Majors: History and Political Science
Minor: Business
Hometown: North Smithfield, RI

Q. What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?

A. The College of Arts and Sciences is probably the biggest umbrella of majors at the University. I am always amused when I go to an event and see friends of mine who are in music or theater there. Our majors are so different, but the college brings us together. I love it.

What accomplishments and/or activities at URI are you most proud of now?

Getting through it! Jokes aside, I gained much more from the extracurricular scene than I ever expected to. As a senior, I am the President of the ACLU here on campus, but on my first day as a freshman I never thought I would be that involved. I have made lifelong friends that I never would have even met had I never decided to show up to a club on a Monday night, or take a chance and apply for a service program that I thought I had no chance of getting into. I have to say that the accomplishment I am most proud of here at URI was being part of the team, ACLU URI, that worked to get Election Day classes cancelled. I think taking this action was very forward-thinking of the University and will help thousands of its students be engaged. We worked with the Student Veterans Organization to make this happen and it provided an amazing opportunity to build a coalition and achieve something that I never previously thought possible.

What research projects, internships, experiential learning, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education?

There are a few I would like to mention. One was a statewide exit poll I helped conduct during the 2018 Election in an American Political Theories PSC 210 class with Professor Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz. This gave me a lot of experience in conducting on-the-ground research and was one of my more memorable classroom experiences. Another was an internship in DC with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. This gave me the opportunity to go to DC and see and work in the heart of the US government, with all of its wonders and flaws. In Spring of 2020 I studied abroad in the Czech Republic. This was unfortunately cut short due to the pandemic, but the months I spent there were some of the best of my life. Studying there allowed me to combine my education with an overseas experience that I would never have been able to afford or organize on my own. This semester, I am working on my history capstone with Professor James Mace Ward and my honors project with Professor Brendan Skip Mark. Both of these have given me archival research, analysis, and writing skills that I will be able to use throughout my life.

What do you value about your liberal arts education?

I value the amount of time I was able to dedicate to understanding society and my place in it. I think a liberal arts education gives someone a great opportunity to take initiative and seek to study problems that they see in their everyday lives, rather than follow a rigid curriculum. It has helped teach me how to speak, write, and think in ways that will help me in my future endeavors, and exposed me to viewpoints, cultures, and people I have never encountered before. I feel like I’m a different person than I was 4 years ago, and I don’t say that lightly.