Fanwood, N.J. resident earns degree in communications

KINGSTON, R.I – May 26, 2009- Kelsey Foy was attracted to the University of Rhode Island by the swim team and her passion for the sport but graduated just nine days ago with a much richer experience than she could have imagined. “The URI team was really welcoming from the very beginning,” Foy said. “URI was definitely the best decision!”

With a major in communication studies and a minor in leadership studies, Foy recalled four years of memories, many involving her friends and swimming. She has been swimming since she was 7 years old.

“ I tried a lot of sports as a kid, swimming was the one I was best at. There isn’t a lot of standing,” Foy joked. “I hate standing up.”

A resident of Fanwood, N.J., Foy said that the team became her biggest support system and the source of her closest friends.

“It’s not just about the swimming, when we’re together, it’s the camaraderie,” Foy said of her teammates. She recalled one of her favorite memories with the team, running up the punishing Torrey Hill and then swimming a mile together. “It’s hard, but it’s the best team experience. People are motivating you while you are motivating others.”

A Highlight of her four years on the team was her breaking the URI varsity record at the Atlantic 10 conference championship in the 1,000-meter freestyle. She broke a record that had stood since 1993. “It was something I had worked so hard for, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment, “ Foy said.

In her senior year, Foy was voted by her teammates to be a captain. “Being captain was all about the team,” Foy said. “You can’t be selfish. The experience really allowed me to apply everything I had learned in my leadership classes.”

Foy is grateful for the experiences she had that extended her learning beyond the classroom. In her junior year, she started working at URI’s Department of Communications and Marketing.

“I was reluctant to start an internship at first because I was nervous about change and adding another thing into my hectic schedule. However, as soon as I started at the Department of Communications and Marketing I was welcomed with open arms and learned new and interesting things in a world filled with press releases and media contacts. This internship also improved my writing skills immensely; I am grateful for this experience and would not change a thing. The people in the department are definitely role models of mine and I hope I have had some sort of impact on their lives as well.”

There will be a lot about URI that Foy will miss, including having her friends so close by all the time. “It will be the weirdest part of graduating.”

Luckily she won’t be too far away as she starts working in Providence in the near future. Foy hopes to get into the advertising industry. “I figure I can get some experience in a smaller city first, because ultimately I want to be in New York, I’m a city girl.”