Majors: Philosophy and Political Science
Minor: Gender and Women’s Studies and Justice, Law, and Society 
Hometown: Wellfleet, MA

Sabrinna was recently awarded the Lynn Pasquerella Award in Philosophy. Pasquerella was a much loved member of the URI philosophy department who left to become the President of Mount Holyoke College and is now the President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Her specialties range from Ethics to Social and Political Philosophy, showing how important these traditional fields are when they are put into real world practice. Rather than see philosophy as something separate from our lives, she believed that we live our philosophy every day, and she showed the connections between her work and our outer (and inner) lives. This award is given to the student who best reflects her work and her legacy.

Q. What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?
A. Without a doubt, the students. There are so many reasons why students end up in A&S and I’ve really seen that through my job writing stories for the College. I feel like people from the outside sometimes look at the Arts & Sciences as one “type” of thing for one “type” of student, and as something without much real-world application, which couldn’t be more wrong. There is also such a culture in A&S at URI of faculty and staff ready and willing to connect students with different opportunities to put their studies to practice and explore their interests. It’s an active effort to prove the broader understanding of A&S wrong in that the liberal arts are not only relevant, but also necessary to create change across so many different aspects of society, especially in those areas that overlap with STEM.

What accomplishments and/or activities at URI are you most proud of now?
I think that in the first place, I’m proud of (almost) being a college graduate. I’m a first-generation college student and although my parents placed a great deal of value on being educated my whole life, it was more in an ethical sense and to be a responsible citizen, not so much in a formal sense. The complexity and rigor of my college journey has really been a product of my own drive to learn and start building a life for myself. I also take pride in the work I’ve been involved with in the College because I am proud to be a member of this community and I’m grateful to have been a part of a team that shares that experience and wants to share it with others.

What research projects, internships, experiential learning, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI?
I have had an internship through the A&S Dean’s Office with Dean Riley for about a year and a half now doing a lot of writing stories on students, faculty, and events happening in the college. Dean Riley is also a co-editor for an academic journal, The Journal of Feminist Scholarship, which she helped me get involved with as my first project for her. She guided me in creating a special undergraduate section of the journal that will go live this Spring that focuses on feminism in the digital age. I also work for Political Science Professor Emeritus Maureen Moakley doing copy-editing for a book pertaining to Rhode Island politics she is co-authoring. And, I was policy researcher one summer with the RI State Government Internship Program doing environmental policy research. I was connected to all of these experiences through the college and they’ve been incredible venues for practicing what I’ve learned, what I like, what I’m good at, what I don’t like, and where I could improve.

I should add that I’m also involved in the Philosophy Club here and I’m an elected officer this year! There are three officers total, I’m sort of bottom of the totem pole as conversation starter, but I love it nonetheless. It’s such a fluid group of people, I see new faces and familiar faces every week. Everybody comes with an open mind and there’s a great diversity of thought and experience represented.

What do you value about your liberal arts education?
I think that for a lot of students, regardless of what they study in college, they fear not being happy with where they land after college. And, subsequently, if you’re not happy then you probably won’t be that great at what you do. I’m graduating with confidence that I won’t have that worry because I’ve gained so many skills with my liberal arts education that I have the flexibility to always change what I’m doing if I’m not happy with where I am. It’s a little corny, but I truly feel like I can pursue whatever I want to pursue, and I have the freedom to switch it up. For so many jobs, the top skills employers are looking for are communication skills with respect to people skills and writing ability, and my liberal arts education at URI has helped me to continue developing those skills in a variety of ways over all four years.

What have been some highlights of your time in the Political Science and Philosophy departments?
I think that for me it’s hard to pick out specific highlights or memories because so much of my time was taken by the pandemic. I think, like a lot of students, it took me some time to get my footing and by the time I was sort of coming into my own and getting more involved COVID hit and we went online. So, in a more general sense I think it’s been such a special experience for me to learn from such qualified and experienced professors in both departments. I think of Dr. Foster, Dr. Reed, and Dr. Millsop in the Philosophy Department specifically. The three of them are not only such incredibly educated professors, but they are so down to earth and have really gone out of their way to be there for their students in ways that go above and beyond their job descriptions. I’ve not only grown so much academically in their classes, but I’ve grown so much personally too. Even if they don’t know it, they’ve really seen me grow up and come into my own. Spending the second half of my undergrad career in the philosophy department has helped me find and build my strengths tremendously, which has left me feeling really prepared for when I leave here.

How did you come to minor in Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) and Justice, Law, & Society (JLS)?
I really struggled early on in college with being a victim of violence and having been in an unhealthy relationship as an adolescent and young adult. I took GWS and JLS courses early on and I found that both of those minors, although a bit more so GWS, really helped me to contextualize what I’ve experienced in my life as a woman. It was really a great asset to my healing and being able to move on. And it’s also helped me to understand how people from other backgrounds and with intersectional identities experience those things differently than I do. It helped me grow a really strong passion for justice, and that’s why I continued taking courses under the JLS minor.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I wouldn’t be where I am without Dr. Cheryl Foster, our beloved opportunity matchmaker in A&S!