UConn Magazine: Brenda Milla
Brenda Milla ’19 (CLAS), ’24 Ph.D. reached her fifth year of undergrad before she considered doing research — UConn, she says, taught her to never turn down an opportunity. We caught up with the Stamford native at a coffee shop in Manchester this summer, where she told us about breathing, brain cells, and why it’s her dream to attend a mixed martial arts bout.
Your Ph.D. advisor, Dan Mulkey, mentioned that you are a boxer.
I’m interested in the sport, and mixed martial arts generally. As an undergrad, I went to a boxing gym and learned Muay Thai. It’s similar to kickboxing, but you can strike with your knees and elbows. In the beginning, it was to gain more confidence in myself. It brings something out of you.
Why did you transfer from UConn Stamford to Storrs?
To finish the biology major. As a first-generation college student, the transition to a large campus was more challenging than I anticipated; I didn’t do so well. My initial year was a whirlwind of adjustment, especially after caring for an uncle and grandmother who eventually lost their battles with cancer. I took additional classes that weren’t required, and I wasn’t familiar with add-drop. I knew this was not reflective of my capabilities. I could have graduated fourth year, but I decided to stay a fifth year. My major was MCB, and I’d pretty much taken all the MCB courses, so first semester fifth year I took PNB cardiorespiratory physiology. That’s when I met Dan [Mulkey] — it changed my life.
You did a lot of volunteering in both Storrs and Stamford.
I grew up speaking Spanish at home. As an undergrad, I began interpreting at a free clinic in Stamford. In Storrs I volunteered with Windham Hospital, the Collegiate Health Service Corps, and Covenant Soup Kitchen. I also gave presentations to migrant farm workers at their lunch space. I’m not much of a public speaker — it was quite scary!
Latest UConn Today
- UConn John Dempsey Hospital Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Stroke and Heart Attack CareUConn John Dempsey Hospital has once again been nationally recognized for delivering high-quality, lifesaving care—earning three major 2025 awards from the American Heart Association.
- UConn’s Journalism Major Offers Pathways to Legal CareersThrough courses like Media Law and Investigative Reporting, journalism students get early exposure to the legal world — inspiring some alumni to pursue law school and careers in public service.
- For Restoring Biodiversity Look for Help from the Humble, World-building Muskrat'These important aquatic rodents transform habitats in many ways that some communities, like the Native Americans, have appreciated for 1000s of years, and Western science is just now discovering that importance'
- World-First Gene Editing Trial for Rare Genetic Disease at UConn HealthUConn Health and Connecticut Children’s have made history by dosing the first patient in a clinical trial using gene editing to treat glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a)
- Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin of UConn Honored by the American Institute for Medical and Biological EngineeringSir Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., K.C.S.L, was the designated honored guest at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) President's Circle Reception in Washington, DC.
- School of Nursing Class of 2029 Student Profiles: Abigail Griffiths and Katherine WojtasMeet two out-of-state students who share a passion for nursing