Hometown: West Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Year: Class of 2018
Major: Microbiology
Minor: Chemistry

Senior Austin Shission is the true embodiment of service. Before age 20 he learned what it truly means to serve having completed 13 years of Boy Scouts training. At URI it comes as no surprise he is a gifted member of the Archery Club, but when it comes to Greek life Austin has earned and fostered his leadership roles through dedication, respect, and devout service. In Austin’s definition service can be any act of helping another person, even one on one. How we treat each other is critical in all relationships he says be it in our jobs, our personal relationships, and even along our morning walk; there are always opportunities to help others. Austin may have served more students than anyone else, having been a URI 101 mentor, Greek 101 mentor, IFC philanthropy and service chair, IFC public relations chair, VP of archery club, President, VP, and education chair of his fraternity, Greek week chair, philanthropy week chair, VP of Order of Omega, Pre-health ambassador, and recently elected to his fraternity’s national council. A time Austin reflects on as really impacting, empowering, and inspiring was his first philanthropy week, when the Greek community came together to support beloved faculty Dan Graney’s family in a time of need. The culmination of community effort further bolstered Austin’s strong desire to serve, “The passion and combined effort that was put into [Philanthropy Week] was unparalleled to anything I had ever seen before.”

After completing his education at URI, Austin plans to take his skills to medical school, so he can meaningfully serve the next community he lives in, as diligently as he served the students of URI. His continued dedication to serve the community will never go unnoticed, and strongly represents URI Greek Life’s core value of service