Home town: Woonsocket, RI
Specialization: Health Promotion
Why did you come to URI?
My college advisor in high school told me to try to apply for the Talent Development program at URI. The Talent Development program is to help increase and support the diversity and inclusivity of the student body. I began my journey at URI after completing the early TD summer success program in 2018. Choosing URI has been one of the best choices I’ve made financially and since it was an in-state school, I wasn’t too far from home.
What surprised you most about URI?
When I first came to URI, the introductory classes felt intimidating because the class sizes were huge. As you progress deeper into your major, your classes will likely shrink in size. However, I was surprised how professors are willing to help you one-on-one. Professors have office hours for a reason and might have TA hours. Use it to your advantage! Even though URI is a huge public university, everyone is super supportive of your success journey.
Why did you major in health studies?
I love how the health studies curriculum is diverse. Health studies students can take classes ranging from nutrition, kinesiology, economics, human development classes, and much more depending on your specialization. I also knew that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives behind the scenes without choosing a clinical route. Along with my health studies curriculum, I’ve taken multiple computing classes as well. Combining health studies with other majors or minors of interest is quite doable because you still have free electives that you must take to graduate with at least 120 credits.
What do you consider to be the greatest strength of the Health Studies major?
The greatest strength of being a health studies major is that we’re great critical thinkers and problem solvers. From the various classes that we take from the health studies curriculum, we have transferable skills that can be applied in real-life applications and various types of job settings.
What experiential learning opportunities did you have at URI?
In my junior year, I reached out to an associate professor from the college of pharmacy at URI who had a health data analytics start-up where I worked as a Data Science intern. I also worked as a teaching assistant in the computer science department for CSC 320 called issues in computing, which is a interesting class on how technology is impacting how we see the world today. As we know technology is constantly evolving around us at a fast pace. This upcoming summer of 2022, I will be working with Dr. Brown doing computer science research. The research will be focused on using a health dataset to help create valid stimuli for an experiment
where people judge what they think is fair by using machine learning metrics.
What advice do you have for Health Studies majors?
I would recommend trying to get out of your comfort zone and reaching out to potential mentors. Networking and building relationships early in your college career will help increase your chances of getting internships or any other opportunities. Work-related experience is crucial in the job market today.
To add along, LinkedIn is a great resource when it comes to connecting with people that are working in your desired field. I’ve utilized the CCEE plenty of times. The CCEE is a great and free campus resource for mock interviews, resumes, and cover letters. Also, download the Handshake app which is a great way to find career opportunities, internships, and network with recruiters!
What’s next for you?
I graduate from the Health Studies program this upcoming fall semester in 2022. I will continue finishing my other two undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Data Science by May 2024 in hopes to work in the healthcare industry as a data engineer or data scientist.