Hometown: Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Specialization: Health Promotion

Why URI?

The day I set foot on URI’s campus, I felt like I was home. There was a familiar feel when I came and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, a part of something that would enhance me to the person I am today. URI showed me what I could do and it had all of what I needed to grow and be successful.

What surprised you the most about URI?

What surprised me most at URI was how easy it was to make friends, connections, and life bonds. Most people were friendly everywhere I went and very community oriented. I didn’t expect URI to be a place that I called home, but it sure is home to me.

Why did you major in health studies?

Coming into college, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in, like many students. I came from a technical high school, choosing Health Careers as a focus, so I knew that health was a part of it. However, I didn’t want to do the clinical work in the healthcare field, I wanted to work on prevention and health promotion because I see this as being the larger healthcare issue at stake in this country. I also love the broadness and capability to take many different courses, making me a well-rounded, educated student and individual.

What do you consider to be the greatest strength of health studies?

I think something this major does really well is allow for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental communication and collaboration to happen throughout with the different majors in the classes. Healthcare is supposed to be an integrated entity composed of people from all different backgrounds and strengths, and by bringing all of these people into classes where people of different majors will collaborate with Health Studies students is amazing because we have to learn how to work together. If we enter this field, we will be doing a lot of that going forward!

Did you complete an internship?

I completed two public health internships. During the summer of my sophomore year s (2018), I interned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program (CUPS) at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. I was exposed to many facets of public health, spoke with many leaders in the field, and had my own experiential learning in an environmental health department. Junior year summer (2019) I had the unforgettable experience of studying abroad in Khon Kaen, Thailand through the CIEE Community Public Health Summer Program. I along with 13 other American university students studied public health issues in Thailand, conducted studies and focus groups, as well as implemented short health behavior change intervention programs for the communities we worked with.

What experiential learning opportunities have you had at URI?

I am very fortunate and blessed to have been a part of all of the experiences that I’ve had at URI. I also have a minor in Leadership Studies which is where most of my leadership opportunities arose from and where my growth and confidence as a leader skyrocketed. I’ve been a Peer Leader for the introductory course into the minor as well as a Peer Advisor for the major. I’ve also had the opportunity to be on a bunch of different teams and committees making positive change happen at URI. Lastly, I’ve had many challenging times where I had to learn to become self-sufficient, proactive, and resilient to reach my personal goals in life.

Any advice for majors?

If someone had told me why I shouldn’t freak out about the future instead of just saying not to, I would’ve freaked out much less. This major is a blessing because there are MANY avenues to explore upon graduation. You don’t have to have ANYTHING set in stone or even completely figured out. Understand more of what you like within the major (how the curriculum is more broad, how you are able to learn about many different subjects, and how there’s room to grow and learn about more). Understand that Health Studies includes everything, which means you can do ANYTHING when you get that degree. Absolutely anything.

What’s next for you?

At this moment in time, I have every opportunity available to me, it’s just a matter of which door I choose to open. I have the opportunity to become a Teacher and get my teaching license through Teach for America. I can continue teaching Afro-Latin dancing and be a Yin Yang Kizomba Dance Instructor, Co-Founder, and Co-Organizer with my current life and dance partner. I have many options, and I am excited to find out what’s next for me too.