Alumni Excellence 2025-2026 Highlights

Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences join over 40,000 accomplished alumni across the world who benefited from the liberal education they experienced at the University of Rhode Island. Over the course of 2025-2026, we reconnected with notable alumni to learn more about their careers and how URI helped them take the necessary steps to achieve their success. Stay connected and learn more about what some of our selected alumni are up to!

Stefanie Vining ’25

Stefanie Vining will relocate to Bordeaux, France, after receiving an offer to remain at Unither Pharmaceuticals full-time, where she interned through the IEP Program.

Zack Harden ’24

Zack Harden, a Newport native, becomes part of highly selective Japanese Exchange and Training Program.

Anthony Amore ’89

Anthony Amore has spent 20 years searching for the art stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he’s more determined than ever to find it.

Evan Villari ’02

Filmmaker Even Villari and renowned Rhode Island storyteller, Len Cabral, produce a documentary film, ‘Meet Me at the Court.’

Liz Gotauco ’04 & ’10

Liz Gotauco, also known on TikTok as Cosbrarian (with over 500K followers) published her first book in the fall of 2025.

Amanda Queiroz ’25

Amanda Queiroz will spend eight months in the South American country starting in March on a Fulbright Fellowship.

Mya MacNeil ’25

Mya MacNeil’s piece on nuclear weapons was published in the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center; she recently was chosen as the Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Delegate for the NCSS Cherry Blossom Program, and will start her master’s degree from Georgetown University this fall.

Two male presenting students behind a film camera

Lionel Jeffries ’22

Lionel Jeffries’ original film, “Waterwick,” is an official selection at the Queens World Film Festival in New York City and was created with a team of URI alumni.

Natasha White ’18

As the school librarian at Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence, White has been pushing back against scrutiny over low test scores, poorly run buildings, and challenging communication with bilingual families through her broadcast news program.

Jay Clarke ’19

Jay Clarke makes his return to Rhode Island from New York City to perform in The Gamm Theater’s latest production, The Cripple of Innishmaan, by Martin McDonagh, in Warwick, Rhode Island