2018 Success Stories
2018 Success Stories
Angela Bonavita
B.A. in Psychology, Minor in Biology
Intrigued by a scientific approach to psychology, Bonavita will be working as a behavior technician with Autism Allies as she pursues a master's degree in applied behavioral analysis.
Haley Andrews
B.A. in English Communications, Minor in Dance
Andrews took the critical thinking skills and visual language savvy she learned from her major in English communications and incorporated cutting-edge ideas into her creative and award-winning choreography as a dance minor.
Alexis Jankowski
B.A. in Psychology
During her four-year journey to the Commencement stage, Jankowski master-minded the quintessential Salve experience. By fully engaging in many of the University’s uniquely personalized opportunities in academics, independent field research, faculty mentoring, extracurriculars and community involvement (to name a few) – Jankowski graduated on a clear trajectory toward achieving her future aspirations.
This fall, she will attend Boston College’s Lynch School of Education to earn her master’s degree in mental health counseling, and will soon begin working at Berklee College of Music as a graduate assistant in its Office of Housing and Residential Life. A Ph.D. in clinical psychology is perhaps further on down the road, but for Jankowski, now is the perfect time to reflect a bit.
Tressie Fretschl
B.S. in Social Work
Fretschl looks to the Peace Corps, eyeing an opportunity to carry the University's core mission with her as she works with underserved communities in maternal and child health education.
Brittany Fox
B.A. in History, Minors in English Literature and Film
Fox will pursue the dual master’s degree program in history and archives management at Simmons College. She was introduced to the program by her student employment supervisor, Genna Duplisea, who is Salve’s archivist and special collections librarian.
“Two degrees will make me extremely competitive in the job market,” Fox said. “It also enables me to strengthen my historical background while providing me with practical skills that will enable me to step out of the academic field if I choose to do so. I am looking forward to cultivating a professionalized career at a school that has a wonderful atmosphere for learning with peers who express similar desire for knowledge.”
In addition to working in the University’s archives throughout her four years at Salve, Fox completed an internship at the U.S. Naval War College’s John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research.
“Due to my prior knowledge and experience within other archives, my supervisors permitted me to work on advanced projects, such as reprocessing the James B. Stockdale papers and creating an EAD-compliant finding aid for the collection,” she said.
Kevin Brocks
B.S. in Economics, B.A. in Philosophy
Brocks will join the portfolio strategy team at Evercore ISI, an investment bank advisory firm, as a research analyst. The team performs a combination of macroeconomics and fundamental factor research.
Cynthia Lill
B.A. in Administration of Justice
“I formed a special connection with each one of my professors in administration of justice,” Lill said. “From the first day we met in class during my freshman year, Dr. Robin Hoffmann has been helping me achieve my goal of going to law school. From helping me approach how to study for the LSAT to giving advice on my personal statement, Dr. Hoffmann has been there every step of the way.”
This fall, Lill will attend Quinnipiac University School of Law on a merit scholarship. Motivated by an opportunity to tutor adjudicated youth at the Rhode Island Training School, she hopes to eventually use her degree to advocate for youth in the criminal justice system.
“I would tell an undecided student considering the administration of justice major that there is something in this major to suit everyone,” Lill said. “Students in administration of justice go into traditional policing, law, juvenile justice and cybersecurity. The career options are so diverse, and the program is always cutting edge.”
Amanda Miller
B.S. in Biology, Minor in Chemistry
Miller received the health professions scholarship from the U.S. Navy and has committed to the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. After graduating, she will serve as an active-duty lieutenant in the Navy as a physician, either at a naval base domestically, abroad or on a ship.
Allyson Gilbert
B.S. in Biology, Minor in Chemistry
Gilbert will teach in American Samoa through World Teach, a non-governmental organization that provides volunteer teachers to low- and middle-income countries around the world. “I was looking for ways to combine education and international experiences,” she said. “I am not yet sure what I will be teaching since the program is based on need. I will have my own classroom with about 20 students, but I could be teaching anything from kindergarten to 12th grade science. It’s all up in the air which makes this experience all the more exciting.”
During her four years at Salve, Gilbert studied abroad in London and traveled to Texas to research the foraging behaviors of ants under the direction of assistant professor Dr. Heather Axen. “The experience was incredible,” she said. “I learned about fieldwork, collections, intricate note keeping and so much more. We collected hundreds of queens during the time we were there, and I was then able to use those ants in my research back at school. It was an experience I will keep with me forever.”
Darwin Salazar
B.A. in Administration of Justice
This summer, Salazar will intern with Ford Motors as a red team penetration tester. Following the internship, he will return to Rhode Island and join Johnson & Johnson’s medical device subsidiary as a cybersecurity analyst.
Jacob Lang
B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science
The summer after Lang’s first year at Salve, he represented the University at an undergraduate international conference in Budapest, Hungary. “I learned so much from my fellow presenters about political philosophy and about the particular countries that were represented,” he said. “It is a memory that I will always cherish as a shining moment in my Salve career.”
As an upperclassman, Lang interned in the information charging unit of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, where he learned about the particulars of prosecution and was able to sit in on multiple court cases and litigations.
He will attend Boston College Law School this fall. “I saw it as an opportunity to expand my knowledge in an area that I am deeply passionate about,” Lang said. “I hope to enter school with an open mind and determine my eventual career plans while in school.”
Lang said his Salve education has taught him that each opinion has value. “It has taught me that through open thought and discussion, big ideas can be created and solutions can be made,” he added. “And it has taught me that the best way to learn is by surrounding yourself with people who challenge your beliefs.”
Morgan McBrier
B.S. in Elementary and Special Education
McBrier is working as a long-term substitute at Newport’s Pell Elementary School for the remainder of this academic year while pursuing a full-time teaching position in general or special education for the 2018-2019 academic year.
“Salve has allowed me to grow as a learner and teacher,” she said. “It takes a special type of professor to be able to explain teaching to students who are learning, and luckily Salve has those professors. Salve has been great at gradually releasing the education majors into schools so that we can start to teach lessons and gain experience. This aspect of the education department is something that I will always be grateful for and remember.”
McBrier said she most enjoyed her student teaching, adding that everything she had learned leading up to her senior year all came together in the classroom. “It was interesting to see how much I learned in class and how I was then able to apply that to my own teaching,” she said.
Anna Dawson
B.S. in Elementary and Special Education
In Anna Dawson’s family, military service is a longstanding tradition. “My great-grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles, siblings and cousins were or are currently serving in the military,” said Dawson, who completed the ROTC program at Salve and will be commissioned into the Military Police Corps. She plans to teach elementary school while serving as an officer in New Jersey’s Army National Guard.
Dawson said that all of her moments at Salve – from her coursework to the people she met to her student teaching – have been memorable. “Each of these gave some insight on aspects that could be used in all areas of life,” she said.
The strength of Salve’s education program lies in its supportive and encouraging professors, Dawson added. “Alice Graham has had the greatest impact on me while I have been at Salve,” she said. “Dr. Graham has shown compassion and helpfulness to me as my advisor the past four years. She embodies Salve’s mission statement.”
In His Own Words: Joe Goff
B.S. in Marketing
During my time at Salve, I most enjoyed courses that encouraged stepping out of my comfort zone, thinking openly and challenging my beliefs. Reflecting on it now, I owe gratitude to my high school, Fordham Prep, for instilling in me the Jesuit principle of being open to growth. This concept has played a major theme over my four years here.
In Her Own Words: Kerry Hayes
B.A. in English Communications, Minors in Global Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Looking back on the past four years, I could never say, “Everything went smoothly.” I could never say, “It was easy.” But what I can say is, “I did it.” When I faced personal struggles within friendships, I reached to the supportive community of people who I now call my best friends, my gal pals. For anyone struggling to find their way, I would tell them to look around them; there is an entire community of support and love throughout Salve Regina, and your will find your people.
Mallory Tassone
B.S. in Nursing
Nursing majors complete a capstone experience during their senior year, which allows them to practice independently with a preceptor in their area of interest. Tassone was placed in her top choice – oncology – and precepted at St. Anne's Hospital.
“The experience furthered my passion for oncology nursing,” she said. “I had the opportunity to participate in procedures I otherwise would not have seen or performed, and to practice skills that we are unable to practice in a normal size clinical group.”
Tassone also interned at St. Francis Hospital’s inpatient oncology unit the summer before her senior year. “This was an incredible experience which allowed me to expand upon the clinical skills I had acquired in nursing school, as well as to further develop my critical thinking and interprofessional practice with other disciplines,” she said.
Tassone will join the medical oncology floor at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina and plans to eventually become an oncology nurse practitioner. “Specializing in oncology will allow me to provide my patients with more informed and focused care,” she said. “I believe that in my role as a nurse practitioner I will be able to further support my patients and assist them in pursuing the care that is appropriate for them as individuals.”
Jaqueline Del Prete
B.S. in Nursing
After graduation, Del Prete will join the labor and delivery unit at Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut as a registered nurse. She plans to remain in the maternal nursing field throughout her career and further her education by obtaining a master’s degree after a few years of experience. “I was also inspired by my senior capstone preceptor and plan to become a certified lactation consultant as well,” she said.
Del Prete said she most enjoyed her clinical rotations, which allowed her to apply coursework to real-life settings. “Out of all my clinical experiences, my senior capstone was my favorite,” she added. “I was able to work one-on-one with my nurse preceptor each week in the maternity unit of a hospital, just like I want to do in my future.”
The concept of compassion will be Del Prete’s greatest takeaway from her Salve education. “I was shown a great deal of compassion from all my fellow classmates and the nursing department faculty,” she said. “My advisor, Julia Taylor, has inspired me that I can achieve anything I put my mind to, and I am so happy to have a faculty member, and friend, that supports me.”
Autumn Houghton
B.A. in European History and Sociology and Anthropology, Minor in Cultural and Historic Preservation
This fall, Houghton will pursue a master’s degree in Roman archaeology at the University of Kent. Through this program, she will spend one semester at Kent’s campus in Canterbury, England, with a second semester in Rome.
“I decided I wanted to go to Kent when I realized that my heart was in Europe,” Houghton said. “Majoring in European history has not only encouraged my desire to explore intricate topics, but it also pushed me out of my comfort zone. Having this as my undergraduate major gave me the perfect excuse to study abroad. I studied in Rome the fall semester of my junior year, and it was by far the greatest experience I've ever had.”
Eventually, Houghton hopes to join a cultural resource management firm, preferably in Europe. “I am also hoping that at some point after graduating, I will be able to join the Peace Corps, as service has always been really important to me,” she added.
Houghton thanked her history faculty for reigniting her love of learning. “Before coming to Salve, I had difficulty staying engaged, but my teachers here made me excited to get up in the morning and go to class or to explore the depths of what history has to offer,” she said.
Connor Schuerlein-Bailey
B.A. in American History
Schuerlein-Bailey will pursue a master’s degree in war studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. “After graduate school, I have given thought to joining the Peace Corps,” he added. “I have a sister who's a corps member stationed in Ghana, Africa, and so far she's loved every second of it. I believe that because of my love of traveling and my extensive charity work, the Peace Corps is the next logical step.”
While at Salve, Schuerlein-Bailey completed an internship at the U.S. Naval War College’s John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research. He created a finding aid for books associated with the college’s reading room, set up an exhibit honoring the visit of non-commissioned officers from the Japanese navy and assisted the museum’s director with research on the battle of Jutland.
“The key to my success at Salve was the faculty I have been lucky enough to work with over the last four years,” Schuerlein-Bailey said. “They will always be the best and most memorable part of my time at Salve. My professors have shown me what it means to be a college educator, and their teachings will help me educate the next generation, if I decide to go down that route.”