Why did you choose the URI and the political science program?
I’m from upstate New York, and I’ve always been drawn to the history and rhythm of New England. I realized that if I want to create change, I have to be in proximity to the people and institutions that make it happen. Being the smallest state, Rhode Island felt like the perfect place to immerse myself and build lasting connections. I learned immensely. 

I chose the political science program because I came in with a passion for justice, and URI gave me the space to figure out how I wanted to fight for it. The program helped me connect that passion with real-world systems: law, advocacy, and policy, all while sharpening the questions I ask and how I lead. The political science program offers countless opportunities and faculty who care about future generations. I could double major in political science and criminology and criminal justice, and pick up a third major in philosophy. All of the departments have played an enormous role in leading me to my future career path today.

What class had the most significant impact on you and why?
The first was PHL101. I took it initially to avoid math, thinking I’d fulfill a credit and move on. But it ended up cracking my mind open to curiosity, something that had always been instilled in me. I could use my innate thought process with the education system without trying to fit a certain standard or system. I began thinking in frameworks, not just answers. Philosophy gave me a way to understand complexity without rushing to resolution. That mindset changed the way I move through the world. 

My capstone political theory course with Professor Cheryl Foster was the most impactful class I took at URI. In that course, I began understanding the systems that shape our world: education, law, and science. More importantly, I started to understand my relationship with them. The material was powerful on its own, but having Professor Foster as a guide made the experience transformative. She was the one who made me believe that my words and ideas mattered. She taught me that it’s not enough to sit at the table where decisions are made; you must speak those ideas with confidence, clarity, and preparation. Knowing the content and delivering it with conviction go hand in hand. As a woman, that’s not just important; it’s essential.

Did you participate in any internships, clubs, or student org? How did those experiences shape your path?
I stepped into leadership the moment I stepped onto campus. I started in minor roles on the URI Mock Trial E-board and worked my way to President. When I took on the presidency, we were a team of three, with five members total. Today, we’re nearly 70 strong and growing into a full pre-law pipeline. We’ve partnered with other legal organizations on campus and became the first public University in Rhode Island to compete regionally in the American Mock Trial Association Tournament. 

Additionally, I served as the Campus Affairs Chair of the student senate for three years. That’s where I learned how student voices, when organized and persistent, can actually change institutional systems. 

Through the political science department and the RI General Assembly internship program, I earned the opportunity to intern with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, working in the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Unit. There, I helped build a strategic statewide plan to collect data, reduce harm, and intervene within the system. In the CVIP Unit, I learned proactive vs. reactive through my day-to-day work. This included analyzing data throughout Rhode Island, reviewing grants and legal documents, and opportunities to network within the community and legal professionals in the office. These roles didn’t just shape my path. They built it.

Can you share a project or experience you’re especially proud of?
The project I’m most proud of is leading URI’s Mock Trial team to compete in the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Tournament for the first time in our University’s history. Last year, we couldn’t participate, so I created something entirely new: an Intercollegiate Mock Trial Showcase, where we used the AMTA case materials to put on a full trial with a jury. It was a way to bring courtroom experience to campus, even without a tournament slot. (Our second annual Intercollegiate Mock Trial at the University is coming up next weekend!) 

This year, I planned months in advance so we could officially register, hold competitive tryouts, and prepare a regional team. We went on to compete at Brown University’s AMTA regional tournament, representing the first public University in Rhode Island to do so. 

What made this experience especially meaningful was the competition itself and the access it gave us. Our members connect with attorneys, judges, and law professors from across the state and esteemed mock trial teams throughout the East Coast. They weren’t just learning the structure and rules of trial, they were building relationships in the field they hoped to enter. It was an achievement for our team, our University, and the community we’re building.

What skills or knowledge from your major do you feel most confident bringing into your career?
Political science gave me the language to understand systems. Philosophy taught me how to question them. Criminal justice helped me know how those systems function, fail and evolve in practice.

Together, they gave me the confidence to walk into rooms, understand the dynamics at play, and ask better questions. I am confident in my ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and lead with both strategy and empathy. Whether I’m writing, speaking, or working across teams, these majors didn’t just give me academic knowledge, they trained me to zoom in and out. It is important to see the immediate details of a problem and the bigger picture surrounding it. That’s the kind of thinking I bring into every space I step into.

What will you miss most about URI?
What I’ll miss most about URI is the way this place allowed me to grow loudly, awkwardly, and completely. I came in thinking I needed to prove myself to everyone. Somewhere along the way, between late nights in the library, Mock Trial prep sessions, senate meetings, and conversations with the people who actually saw me, I started to prove things to myself instead. URI gave meroom to build something lasting. I’ll miss the people who reminded me I was capable even when I forgot. And I’ll miss the version of me that found her voice here. Not performatively, but through trial and error, and showing up anyway.

If you could tell a first year student one thing about studying at URI, what would it be?
Stay curious about opportunities, people, and this university, especially when it feels easier to stay in your lane. The more I leaned into curiosity, the more the right doors opened. It’s not about having all the answers, it’s about staying in the questions long enough to find something real.

“If we stay in the learning, we will be okay.” -Bart Crawford