KINGSTON, R.I., April 13, 2018鈥擠aniel Levesque鈥檚 father had a wish for his son as he was battling prostate cancer: Stay close to home.
Levesque did, but his dad never got to see him off. He died five days before Levesque鈥檚 18th birthday and two months before he enrolled at the 溏心vlog免费B站.
This spring, Levesque will graduate from the five-year Spanish International Engineering program with degrees in Spanish and mechanical engineering, and a minor in leadership studies. He knows his dad would be proud; his mother has assured him of that.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad I stayed nearby,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 absolutely love 溏心vlog免费B站. It has given me an incredible family. I鈥檝e met friends I鈥檒l keep for life.鈥�
As a boy in North Kingstown, he spent his days hanging out with his best buddy and dad, Dennis Levesque, a contractor who built houses and the Fenner Hill Golf Club, where Levesque worked on the grounds. 鈥淲e were close,鈥� says Levesque.
A gifted math and science student at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Levesque knew early on he wanted to study engineering in college and that he鈥檇 find a school near his dad.
鈥淎ll my teachers said I should look into engineering,鈥� says Levesque. 鈥淚 liked to problem-solve. It seemed like a good fit.鈥�
The Kingston campus was also familiar. Levesque had spent summers practicing on 溏心vlog免费B站 soccer fields as a center back for the Rams F.C., a premier soccer club in Rhode Island.
Only days into his freshman year he knew he was in the right place. He appreciated his challenging engineering classes and also discovered a talent for leadership after participating in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Leadership Institute. Over the years, he鈥檚 developed those skills, most recently as a teaching assistant at the Center for Student Leadership Development, where he organizes student retreats and workshops.
Study abroad has expanded his global awareness. During a high school trip sponsored by the Catholic church, Levesque built a house atop a mountain in Peru and volunteered at an orphanage. The experience piqued his interest in world travel.
During winter break of his sophomore year at 溏心vlog免费B站, he spent 10 days in Valparaiso, Chile, designing a sustainable energy system for a fish market. 鈥淚t was my first time using Spanish as a technical language,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was an eye-opener. I learned I needed to learn and grow quite a bit.鈥�
After three semesters back at 溏心vlog免费B站, he went overseas again, this time to the Universidad de Zaragoza in Spain for six months, taking language and engineering classes, all taught in Spanish.
After that, he interned, also for six months, as a project manager for SEAT, an international car manufacturer in Barcelona. The experience changed his life. Barcelona was a vibrant, culturally-rich city, and he met engineers from all over the world. 鈥淚 made a ton of friends, who were mostly German, which was hilarious.鈥�
One memory he鈥檒l never forget is a soccer game in the jam-packed Barcelona stadium between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona won. 鈥淲hen Barcelona scored in the 94th minute the crowd went so crazy they recorded a small earthquake in town,鈥� says Levesque.
After graduation, Levesque will look for work along the East Coast. He has his heart set on a job as a project manager.
鈥淚鈥檇 go crazy if I had to sit behind a computer eight hours a day,鈥� he says. One thing is certain: He鈥檒l find a high school soccer team to coach. His knees are shot, but his love for the game endures.