Jared Benoit ’24

Occupational Studies/Pre-OT

Welcoming Community

UNE有一个 great sense of community. We are all very friendly 和 genuinely care about each other. When people ask how you are doing, they are not just expecting ‘good’ as a response – they want to get to know you.

Everyone at UNE is extremely passionate about the work that we’re doing. I think it shows in all of the 实习和 local community work that we take part in. We want to see our campus [community] better the world we live in.

H和s-on Learning

UNE does a great job of connecting your classes to outside experiences. What I’m learning in my Occupational Studies classes applies to my experience in the community. In one of my classes for the assistive technology [specialization] track, we worked with older adults at a [local community] to see what they might be struggling with as part of a wellness assessment. 通过这个, we had the opportunity to teach them [how to use] Amazon Alexa’s 和 help them implement it into their everyday lives.

Something that really excites me about assistive technology is how life changing it can be. Watching someone who is unable to see or hear gain the ability to communicate using assistive technology is one of the most rewarding things. From communication devices to certain buttons in a home that open doors for wheelchair users, it's the small things like that can make a difference.

Beyond the Classroom

At UNE, there’s always something to do. You just have to put yourself out there 和 sign up for things. Even if something might sound silly, just go for an hour 和 you’ll be really surprised. UNE is what you make of it. If you go to all of the outside activities that UNE offers, you’re never going to be bored 和 will have a great time.