In addition to serving as the manager of Hillyer College’s tutoring center, Arohi Verma ’26, completed fieldwork in a second-grade classroom last semester at Allgrove Elementary School in East Granby, Connecticut. “The experience was truly rewarding and insightful,” says Arohi, an integrated elementary and special education major who is pursuing an opportunity to work at a preschool this summer.
In fall 2022, Hillyer Assistant Professor of Academic Strategies Linda Moran recognized Arohi’s affinity for mentoring others and approached them about becoming a Hillyer College study center tutor. That experience was so successful that by the end of the semester, Moran asked Arohi if they would be willing to take on the role of manager. “I love being able to help students become the best students they can be. And as manager, I have also been able to work a lot more with the other brilliant tutors.”
Another experience that has contributed to Arohi’s success was attending Hillyer’s Honors Hawaii Experience Winterterm course—a 12-day trip where students study Buddhism, the cultural diversity of the Hawaiian Islands, and the history of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Last year, Arohi participated in the Hillyer Honors Humanities seminar, Stories of Change, led by Instructor of English Leslie Johnson. In that seminar, students learned how writers, visual artists, and musicians use their art to fight for social change and to tell tales of personal development. Arohi focused on mental health awareness and suicide prevention and says they chose this topic because many of their family members and friends have experienced the effects of mental health problems. “It was a very positive experience,” says Arohi. “I loved working with Professor Johnson and the classroom environment she created.”
Outside of classes and Honors projects, Arohi is a member of UHart’s Women for Change, Best Buddies program, and the drama club Dramatis Personae. “I think my favorite thing about UHart is the found family I have been able to find,” says Arohi. “There are so many amazing people that I have had the privilege to get to know and work with.”
Arohi says they would tell incoming Hillyer students that college is different than high school because you must learn quickly how to be academically independent. “One of the most important things is to learn what resources are available to you early on so you can establish good habits.”
Arohi Verma ’26, Hillyer College and College of Education, Nursing and Health ProfessionsOne of the most important things is to learn what resources are available to you early on so you can establish good habits.