Hometown: Brea, California
Major: Computer Science
 

What brought you to UD?

I have family nearby and I was born in Delaware! I thought it would be fun to come back after moving so much.

What is your favorite place on campus?

Brown Library! It’s usually pretty quiet and private there. A nice spot to sit, listen to music and study.

What is your favorite memory or experience at UD so far?

I loved when we had a picnic outside of Morris Library. We had cheesesteaks and pizza.

Are you living on campus?

I am! I’m currently living out of the Courtyard apartments with four roommates. Having my own room is really nice (and it comes with a kitchen)!

Do you have other family members who attended UD?

My dad, Andrew, graduated with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 1990. I also have an uncle and a few family friends who attended UD!

What are your plans for after graduation?

Enter the workforce! The hope is to get something like an IT tech job for a medicine company or a company that would help save lives. It’s also one of the industries that I have the largest network and interest in.

Ellena Adams, AS26

Hometown: Mifflinville, PA
Major/minor: Fashion Design and Product Innovation major, Fashion History and Culture minor, Theatre Studies minor
 

What brought you to UD?

After graduating high school in 2021, I had a gap year where I searched for schools with good fashion departments and that would be a bit further from home. I had considered a lot of different art schools, but wanted to go somewhere that I could get a traditional college experience, too. I loved UD after one day of visiting because their FASH department is amazing and has great staff, but the school is also a “normal” university with things like football games and a walkable campus. I also really loved that Newark is pretty central to cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. - so many things to do just a train ride away!

What is your favorite place on campus?

My favorite place is Alison Hall/Alison Hall West. It’s where all of the studio spaces are for the fashion students! From industrial Juki sewing machines to flat bed knitting machines, there’s so many inspiring and fun things to do.

What is your favorite memory or experience at UD?

During my fall 2024 semester, I was an undergraduate teaching assistant for a first-year sewing studio course in the fashion department, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve done so far at UD. It was so amazing to help the first-years with their midterm and final projects, and I got so much insight into the department and bonded with and learned a lot from the professor of the course.

Another amazing experience at UD was last spring semester, when I was a site leader for a University of Delaware Alternative Breaks (UDaB) program in Boston. Myself and my co-site leader facilitated a week-long community service project working with an organization called CommunityServings, which produces medically-tailored meals for individuals and their families experiencing critical or chronic illness and nutrition insecurity. It was a transforming experience for my leadership and collaboration skills, and I created so many lasting bonds over the course of our program.

Are you living on or off campus?

I lived in the Russell A dorm during my first year, and since then, I’ve been living in off-campus apartments.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I hope to move to a city like Philadelphia or New York for my first job in fashion design. A hopeful vision I have is working behind the scenes for something like theatre, dance, or film for costume design, so I’m hoping I might be led there by different connections through the FASH department or an internship I might have.