Admiring women: words from E-Board

Juliana Lepore Editor-in-Chief

The woman that I’ve chosen to highlight in this article is my mother, Tina Lepore. She dropped everything in order to be a stay-at-home mom to myself and my two younger sisters growing up. She was involved in our classrooms, volunteered as a coach for our cheerleading teams, drove us everywhere, worked a part-time job and still had dinner on the table every night. I grew up surrounded by friends and family in a little village that she created for us. It takes a strong woman to raise three strong young women, especially now as a single mother, and she did an incredible job at that. I admire her more than she knows and hope to be half of the woman she is.

Ronan Himelrick Managing Editor

My older sister Emily is one of my biggest inspirations in life. Not only is she my best friend, she has also taught me so many valuable lessons. Emily is the funniest person I know and she can always make me laugh. Even though we’ve had our fair share of disagreements over the years, we always support each other. She is three years older than me, and the first few years not having her at home when she was at school hours away were so difficult to not have my best friend at home with me. Emily set such a great example for me in life, she has always excelled in school and raised the bar. I will always look up to her and I will always appreciate her love and support for me over the years.  

Liz Fusco News Editor

My mom, Sheryl MacDougall, is one of the kindest, strongest, positive, most hard-working people I’ve ever met. She’s taught me everything it means to be a strong woman and a good person. She’s taught me that all my dreams are achievable, no matter what anyone tells me if I work hard enough and believe in myself. My mom is supportive, funny and knows how to throw a mean party. There aren’t enough words I can say to thank her for teaching me the power I hold as a woman and for raising me with all the love she did. In addition to my mom, I want to highlight my older sister, Sophia. While I think Sophia might say she drew the short straw, having to pioneer the way for me through most of the life experiences we’ve both had, there’s no better role model I could have asked for as an older sister. She never fails to put a smile on my face, make me laugh and show me how much she loves me (even if I hate hugs). 

Claudia Stepien News Editor 

Shout out to my mom and grandma, but some of my favorite things in the world are romance stories, so I have to write about a person in that field. Romance authors have been extremely influential to me, specifically Jenny Han. Her stories have the perfect balance between character growth, plot, conflicts, representation and, of course, swoony love interests. I love her writing style and how she writes so honestly, relatably, emotionally and entertainingly about teenage girlhood. She’s the author of the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” series and also had a huge part in bringing these stories to the big screen. I’m so inspired by the work that Han brings into the world and I hope to create stories that have the same kind of impact in the future.

David Broccoli Entertainment Editor

Tracy Broccoli is single-handedly the most amazing and caring woman in the world. She is so strong, so patient and so beautiful. I have been gifted with the world’s most unique and loving woman as a mother, and I would change a single thing about her. Her life has consisted of so many ups and downs, mostly downs though. However, she didn’t let that stop her from getting what she wanted in life; and she certainly did not let that stop her from making sure her children got everything they wanted and needed in life. She has done more than enough in terms of raising, caring and loving her children and husband whom she is extremely proud of and devoted to. I am proud to call her my mother and even more proud to watch her grow everyday.

Alexa Potamianos Newscast Editor

My grandmother, Christalla Likos stands out among the lengthy list of women who inspire me. Growing up we would walk through our church together and it would take an hour to get across the room because she stopped to talk to everyone along the way. She always showed nothing but kindness and compassion to everyone she came in contact with and truly led with love in all aspects of her life. When she passed it was so beautiful to hear all of the stories of the people that she touched along the way. She inspires me on a daily basis and I aspire to have the same warm loving energy that she did.

Maddie Bataille Photo Editor

Around a year ago, I got the honor to interview Chair of Journalism Emrata, Linda Lotridge Levin. Levin was being inducted into the New England Newspaper hall of fame. In our conversation we went through her career in which she told me about the struggles she faced as a woman in a male dominated work environment. One of my favorite stories she told was her first board meeting as Chair at URI. In which she walked into a meeting full of men wearing a fake beard she had bought to look like her male co-workers. Her ambition, persistence and humor about facing sexism in journalism inspired me to be tenacious in my own life when faced with similar struggles. 

Nathan Robillard Sports Editor

Following what seems to be the theme of the week, Laurie Robillard surely finishes near the top of the league when it comes to moms. A constant supporter of my ridiculously busy schedule, she’s probably watched/listened to more URI sports in two years than most people in their lifetime. I have been absolutely blessed with countless opportunities in the sports media world here at URI, and she is the one who made it all possible. Her financial advice and work ethic have helped pave the way towards a successful education, and I am thankful everyday for the amount of stress she saves me with her constant support. A true role model, years of happy childhood and a successful college journey don’t even scratch the surface of what she’s done for me over the last 19 years.

Aidan Cahill Web Editor

My mom is incredible. I could fill pages with stories and evidence that my mother goes above and beyond on a daily basis, if not more.  However, I want to highlight my high school literature teacher, Miss Andrews, for the work she put into making my former school a better place. She runs a program at the all-male school called “Hawks for Her” where she highlights and works to better represent the women in the school’s community. Her dedication to bettering the school’s environment was unmatched. Personally, she transformed writing, for me, from an annoyance that occasionally came up in class into something which I could see myself doing as a job.

Jenny Arnold Social Media Coordinator

Sharon Arnold, my mom, is one of the sweetest, selfless, and positive people I’ve ever met. She is my best friend and the person I look up to most. I always joke and say that she knows me better than I know myself, which she does. If it’s from sitting and watching movies together, or her giving me advice, my mom is always there for me. She has helped me through some of the worst times of my life, and has cheered me on during my best. Time after time my mom puts our family over herself, and always looks for my best interest. She has taught me the importance of valuing friendship and family, which is something I carry with me every day. My mom is such a genuine person and that is one of the things I admire about her most. Growing up with a supportive and encouraging mother has impacted who I am today and I am so lucky to have her in my life. 

Nils Fimmers Production Manager

Just about every fortunate person can say they look up to their mother in some fashion. While it is extremely common (and maybe embarrassing for some) to say the most inspiring woman in your life is your mother, as the product of my Mom’s single motherhood, I am doing myself and her a disservice if I don’t take every opportunity possible to describe her to the world. Since middle school, my mother arranged family finances, kept a high performing job and fought the patriarchal status quo in the process. Everytime my life gets stressful or I am confronted with a task I think is too much for me, when I feel like my head is underwater; My mother is always there for me. Sometimes I need to call her, but most of the time, the thought of how hard my mother tried for me throughout the years makes me want to try harder myself. Without the help of my mother I wouldn’t be in school, I wouldn’t have at least a rough idea of what I want to do, and for that I will always be thankful for that.

Molly Cronin Business Manager

The relationship between myself and my mother has not only provided me with a role model but also a life surrounded by love. In my most annoying moments, truly full of angst and unfounded attitude, she remains supportive. Three minutes after an argument, we talk about what our next family trip should be, no looking back. She teaches me that a left turn in life is not a wrong turn, that happiness comes before all else and that family is a gift. She teaches me to love nature the same way she teaches me to love life. I would be lost in the world without her guidance and wisdom. From the bottom of my heart, I love you Lynda Segal (aka mom).