A recipient of the 2026 Undergraduate Student Inclusive Excellence Award, Sharday Johnson advances first-generation student support, interdisciplinary learning, and campus-wide inclusion through advocacy and historical preservation.

From studying coastal wolves and salt marshes to caring for animals at Roger Williams Park Zoo, Crystal Rivera De Leon ’26 built her URI experience around curiosity, community, and hands-on learning.

From coral farming and seaweed cultivation to sustainable reef aquaculture, Taras Pleskun ’17 is helping redefine what the modern aquarium industry looks like.

Through lab research, fieldwork, and close faculty mentorship, Abby Harlow is discovering how plant sciences can address real-world agricultural challenges.

Through applied coursework, close faculty mentorship, and interdisciplinary study, Anna Geubtner ’26 found a path in environmental economics that connects economic theory with real-world environmental challenges.

Through research, clinical experience, and a transformative scholarship program, molecular neuroscience major and Ryan Scholar Angela Marses has shaped her path toward medicine at the University of Rhode Island.

With support from the Amgen Foundation, URI delivers hands-on biotechnology labs to high school classrooms across Rhode Island, connecting students to real-world science and career pathways.

Emilio Pedroza Lopez’s NSF-funded research examines how social dynamics influence movement, resources, and survival in degus, a small rodent native to Chile

Through hands-on learning, leadership, and farmwork at URI, animal science major Paige Caron ‘26 discovered her passion for large animal veterinary medicine and will now pursue Doctor of Veterinary Studies in Grenada.