As a student at the University of Maryland, New Milford native Anastasia Kouloganes has taken advantage of every opportunity available to her. “I have made an effort to constantly enrich my academic experience and I have promised to never pass up opportunities for personal development.”
Anastasia is an ambitious student – she not only has a double major in Chinese Language and Government & Politics, but also a double minor studying International Development/Conflict Management and Global Terrorism. She studied for a year in China, where she honed her Mandarin language ability and took advantage of Chinese political courses. “These classes gave me a rare glimpse into the opinions and viewpoints of the Chinese government, which are invaluable.” Anastasia’s travels also took her to Burkina Faso in West Africa on a service trip with Engineers Without Borders. During the trip, her group evaluated previously installed solar panels and a filtration system providing clean running water for a health center. Anastasia credits the Connecticut Community Foundation with helping her achieve her educational goals. She is a grateful recipient of the Elizabeth H. Andersen and Nina E. Andersen Scholarship Fund and has been awarded more than $10,000 over four years from this fund. “As an out-of state student, tuition costs are high and without the aid of CCF, it would be much harder to finance my education. The scholarship gives me more time to focus on my studies.” Following her graduation in 2015, Anastasia plans to continue her studies to achieve full fluency in Mandarin and earn an advanced degree in international relations. Ultimately, she hopes to apply her skills in government service.
