Majors: Economics and English
Minor: General Business
Hometown: Warwick, Rhode Island

What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?
The quality and authenticity of the staff in the College of Arts and Sciences is something special here. It was through the engaging lectures in ENG 160 my freshman year that I rediscovered my passion for English, enough so to declare the major. Later, it was through the support, encouragement, and care expressed by the faculty in the Department of Economics that caused me to feel truly at “home” at URI.

What accomplishments or activities are you most proud of doing while at URI?
I am most proud of the fact that I am on track to graduate with honors Summa Cum Laude. I entered URI undeclared and directionless, coming out of high school with a sub-3.0 GPA. I will now be leaving URI having made the Dean’s List every semester, graduating with two degrees in areas of study I learned to love during my time here. This is somewhere I never thought I would be.

What, if any, research projects, internships, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education? 
My senior research project is an investigation into the economic effects of providing naloxone for first aid kits in public transit. By reviewing data for overdose locations, the cost of an overdose death to the taxpayer, and the cost of maintaining a stock of naloxone for public transit service providers, I will produce a cost-benefit analysis for the theoretical implementation of this program at both the state and federal levels.

In sculpting this research project, I have been able to utilize many of the tools I have acquired over the course of my college career. While this project is primarily focused around my economics major, the writing and critical thinking skills established in my English studies directly benefit to the making of a polished, final product. By piecing everything together in this final project I am able to witness the full scale of my own capabilities just prior to entering the workforce and moving on to a post-collegiate life.

What do you value about your liberal arts education?
What I value most about my liberal arts education is its emphasis on what makes us human. By choosing the liberal arts, I chose an education that prepares me for a post-college world, a world full of people.