Central Program Staff
Contact us pcs@uconn.edu for any questions.
Bobbi-Jo Wathen, PhD
Director
Bobbi-Jo Wathen, PhD, serves as Director of UConn’s Pre-College Summer Programs. She joins us from a long career in public education as a School Counseling Department Head and School Counselor working in title I schools. In her work in k-12 public education, she specialized in post-secondary transitions, 9th grade success, and creating access to rigorous coursework for ALL students. Dr. Wathen obtained her PhD at the University of Connecticut in Counselor Education with a specialization in Education Policy. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut’s Counselor Education program. She has served The Sheff Foundation, NCWIT’s Counselors for Computing, and the Legal Defense Fund in the efforts to create equitable high-quality education available to ALL students.
Yara Medawar
Program Coordinator
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
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
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.
Yamileth Lopez-Ramos
Graduate Assistant
Yami is a Graduate Assistant for the Pre-College Summer Program and is currently enrolled in the Higher Education & Student Affairs master's program at the University of Connecticut. Yami is responsible for the recruitment, hiring, training, and supervision of the Summer Residential Staff.