Undergraduate Stories

"I am a hands-on learner and being able to incorporate that into my education strengthened my ability to understand concepts and ideas."

"I transfered to RWU from a large institution after realizing that I was a student who wanted to be more involved and to feel closer to my peers."

"It has been my dream to attend a 4-year university so I can make a difference in my community. Growing up in a first-generation immigrant family, financial aid played a pivotal role in my college

I took a sociology class in high school, and I liked it. I declared ANSOC as a major coming in, but I did not think that I would stick with it. As a freshman I thought college was about majoring in something that had a concrete outcome, like Marketing or Business. But, I stayed in the major and I now I feel more passionate about it. I see that there are career opportunities with it.

Relentlessness. Lilly Medeiros, a Roger Williams graduate from the class of 2014, shares that relentlessness is one of the core values her employer, Moderna, emphasizes at their company, and the one that resonates with her most. As an Engineer in Early Development Operations, Lilly has spent the last year and a half directly contributing to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rebecca O’Rourke ‘20 of Eaton, Mass. will attend Tufts University School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant (PA) program after studying Biology at RWU. O’Rourke was supported by RWU’s Health Professions Advising track, which offers pre-professional preparation for health science fields.  

From dancing at Walt Disney World, to showing off her baking skills on television’s Food Network, Roger Williams alumna and baker Jillian Hopke lives every day full of excitement and, of course, sugar! Since graduating from the Gabelli School of Business in 2002, thousands have fallen in love with Jillian’s tasty and unique baked goods, leading to business venture, “Jillycakes,” a bakery owned and operated by Jillian herself.  

Now a few years into my career, I enjoy working on healthcare projects that ultimately can make a great difference in someone’s life.  Along those same lines, I eventually want to be working on projects that benefit society as a whole, more specifically, working on sustainable projects.  It’s an exciting time to be in construction, as now, more than ever, we are developing and implementing new technologies and building materials with sustainable goals in mind.

After six internships and many hands-on experiences at RWU , Julia Pateman will join Hensel Phelps Construction in Southern California as a Field Engineer.

Jordan McGarty, RWU senior, is combining his passions to pursue an unusual yet essential role in the computer science field. With a major in computer science and a minor in professional and public writing, McGarty is preparing to serve as a bridge between client and programmer, streamlining communication and translating jargon into accessible language.