Meital Sandbank graduated with honors from The University of Connecticut in 2014. She majored in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and Education. During her time at UConn, Meital worked at the Child Development Labs and was involved in Best Buddies Club and Human Development and Family Studies Club. She also participated in research investigating early signs of autism in infants. During her summers, Meital volunteered at Boston Children’s Hospital, working with Child Life Specialists. She also volunteered at Horizons for Homeless Children, helping organize playrooms in shelters for children experiencing homelessness.
Shortly after graduating UConn, Meital joined the team at Horizons for Homeless Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young children in Massachusetts by providing high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family services.
Meital started her work at Horizons as an Early Education Teacher working with infants and toddlers. During her time there, she has advanced into her current position where she runs Horizons’ Infant Program. As part of this position, she oversees three classrooms with children ages two to fifteen months and supervises six teachers. Meital practices trauma-informed care as she works with children and families who are experiencing homelessness in Boston. She regularly uses her Spanish fluency to help improve communication with parents and children. She has given workshops to educators, started a music program for children, and is working to deepen Horizons’ work by creating a social/emotional evaluation scale for infants in partnership with Harvard University. Meital has presented at fundraising events and was awarded Horizons for Homeless Children’s Sue Heilman Award for Excellence.
Meital is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston University, hoping to continue working with children who have experienced trauma in a clinical, one-on-one setting.
Congratulations to Alumna Hyanghee Lee (PhD, ’18) who recently started a position as postdoctoral scholar at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State University.
Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez (’97 HDFS, ’00 MSW) will be featured in a ThisIsAmerica webinar hosted by Neag and UConn Alumni, on the topic of Critical Race Theory in Schools. She is a superintendent in the Hartford Public Schools. Learn more:
Samantha graduated from UConn in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS). As an undergraduate student she had two very formative experiences that started her on a path toward becoming a healthcare researcher. One was working as a research assistant with Dr. Keith Bellizzi, primarily focused on a study of breast cancer and quality of life. The second was working with Husky Sport, a community-campus partnership between the NEAG School of Education’s Sport Management program and nonprofits in Hartford’s North End, aimed at supporting youth development through sport and relationship building. After much reflection on these experiences, as well as guidance from two very influential mentors in her life, Dr. Bellizzi and Dr. Steven Wisensale, Samantha decided to pursue a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree.
Alum Rona Karasik (MA, 1989) was recently named editor-in-chief of the journal Gerontology and Geriatrics Education. 
Alum Jennifer Cecarelli (’91) was recently featured in an article about her business, Peace, Love, Books! mobile bookstore, often seen in Hamden CT. Jennifer is also an elementary school teacher in Middletown, CT, and serves on the school board in North Haven.
Michael Munoz (’01) will be a speaker at Husky WOW (Week of Welcome). Michael is Global Marketing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lead at Google, Inc.
Congratulations to UConn HDFS alum, Stephanie Labbe (09), who won Olympic gold as Canada’s goalkeeper!
Recent HDFS graduate *Michael Zhu recently received the first place prize from the Elie Wiesel Foundation. Currently, he works in Washington, DC at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. Congratulations Michael!