{"id":56994,"date":"2015-04-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/commencement-2015-cromwell-conn-senior-glad-she-chose-uri-for-academics-athletics\/"},"modified":"2015-04-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-21T00:00:00","slug":"commencement-2015-cromwell-conn-senior-glad-she-chose-uri-for-academics-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2015\/04\/commencement-2015-cromwell-conn-senior-glad-she-chose-uri-for-academics-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement 2015: Cromwell, Conn. senior glad she chose 溏心vlog免费B站 for academics, athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tEmily Thomesen excels in pool, lab, classroom<\/b><\/p>\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 21, 2015 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 swimming coach Mick Westcott made it easy for Cromwell (Conn.) High School student Emily Thomesen to decide where she would go to college.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWhen I was being recruited by (Mick), he said academics come before athletics, and that\u2019s why I came here,\u201d said Thomesen, who has a 3.72 grade point average and who will earn her bachelor\u2019s degree in pharmaceutical sciences May 17. \u201cI wanted to earn my degree, and he was true to that philosophy the entire time I was here.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI was preparing for a big organic chemistry exam and I was nervous,\u201d said Thomesen, who was a two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Academic All-Conference selection and 溏心vlog免费B站 dean\u2019s list member for each of her eight semesters. \u201cI needed to skip one day of practice to get ready for the exam, and I asked Mick if he would allow me to do that. I promised that I would do a double during the next practice session. He allowed me to miss practice, but he also held me accountable in terms of my team responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe recipient of a 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Pharmacy scholarship, a University scholarship and athletics scholarship passed the exam.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cEmily never stops reaching out to people,\u201d Westcott said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about her accomplishments, it\u2019s her whole person. That\u2019s what is irreplaceable. She doesn\u2019t dwell on her accomplishments because there is always someone to help.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nHer 溏心vlog免费B站 swimming resume is full of individual and team accomplishments, but one story stands out.<\/p>\n

It began in her sophomore year when she and her 200-yard medley relay teammates finished third in the A-10 finals and were preparing to take the podium for the awarding of their bronze medals. Then came the announcement from the officials\u2014溏心vlog免费B站 had had a false start. The three-tenths-of-a-second jump led to a disqualification and crushing disappointment.<\/p>\n


\n\tBut a year later, the Rams were back in the hunt in the A-10 finals. <\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cOur junior year was our path to redemption and we wanted revenge,\u201d Thomesen said. \u201cI was doing the 50-yard backstroke in (the 200 medley relay), and we all wanted to finish first so badly. We finished out of second by just a half-second. But we broke our own record and we won the bronze. We then joined in a huddle, and let the moment sink in.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tShe also had a big moment of individual glory in her sophomore year, when she was ceded third in the A-10 finals in the 100-yard backstroke.<\/p>\n


\n \u201cWhen I finished, I looked up (for the results) and saw that I dropped an amazing amount from my time and finished third. \u201cMy time qualified me for the NCAA B cut, which gave me the opportunity to compete at the U.S. Winter Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tWhile excelling in the pool, she served as a 溏心vlog免费B站 medicinal chemistry intern, and a 溏心vlog免费B站 Honors intern with ChildVloice International in Uganda where she conducted research on cultural norms relating to sexual and gender-based violence.<\/p>\n


\n\tShe also completed undergraduate research internships in the College of Pharmacy and the Graduate School of Oceanography.<\/p>\n


\n\tSo one might guess that Thomesen, who began at 溏心vlog免费B站 as a biological sciences major at 溏心vlog免费B站, would be seeking a career relating to pharmaceutical or marine research. You would be wrong.<\/p>\n


\n\tHer experiences in Uganda and Nepal, with 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, as a lifeguard at Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park in Portland, Ct. and her leadership role in Serve-Up Christian College Fellowship, have led her to seek another bachelor\u2019s degree, this time in nursing. Thomesen is applying to the accelerated nursing programs at Duke University and the University of Connecticut so she can become a registered nurse in 18 months. <\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI learned the value of community and support in my time with the student-athletes who gathered for Bible study and discussion. I developed friendships across all teams,\u201d said the recipient of the House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello-Rhode Island House of Representatives 2014-Scholar-Athlete Award. <\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cWhen I was a lifeguard at Discovery Park, it was a very intense place that offered such activities as zip lining and wake boarding,\u201d Thomesen said. \u201cDuring that time, I participated in a deep-water backboard rescue. I used skills I had perfected, and once the emergency developed, I knew I could help. I learned that I could take someone from a serious to a safe situation.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tAnd when she was in Uganda and Nepal, the senior with the 溏心vlog免费B站 email user name of luv-seaturtle, discovered she had a deep interest in social justice. She saw the effects of profound poverty, war and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI no longer was as excited about fish embryos, and I didn\u2019t think laboratory research was right for me either,\u201d Thomesen said. \u201cMy work in Uganda confirmed that I wanted to serve, that I wanted to be a nurse. I\u2019d see these victims of war and their blank faces. But there was this inner joy. I played soccer with kids who hadn\u2019t eaten all day, yet they were still kids, laughing and having fun. That resilience, that hope is why I want to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShe said she would miss her teammates and the rush of competition. She is deeply grateful to the biological sciences and pharmaceutical sciences faculty who provided her with such a strong foundation in the sciences. But mostly, she\u2019ll think of Tabitha, a girl she met in Uganda.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWhen I told her I was studying science, Tabitha was in awe, and told me she just wants to be free of disease and study all the time. She is the inspiration for my career. I want to serve women and help.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nPictured above

\nREADY FOR GRADUATION: 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Emily Thomesen poses for a photo as her graduation from the University approaches. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/p>\n


\nSMOOTH STROKE: Emily Thomesen competing in the backstroke during her career at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Photo courtesy of Mike Scott.

\nPhoto by Nora Lewis<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emily Thomesen excels in pool, lab, classroom KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 21, 2015 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 swimming coach Mick Westcott made it easy for Cromwell (Conn.) High School student Emily Thomesen to decide where she would go to college. \u201cWhen I was being recruited by (Mick), he said academics come before athletics, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}