{"id":88950,"date":"2026-07-01T15:38:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/?p=88950"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:58:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:58:37","slug":"engineering-student-heads-to-france-for-international-studies-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/engineering-student-heads-to-france-for-international-studies-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineering student heads to France for international studies this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In high school, Jaymori Leonard joined his school’s four-year engineering program, where he discovered his passion for engineering. Through the program, he was exposed to design, electronics, and modern engineering technologies through a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experiences, allowing him to develop technical skills and tackle real-world challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved using those skills to solve challenging, real-world problems in ways that none of my other classes allowed. As I discovered my passion for engineering, that experience confirmed the career path that I wanted to pursue,\u201d said Leonard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leonard, of Plymouth, MA, took a tour of URI when considering colleges. The first thing that caught his attention was the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering. \u201cIt’s an impressive facility that immediately showed me URI’s investment in engineering education,\u201d he said. After touring campus, he was equally drawn to the beautiful green spaces and welcoming atmosphere. \u201cIt felt like a place where I could grow both academically and personally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Leonard and other members of the American Society of Civil Engineers at the Fall Rhody 1st Celebration with Rhody Ram.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

He enrolled in URI’s International Engineering Program<\/a>, majoring in civil engineering and French. He chose those majors because they combine his passion for infrastructure development with his interest in the French language and culture. \u201cThe International Engineering Program allows me to pursue both and I am particularly fascinated by French transportation systems and hope to apply what I learn in France to help design safe, efficient, and connected transportation networks here, in the United States,\u201d said Leonard. Through the program, he will spend a year in France beginning this summer, studying engineering in French at the University of Technology of Compi\u00e8gne while completing an internship.<\/p>\n\n\n

Student Involvement<\/h1>\n\n

American Society for Civil Engineers
National Society of Black Engineers
Engineers Without Borders<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognitions<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam College of Engineering Student Involvement Award
IMEG Scholarship
Rhode Island ASCE 2026 Student Scholarship
ACEC Research Institute 2026 Presidents’ Scholarship<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Throughout his time at URI, he became involved in several student organizations, including Engineers Without Borders<\/a> (EWB), the American Society of Civil Engineers <\/a>(ASCE), where he served as Vice President, and the National Society of Black Engineers<\/a> (NSBE), where he served as Vice President for two years before becoming President during his senior year.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Leonard and a classmate conducting non-invasive subsurface geotechnical investigations.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI’m especially proud of my time with NSBE. We worked to create an environment where students felt welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed. Whether through professional development workshops, networking events, or mentorship opportunities, our goal was to help students realize their potential. That experience taught me that representation and community truly make a difference,\u201d said Leonard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he chose civil engineering, he knew diversity within the profession was limited, and that became increasingly apparent throughout his coursework and internships. \u201cMany times, I found myself as one of the few, or the only, student of color in the room.\u201d Rather than allowing that to discourage him, he focused on building meaningful relationships with classmates by emphasizing shared goals. Those experiences strengthened his teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. \u201cI also found an incredible support system through organizations like NSBE, where I connected with mentors and peers who encouraged me throughout my college journey. Between those organizations and the support received from faculty and staff, I always felt I had the resources to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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URI’s National Society of Black Engineers at the 2026 NSBE Annual Convention in Baltimore, Maryland last March.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThe mentorship I received through the Engineering Student Success Center had the greatest impact on my success at URI,\u201d said Leonard. He commented that the team consistently encouraged him, challenged him to grow, and connected him with opportunities he never would have found on his own. \u201cTheir guidance helped me navigate college, develop professionally, and build the confidence to pursue goals that once seemed out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Leonard, ’27, graduated with his Civil Engineering B.S. degree this Spring, and after completing his IEP fifth year abroad, will receive\u00a0his French B.A.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Leonard excelled both inside and outside the classroom. One of his most notable achievements was passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)<\/a> Exam before the start of his senior year. Inspired by this accomplishment, he founded and organized the Civil Engineering Department\u2019s FE Preparation Sessions. The program also helps younger students build confidence and begin preparing early for professional licensure. Efforts like this led him to receive several recognitions, including a College of Engineering Student Involvement Award, the IMEG Scholarship, the Rhode Island ASCE 2026 Student Scholarship, the ACEC Research Institute 2026 Presidents’ Scholarship, and many more. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to have received several recognitions throughout my undergraduate experience. Each of these honors reflects the hard work, mentorship, and opportunities that shaped my experience at URI,\u201d said Leonard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following graduation, Leonard plans to begin a career as a civil engineer. In the future, he may also return to school to pursue a master’s degree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In high school, Jaymori Leonard joined his school’s four-year engineering program, where he discovered his passion for engineering. Through the program, he was exposed to design, electronics, and modern engineering technologies through a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experiences, allowing him to develop technical skills and tackle real-world challenges. \u201cI loved using those skills […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5094,"featured_media":88985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[473,17,789,33,18,96,77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil-highlights","category-front-page-news","category-graduate-students","category-iep","category-news","category-student-success","category-students"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88950"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89018,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88950\/revisions\/89018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}