Matt Fontes, a student in URI’s accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program, has taken on a larger role this year with the basic needs food pantry, moving him closer to finding his career path beyond URI

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 27, 2026 – As a graduate student pursuing his Master of Public Administration in the University of Rhode Island’s accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program, Matt Fontes hopes to one day impact public policy at the state level and effect positive change for the state’s underrepresented populations.

That wasn’t always the plan.

Long before he donned Keaney Blue, the 23-year-old Cranston, R.I., native was an undergrad at Rhode Island College studying computer science. A product of the COVID-19 era of canceled commencement ceremonies and increased online learning, Fontes graduated high school in 2021, but admittedly put little effort into finding the college that was right for him. He also hadn’t found his “lane” yet academically.

Now, five years later, Fontes has shifted his focus from computer science to political science, developing a newfound love and appreciation for politics through his role as a graduate assistant at the university’s Rhody Outpost basic needs pantry.

“For a long time, I didn’t know anything about politics,” Fontes said, “but then COVID hit during the beginning of the second semester of my junior year of high school, and then I realized how politics literally affects every single part of your life.”

Fontes is closing in on finishing his master’s degree by the fall of 2026. He began working for the Outpost in the spring of 2025 – the second semester of his senior year – as an intern through URI’s John Hazen White Sr. Center for Ethics and Public Service, which collaborated with the URI government affairs and the president’s office to develop the program to foster university engagement in public service.

Fontes’ main responsibility was serving as a liaison between the Outpost and student organizations. In April, he helped link the Student Action for Sustainability club with the Outpost as part of the group’s Rhody Repurpose initiative encouraging students to donate their unwanted items during move-out week.

When his internship ended and he began the online MPA program, Fontes landed a job as a direct service professional for a non-profit group home in Cranston, but returned to the Outpost in November to take on more of an administrative role in the absence of Barbara Sweeney, URI’s coordinator of food security outreach, who underwent surgery in December and spent three months on medical leave.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” Fontes said. “I got into this field of study because I wanted a job that didn’t feel like a job. When I’m working at the Outpost, I truly feel like I lose track of time.

“One of the big reasons I decided to switch from computer science and transfer was because I was working jobs that I didn’t care about.”

Fontes’ passion for public service is rooted in family tradition. His father is a U.S. Air Force veteran and his aunt, Pamela Lauria, is a primary care nurse practitioner and R.I. state senator who represents District 32 (Bristol, Barrington, and East Providence).

Still, after graduating Cranston East High School, he wound up at RIC studying something entirely on the opposite end of the spectrum, a decision he soon regretted.

“I wanted a true college experience. URI provides that,” Fontes said. “When I was at RIC, my father and I used to come to URI football games, and that’s when I began realizing I wasn’t happy at RIC.”

With his newfound passion for public policy, Fontes transferred to URI after one year at RIC and immediately began pursuing his political science degree. He earned a Heidi Allen Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually to select political science majors, and in 2024 interned at the State House, giving him an opportunity to practice policy writing – perhaps, he says, a preview of what he might want to do once he graduates the master’s program.

“The best part is I still haven’t found my lane,” Fontes said. “Working at the group home isn’t my ‘forever’ job. I’ve stumbled into so much since I’ve been here. It feels like everything has been falling into my lap. The group home has given me great experience learning how to interact with people in different ways, but I really enjoy being at the ground level – the grassroots work.

“My MPA will give me a good lane to either go into government or non-profit work.”

Sweeney, who returned to the Kingston campus in mid-March, is thankful for Fontes “graciously” stepping up during her absence. The added responsibility gave Fontes a chance to learn more about the administrative side of things, including outreach to students, faculty, and staff for pantry donations and raising awareness of the Outpost’s availability on campus.

In addition to keeping students aware of the services the Outpost provides, Fontes said it’s equally important to solicit donations to the Outpost outside of the usual busy seasons around Christmas and other holidays. Whatever essential items don’t get donated, the Outpost will purchase; given that a large population of those who utilize the Outpost are graduate students, many of whom are international, there’s also a greater need for items that aren’t traditionally found in American retail stores.

No matter what lane he picks, Fontes envisions a future helping others; it’s a part of his journey he’s proudly shared with URI and the Rhody Outpost.  

“When you know what you’re studying is directly impacting your work, that feels good,” Fontes said.

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Michael Parente, director of communications and marketing in the URI Division of Student Affairs, wrote this news release.