The original name is from the Mohegan word "quinnitukqut" which means "at the long tidal river."
The name was transliterated sort of poorly (see: Nippon vs. Japan for another example... among thousands) by the English speaking folks of the time and it became Connecticut when spelled but the pronunciation was a little harder to fudge, it seems.
B. Carl wished it were last year at the this time so he could invite someone else to homecoming and have a good time.
Answer:
The implication is that she will forever be perceived as inadequate, and she will not be noticed. During the one summer, her one "day in the sun," (a metaphor for someone getting their time in the spotlight,) she is shunned and literally locked away in a closet, unable to experience the sun.