Uche Aja

Junior Justice and Law Administration major Uche Aja says he aspires to be an attorney so he can contribute to public policy creation that will help community members live longer, healthier lives. “In addition to my justice and law classes, I’ve also taken a lot of environmental classes at Western Connecticut State University,” Aja said. “I’m health conscious and want the people around me to be able to enjoy clean air. In the future as an attorney, I want to work on legislation to improve the environment, people’s health and to hold corporations accountable for their actions.”

So, when Aja saw a recruiting call for college students interested in working toward creating Smoke- and Vape-Free campuses across the country, he was eager to become involved. As part of his participation in the program, he was able to travel to Washington, D.C., and meet with 52 other college students who are fellow smoke-free advocates. “When former WCSU President Beran signed our smoke-free initiative last summer, WCSU became one of the leading schools in getting a policy in place,” Aja said.

Asked about his enthusiasm for the subject, Aja said, “People close to me smoked and I didn’t like the outcome. This is a just cause for me. What inspires me is that it leads me to be able to set goals to help the community. As an attorney in the future, I see myself as someone who would be able to work to make the community a better place.”

His efforts are being noticed beyond campus. “Once I added my work as an advocate to my resume, I had people from the state Capitol in Hartford contact me to see how this could be done on a wider scale,” he said. “Proper legislation is crucial to protect the environment.”

Aja plans to graduate in late 2024/early 2025 and will attend WCSU’s Master of Science in Homeland Security program before enrolling in law school.

“I’m proud to have led this initiative on campus,” Aja said. “It has inspired me to see things from a different perspective, while enabling me to succeed on behalf of a good cause.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.