Nicole Muraski: President of Autism Speaks U

Meet Nicole Muraski 

Claim to Fame: President of Autism Speaks U

Majors: Allied Health with a minor in Psychology 

Year: Senior 

Hometowns: Millstone, NJ 

Other campus activities:  Phi Sigma Pi 

What made you get involved with Autism Speaks U?

My friend asked me to come with her to a meeting, and I just fell in love with the club and the cause.  

What does the club do?

Autism Speaks U UConn is a college chapter of the national organization, Autism Speaks.  Our main goals are to raise awareness for autism and fundraise for autism research, which we do every year with our 5K Walk/Run.

What would you want people to know about autism?

There are a lot of facts that people should know about autism.  One in 68 children are on the autism spectrum, it affects more boys than girls, and it’s not a disease, it’s a disorder.  

Tell us about the 5K.

It is our 8th annual 5K held on campus.  We have a $30,000 goal to reach and we co-host it with Tau Kappa Epsilon.  I love it because there’s a sense of community and I love seeing everyone come out to support the cause. You can still sign up online for $25 until April 17th at midnight, or it will cost $30 at Fairfirled Way. 

What has been your favorite part of being president of Autism Speaks U?

I’ve gotten to meet a lot of new people and the leadership experience has really helped me and figure out what I want to do.  I want to be a school psychologist so getting involved helped me to figure out my career path.  

How can students get involved?

It’s never too late to get involved! We have meetings every other Tuesday at 7 in Student Union room 312.  If you can’t make the meetings you can always get involved in other events.  

For more information, check out Autism Speaks U UConn on Facebook.  And if you are interested in participating in the 5K, register here! 

• Autism Speaks
• campus celebrity