Claudia Lucien
AITE 2019
UConn Storrs 2023
Following in the footsteps of her older brother, Shiller, an early Future 5 member who graduated from Stamford High School in 2012, Claudia joined Future 5 as a sophomore and hit the ground running.
Claudia took advantage of tutors, a college coach, Sharon Katz, and engaged in so many community service events in the interest of “paying it forward” that she was awarded a $7,500 scholarship for outstanding community service at the 2019 Citizen of the Year event in Stamford honoring Dan Malloy. “Future 5 has always been there for me,” she shares, and “I would not be the person I am today without Future 5.” Claudia was always willing to do the work, but she needed to tap into her inner strength, and in Future 5 she found a support system that helped her build skills to push herself out of her comfort zone, develop confidence in her abilities and project that confidence to the outside world. She recalls even the most basic “soft skills” she learned in the Future 5 Job Prep workshop – the importance of eye contact with a smile and a good handshake.
Claudia’s growing confidence translated into other accolades and scholarships as well, including college awards from Person to Person and 100 Black Men of Stamford, some of which provided financial support for all four years of undergraduate college.
Every year, Claudia makes a list of goals that she’s determined to achieve. Last year, as a Junior at UConn Storrs, she shifted her major to Human Development and Family Sciences. Having worked at UConn’s Student Health and Wellness Center and focusing on getting into med school, she’s currently working on pre-med post-baccalaureate applications. She hopes to pursue a career as a physician in Orthopedics, EMS, ObGyn, Surgery or Internal Medicine, with a focus on women’s health and health disparities in minority or underrepresented communities.