Majors: English and Writing & Rhetoric

Minor: Italian

Hometown: Kingston, RI

What research projects, internships, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? 

Through URI’s faculty-led study abroad programs, I was able to take summer Italian classes in Calabria, Italy in 2018. As an Italian-American who decided to minor in Italian to connect with my family’s country of origin, the trip proved to be an invaluable immersive experience in the diverse cultural practices and lives of Italians. The trip also helped me improve my Italian beyond the classroom and apply the language in the real world. 

What do you value about your liberal arts education?

By getting a liberal arts education, I not only learned technical reading and writing skills but also gained the ability to talk about culture and what the world around us means. Now, whenever I go to see a movie or engage with a piece of advertising, I am able to think critically and express my thoughts on how and why something came to be the way it is. As someone who is passionate about social justice, my liberal arts education has given me countless tools to help me in my goals of making a culture that is more inclusive and accepting of each other.  

If you were to offer advice to an incoming first year student, what would you say?

Try everything. The University of Rhode Island offers such a wide array of activities, classes, and clubs that you can discover interests you didn’t even know you had. I think one of the most valuable lessons I learned in college was that there’s usually someone out there with your same interests, no matter how obscure, and they can often be valuable assets to your professional network. Going to student open mic nights, visiting a new club, or attending one of the many events that happen every night on campus are all great ways to explore the URI community and build connections.