What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?
I was fortunate enough as a first generation student to have a large support system of professors who really wanted me to succeed and provided me opportunities to succeed while I tried to figure the system and play catch up with my peers. These past four years have been really impactful to my family life so my focus was divided. But because my professors were always there for me either academically or personally, I was able to thrive. In terms of the curriculum, it is special because it allows you to feed your curiosity. As someone majoring in the humanities I was able to take German, Portuguese, geology, and philosophy. These may seem unrelated, but the beauty of my majors brought them together. I was able to learn about people, their culture and history and that was possibly the most impactful of all… Growing up my blackness was very significant in my identity because of the microaggressions I constantly faced, like most black Americans, and to have professors that genuinely cared for my growth while acknowledging my identity and using it to empower me was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. The College of Arts and Sciences, due to the curriculum and the professors, was able to foster me into someone who can stand tall in the face of adversity. 

What accomplishments and activities are you most proud of doing while at URI?
I’m so thankful and proud to have been apart of Sankofa Christian Ministries. I joined Freshman year. Sankofa was always there for me as a support system when I fell into bursts of depression that sometimes come with the stress of being a college student… I’m also thankful that I got to be an RA for two years. In that position I was reminded that every day matters and that a simple conversation can make a difference. In college especially it’s not uncommon to encounter someone coming to you with big life questions; how you respond is important. I’m also really thankful that I was fortunate enough to finish three degree programs within four years. There were times throughout my undergrad that it seemed impossible, especially as a first generation American and college student. I’m thankful because I know now that I am capable and I made my parents and family proud. My little brother is so important to me I want to teach him well and encourage him to know that facing challenges even through greater hardships are okay, but quitting is not.

What research projects, internships, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education?
I studied abroad my Freshman year for J-Term to Cape Verde Island and it was such a blessing to be able to study the history of my parents’ country and be able to do so there. I was also able to visit my family in the country and reconnect with them. I learned about the Cape Verdean resistance to Portuguese rule and their fight for independence. I learned about their partnership with Guinnea Bissau and I was so thankful because it empowered me as a Cape Verdean. I learned a quote in Prof. Norman Barber’s class that “history is written by the winners” but I was thankful that Cape Verdeans — despite the adversity they faced — rewrote their narrative and developed into one of the most democratic nations in Africa. Thanks to this two week program, I was able to reconnect with my roots in a way that wasn’t even possible on a month-long family vacation which followed that same year to Cape Verde. This opportunity afforded me a lesson in history that was once removed from textbooks, it afforded me a history written by my people. 

What do you value about your liberal arts eduction? 
Mostly the well-roundedness and the people I’m surrounded by. In a liberal arts education you’re surrounded by people who are also feeding their curiosities. It produces a campus of passionate students and professors.