilities, especially diversity/global perspectives and social interaction, to effectively interact with the broad mix of fans.

When he transferred as a sophomore to Mitchell, Kilian was drawn to the college for a variety of reasons. He liked the opportunity to play basketball, Mitchell’s waterfront location, and its campus and residence halls. He said his Mitchell advisor supported him in helping transfer past credits to be on track to graduate.

Future Plans
Through his internship Kilian has a close-up and behind-the-scenes look at a professional basketball organization.

Looking to the future, Kilian said, “My internship has inspired me to continue going after a career in the front office at a sports organization. Mitchell has good internship options for students. The great help I received from Paul Dunn and my peers at the Sun have prepared me and given me the valuable experience that I need to take the next step.”

Kilian plans to pursue a master’s degree in sport management.

Employers like General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) are taking advantage of the Mitchell Hub to provide professional skills training for their staff. The Mitchell Hub provides access to industry-relevant credentials and professional skills through a digital-first approach and robust learner support.

A second cohort of 21 learners recently completed the Hub’s Mastering Project Management (MPM) hybrid course with the support of the Electric Boat Management Association, a professional society within GDEB dedicated to fostering professional growth of personnel. This hybrid course combined an intensive online, self-paced course that prepared learners for the prestigious a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam with regular meetings with two facilitators with significant industry experience in project management:

• Brian Schweitzer, Project Manager, IT PMO, General Dynamics Electric Boat
• Rebecca Hodge, Senior Director, Finance Integration, Stanley Black & Decker

The project management credential is a high market-value skillset, helping “level up” employees in many disciplines and preparing them to practically apply project management tools, methods, and processes through the completion of a project life cycle.

Learners in the spring 2025 EB cohort represented diverse departments and disciplines throughout the company, including software, digital enterprise, mechanical engineering, and IT. Mastery of project management skills supports many areas including communications structure, time and money, and vendor management, among others.

Learners logged a combined 2053 learning hours online and completed more than 335 assignments, quizzes, and exams.

Organizations interested in providing upskilling and professional development opportunities to their employees can learn more by contacting Karen Bellnier, director of digital innovation, at hub@mitchell.edu or 860-701-5415.

1. Must be a matriculated student.
2. Part-time students are eligible for commendable scholar status for every 12 calculable credits completed.
3. Must have a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49 for the given semester (Commendable Scholar) or 3.50 and 4.00 for the given semester (Dean’s List).
4. May not have any Incomplete, Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Withdrawal or Failing grades for the given semester.

Dean’s List

Commendable Scholars List 

Support Mitchell College students by watching New London’s premier fireworks display—the Mashantucket Pequot Thames River Fireworks Extravaganza— from a private viewing area on Mitchell Beach at Mitchell College’s 2nd Annual Seafood, Sparks & Scholarships on Saturday, July 12.

The last day to purchase tickets is July 8. For more information and to register, go here.

The event takes place from 5:30–9 p.m. and features a memorable evening outdoors—lawn games and cocktails, a delicious multi-course seafood dinner and dessert, and fireworks over the Thames River (beginning at 9:15 p.m.).

A portion of the proceeds from the event goes to the North Star Scholarship Fund, helping Mitchell students discover their brilliance and reach their goals during college and beyond.

Last year’s event sold out, so buy tickets now!

$85 per guest includes:

• Reserved parking
• Private, tented event
• Deck overlooking the Thames River
• Seafood dinner and dessert
• One free signature cocktail, plus cash bar
• Private fireworks viewing from Mitchell Beach

Psychology majors from the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences “swept” the awards for highest academic achievement at the 2025 Commencement ceremony, with Isabella “Bella” Avalos named Valedictorian, and Allison Blum and Thomas Progano tied as Salutatorians.

Bella and Allison talked about their career goals and how they will use their favorite psychology courses to advance their professional lives.

Forensic Psychology and Rehabilitative Justice

Bella, who minored in criminal justice, hopes to pursue a doctorate in forensic psychology and work as a licensed clinician for incarcerated individuals in corrections and reentry programs.

“I am interested in studying behavior and the factors that guide it. There are many fields where psychology is used, and it intersects with criminal justice, another interest of mine. When I chose my major and minor, I wanted to understand how they are used together within the justice system,” she said.

Bella has a long-term goal of working in therapy in the justice system but also conducting research on rehabilitative justice for the corrections community. She currently interns in probation in Orange County, California, where she works with incarcerated youth in a rehabilitative capacity.

“This work is something I value greatly and a core reason for me wanting to pursue a career in forensic psychology.”

She cited the Mitchell College courses that she will draw from in her work in psychology and her day-to-day life.

“Psychology of Well-Being was one of my favorite courses at Mitchell. Psychology focuses a lot on abnormalities and dysfunction, but this course provided different principles to living a fulfilling life that I found helpful not only for my career but also personally. I also enjoyed Behavioral Statistics because it gave me the foundational knowledge to discern and interpret data that was extremely helpful with my research at Mitchell for my Honors Program thesis, ‘An Analysis of the School-to-Prison Pipeline.’ One of my career goals is to contribute to the growth of my desired field through research. This class provided good preparation.”

Marriage and Family Therapy

Allison will start graduate school in the fall to work on a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy.

“Mental health is so important to me, and I love helping others feel good about themselves. I have been in therapy for a long time, and it’s been so helpful to me. My hope is to help others in the same way,” she said.

One of her favorite Mitchell psychology courses will inform her work in graduate school.

“In my Family Systems course, I loved taking a deeper dive into each family dynamic and how it affected the person. I found the course to be very helpful because I was introduced to the research of psychologists Drs. John and Julie Gottman. I admire the Gottman Institute and their view on how relationships work. I like looking at the bigger picture when it comes to the person and why they are the way they are.”

Allison examined relationships for her Honors Program thesis, “Power Dynamics in a Coach Athlete Relationship.”

She also found her Grad School and Beyond class helpful as she prepared to apply for graduate school.

Allison looks forward to pursuing her goal of earning her master’s degree and becoming a licensed therapist.

“In the future, I hope to have an established practice helping others, especially those who are married with children. I would love to help people be great parents who help create wonderful children who will grow into wonderful people.”

Class of 2025

While the Behavioral and Social Sciences faculty celebrated the spotlight on this group of students from their program this year, the graduating class of 2025 distinguished themselves academically across all programs:

• 44 were Honor Society members
• 28 graduated cum laude
• 35 graduated magna cum laude
• 4 graduated summa cum laude

In the above photo, l-r: Professor Jen Mauro and Dr. Joanna Gentsch, professors of psychology, Allison Blum, Bella Avalos, Thomas Progano, and Dr. Nancy Parent, chair of Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Mitchell College invites New London County residents entering grades 6–9, with an interest in science, health, and wellness, to enroll in a summer program on campus, July 7–18.

HCA Rising, a pre-academy program designed to foster an early interest in healthcare fields, is part of the Mitchell College Healthcare Academy (HCA) for New London County high school students.

HCA Rising offers middle school students an opportunity to explore the connection between STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and healthcare careers through fun and engaging activities:

• Hands-on science experiments
• Fun physical activities like dance, theater, and athletics
• Field trips to Mitchell Woods and Mitchell Beach
• Small group sizes for personalized learning
• Engaging weekly themes like ‘Sensory Science: The Five Senses & Environmental Science & Wellness’

Mitchell College is committed to addressing our state’s workforce needs and diversifying the healthcare employment pipeline, and to making education more accessible while serving the needs of our community. As part of this effort, the HCA will provide students with unique opportunities to learn about pathways to healthcare careers, including Mitchell’s new Nursing program leading to a BSN.

Students can enroll in HSA Rising for one or two weeks for $100 per week, July 7–11, July 14–18, or both. Aftercare is available for a nominal fee. Deadline to register extended to June 30, 2025.

For details and registration visit Mitchell.edu/Healthcare-Academy.

For the Spring 2025 semester, Mitchell College students from diverse majors had the extraordinary opportunity to travel weekly by school van to an equine facility in Old Lyme to work with Rolex, Blessing, and several other horses for a new general education course.

“Equine-Assisted Wellness: Bridging Ability and Wellness,” offered in partnership with High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., immersed students in an experience that promoted wellness through the unique human and horse bond. As an organization, High Hopes uses equine-assisted services to support individuals with emotional health challenges, learning or developmental disabilities, and other neurodivergent challenges.

Working regularly with the horses in the barn, in the arena, and outdoors, the students developed an understanding of disability, learned practical skills in horsemanship and therapeutic techniques, and explored the principles of holistic wellness, focusing on mental, emotional, and physical health. Student majors comprised early childhood education, exercise science, criminal justice, communication, and psychology.

Students explore the grounds of High Hopes Therapeutic Riding.

Marci Bender, High Hopes equine operations director and PATH Intl. certified master therapeutic riding instructor, CTRI, led the course with assistance from Kim Severance, CTRS, High Hopes program coordinator, PATH Intl. certified therapeutic riding instructor and PATH Intl. equine specialist in mental health and learning.

Prior experience with horses was not a prerequisite for the course, although some students brought it with them

Melanie Hintz, a communication major, has ridden horses for 10 years and volunteered at another therapeutic riding facility in Connecticut for five years. She said one of her favorite activities was creating an obstacle course for the horses in the arena. Using the obstacle course to build trust, the activity mimicked what it is like for horses to experience the world with limited sight.

“Three of us had to partner and walk the course with the horse. One person was the leader, one person was blindfolded, and one person assisted. Horses can’t see everything and must trust humans to lead them in many situations. When I was blindfolded, it was scary, but I trusted the person who was leading me to keep me safe. It can be challenging to trust and rely on teamwork in life, but I realized the importance of having an open mind and viewing life from different perspectives,” said Melanie.

Instructor Kim Severance said the activity also taught the students how to work together and how to connect and communicate with the horse.

“As students experienced things, they could settle into what to expect,” she said.

Chloe Athanas, a criminal justice major who has worked with horses since she was 7, said she loves building bonds with horses and other people and learning new things.

“My favorite activity from class is when we groomed the horses. We had to use our voice and body language to communicate with them so they could trust us and feel comfortable. I learned that body positions and facial expressions are the key methods of communication between humans and horses,” said Chloe.

For a horse, yawning can be a sign of releasing tension, sniffing can show curiosity, alert and moving ears display an awareness of the environment, and ears pulled back or shifting weight can indicate unease.

Instructor Marci Bender stressed that observation is how we learn to connect with horses and that behaviors are important.

“Understanding what horses are experiencing helps with our work at High Hopes. It’s like putting a puzzle together through observation. You think through what you see, then evaluate the possibilities, Marci said.

Melanie agreed: “Horses communicate through body language, which requires us to pay close attention and try to understand what emotions they are feeling, whether it’s calmness, anxiety, or discomfort. I aspire to adopt this mindset, focusing on using all senses to observe and understand subtle details in life, rather than just relying on our usual senses.”

“I know how therapeutic riding can transform lives. This class deepened my knowledge of horses and provided me with a greater understanding of different approaches to training and therapy. My classmates all had the same enthusiasm for horses, and I enjoyed learning with them,” Melanie added.

The class is slated to be offered again in Spring 2026.

Rolex is one of the horses that participated in the course.

Blessing also worked with the students.