Cassidy Cabral of Bristol knew what major she wanted to pursue before she arrived at URI. She had shadowed professionals in different careers while a student at Mount Hope High School and discovered an affinity for speech-language pathology.

Kingston, Rhode Island, is a long way from Brownsville, Texas. But for Jeannette Guillen, a first-year doctor of physical therapy student, the journey she and her family made from Mexico to Texas when she was in grade school felt like an even bigger leap.

The first thing that might surprise you about Kinte Howie, a sophomore human development and family studies major, is that he speaks Japanese, which he began studying in high school in Providence. You might also be surprised to learn that he has abandoned long-held political aspirations to one day become an Episcopal priest.

Jarolyn Fernandez could not be more prepared for a career as a patient advocate. She graduates in May with a triple major in health studies, communication studies and Spanish. But it was her upbringing in Providence as the child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic that has driven her to help people navigate the health care system.