Central Program Staff
Contact us pcs@uconn.edu for any questions.
Nella Quasnitschka
Director, Pre-College Summer
Nella is the Director of the Pre-College Summer Program and is the Assistant Director of Academic Outreach for Early College Experience for the Office of Early College Programs. Nella oversees all operations and processes for PCS, specifically the academic course offering schedule and course enrollment process. Nella received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and her Master’s in Education Administration from Illinois State University.
Melanie Banks
Associate Director, Pre-College Summer
Melanie is the Associate Director of Pre-College Summer and Program Assistant for ECE Academic Standards for the Office of Early College Programs. Melanie's primary responsibilities for PCS include spearheading the program's marketing and recruitment of prospective students. She also oversees the application system and process for PCS. Melanie attended the University of Connecticut where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and is now pursuing a Master's in Business Administration.
Yara Medawar
Program Coordinator, Pre-College Summer
Yara is the Program Coordinator of the Pre-College Summer Program, and is now pursuing a PhD in Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Yara supervises and organizes academic, leadership, and social student exploratory workshops and reviews and revises all policies and protocols. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, she completed a master's degree in Public Policy from UConn Hartford and a master's degree and bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering/Project Management at Notre Dame University, Lebanon.
Abigail Piotrowicz
Program Assistant, Pre-College Summer
Abigail is the Program assistant for the Pre-College Summer Program and is currently pursuing a MA in Curriculum and instruction from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. In her role, Abigail oversees student housing logistics, coordinates University classroom spaces for instructors and students as well as support a range of administrative projects throughout the academic year. Previous to her time with PCS, Abigail earned her BA in English alongside a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Connecticut.
Kelsey Bowers
Graduate Assistant, Pre-College Summer
Kelsey is a Graduate Assistant for the Pre-College Summer Program, currently enrolled in the Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s program here at the University of Connecticut. Kelsey is responsible for the coordination and planning of our annual Open House event, supervises and organizes academic, leadership, and social student exploratory workshops, and reviews and revises all policies and protocols. Prior to starting her master’s program, she completed her bachelors in Animal Science, associates in Psychology, and minors in Agricultural Education and Honors at the State University of New York, Cobleskill.
Catherine Contreras
Student Administrative Assistant, Pre-College Summer
csc19010work@uconn.edu