Majors: Mathematics and Political Science
Hometown: Coventry, RI
Note: Contact him at massaronep@my.uri.edu if you want to hire him as a math tutor!

What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?
The most unique thing about the College of Arts and Sciences has to be the overall outstanding faculty. I can’t even recall all the times throughout my time as an undergraduate where a professor would introduce some new concept or perspective about a topic that I wouldn’t have ever thought of previously, perspectives that often would leave me genuinely amazed at the way that some people think. These same people also have generally affable personalities that have consistently made me, as both a student and a person, feel like this ability to think critically can be learned. Now reflecting and comparing who I was when I entered URI to who I am now in my final semester, I can attest to that being an ability that can be learned, but not without help from faculty along the way.

What accomplishments and activities are you most proud of doing while at URI?
I could identify awards or honors I’ve received as moments of pride, and the best example of that for me so far would be earning membership into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, although I would imagine graduation will top that. But if I had to sum up what the most pivotal purpose of college is in one statement, I would say it is about growing as a person, and that takes on different forms depending on the person. For me, perhaps the biggest contributor to this personal growth has been taking on roles within the Department of Mathematics as a tutor and TA, both of which showed how rewarding an experience it can be to play a role in the education process. It is a great feeling to be able to help other people achieve their goals, especially when those goals involve people’s desires to be successful in math classes. Math can be scary, stressful, confusing, and a whole lot of other depreciative things, and to have been able to help countless people through the adversity they face in this process is truly enriching. Additionally, many of the relationships and connections I’ve forged with people I’ve met directly as a result of my time as a tutor are among the strongest and best relationships I’ve made in college. Working for the Math Department has been a great way to meet all sorts of great people from different walks of life, a statement that I wouldn’t have thought I would be making when I first started working there. And I’m proud of who I’ve met and who I’ve become during my time as a tutor and TA.

What research projects, internships, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education?
The most educationally enhancing internship I had would be the time spent as a legislative assistant for my local senator at the Rhode Island State House. This was my first opportunity to apply what I had learned in the classroom to the “real world” and see how my education had prepared me for life after college. Seeing my research and my hard work contribute to policy proposals with real world implications that could affect my life and the lives of my fellow citizens was a moment of true realization that everyone is a cog in the machine and can make a difference in their own way.

What do you value about your liberal arts education?
It’s a phrase that most students will probably hear at least once, but getting a college education is really all about being taught to think. College shouldn’t just be a job factory, it should be an institution where you become a more complete citizen, one who is prepared for the various challenges they will continue to face in life even after college. I entered college not sure about who I was or what I wanted from life, and while college hasn’t been some magical solution that has answered every question without generating new questions of its own, the liberal arts education I’ve received has left me more prepared for whatever may lie ahead.

What advice would you give to incoming students?
I would tell any incoming students to not completely devote themselves to what they think they want when they first enter college. It’s okay to change majors. It’s okay to want a different future. It’s also okay to not know what you want or what you’re doing. It sounds clichéd, but you will get to where you’re supposed to be eventually. You may have to work harder than your peers to get there, and it might be very difficult at times, but you have to try to not compare yourself to people who you feel are way ahead of the curve. Instead, you just have to work towards being the best version of yourself that you feel you can be at any given time, and remember the only person that you can ever really be better than is your past self.