Commencement 2009: URI student’s atypical path to college degree provides unexpected benefits

Commencement 2009 Student Profile of Talent Development Alumna Somravanh Litthisack.

Somravanh Litthisack readily admits that she didn’t have the usual college experience. She didn’t live on campus, pledge a sorority or participate in extracurricular activities.

Yet as she prepares to graduate from the University of Rhode Island on May 17, she knows that the atypical path she followed provided unexpected benefits and was the right path for her.

“I was pregnant at 17 but still determined to go to college, and URI was the best option for me,” said Litthisack, 28, who grew up in Providence and Cranston but now resides in Barrington. “I took all my classes at the Providence campus because it was an easier commute and I wasn’t away from my son as much. Because most of the students there were adults who have had more life experiences, the opinions expressed in class were more diverse and it opened up more doors.”