When Kevin Drumm ’15 went to Spain with the International Engineering Program (IEP) to study at TECNUN- University of Navarra, he reported back to the program what his life was like abroad, a trip taken with help from a Demers Fellowship: “My most memorable experiences this year were: taking in the wonder of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, doing improv comedy in Spanish with the theater club at Tecnun, and relaxing on the beach with my co-workers in Puerto Vallarta. This year has been exactly what I expected, in that I realized before it started that I had no idea what to expect. When you immerse your- self in another culture, there is no way to know what will happen, no matter how many classes you’ve taken or books you’ve read.”
An East Greenwich resident majoring in mechanical engi- neering and Spanish, Kevin also completed a semester-long in- ternship in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico as a product engineer for the Rhode Island company Hope Global. An avid drummer and as- piring guitarist, he enjoys making music and returned from Mex- ico knowing how to salsa — both the dance and the sauce. Even in his career plans, he wants to learn plenty of new things. “I hope to be a mentor and leader in whatever profession I choose,” said Kevin, who has also received scholarships from the Matthew D. Flores ’90 Memorial Fund and the Toray Plastics America, Inc. Scholarship. “I want to have a job that allows me to consistently come out of my comfort zone.”
His time at URI was busy with Kevin serving as Student Pro- gram Coordinator for Freshman Orientation, treasurer and presi- dent of the Student Alumni Association, and a member of the Student Philanthropy Council and the Latin American Student Association. In addition to working off campus jobs, he assisted with Professor Mohammad Faghri on the Lab on a Chip paper- based, blood-testing project, served as a student coordinator for the Tunghai Summer Exchange Program, and as a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.
For students just starting at URI, Kevin encourages them to set personal goals throughout their college experience, as he did. Kevin was fortunate, saying, “The scholarships I’ve received during my time at URI have allowed me to broaden my horizons through internships, involvement and study abroad. The private support helped reduce the amount of time and energy that I had to spend trying to make money, which left me a lot more time for school and involvement. I’ve grown so much from the experiences that donors helped make possible, and I’ve been inspired to do the same for others when I’m able.”