Seven Salve Regina grads awarded 2018 Wavemaker Fellowships

salvetoday Posted On November 8, 2018
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Seven recent Salve Regina alumni who are working as young professionals at Rhode Island-based companies have been selected as 2018 Wavemaker Fellowship recipients. The program provides tax credits up to $6,000 each year for up to four years to help graduates pay off their student loans.

To qualify for the program, a Rhode Island Commerce Corporation initiative established in 2016 to keep talent in the state, graduates with higher education loan debt must be employed or have an offer for employment in a STEM or design field with a Rhode Island-based company, nonprofit or university.

Eligible fields include life, natural or environmental sciences; computer, information or software technology; advanced mathematics or finance; engineering; industrial design or commercial design; and medicine or medical device technology.

Salve Regina graduates selected to join the 2018 Wavemaker Fellows cohort of 240 young professionals include: Kaitlin Bove (DiSanto, Priest & Co.), Kathleen Gamez (Lifespan), Kaylee Miller (Bradford Soap Works), Alicia Morgan (Applied Behavioral Interventions PLLC), Shane O’Connell (Sea Corp), Kenia Richards (The Providence Center) and Sydney Robinson (Corrigan Financial Inc.).

Eligible expenses covered by the award include annual higher education loan repayment expenses, including principal, interest and fees. Wavemaker Fellows may also use their tax credits to pay Rhode Island income tax liability, to get a full refund of their tax credit amount, or a combination of both.

“The Wavemaker Fellowship offers recent graduates a fantastic opportunity to defray college loan expenses, and it is heartening to see so many of our alumni launching successful careers in the state,” said Michael Wisnewski, director of career development. “Salve Regina seniors seeking to work in Rhode Island after graduation should absolutely consider applying to the Wavemaker program.”

Applications for the Wavemaker Fellowship program can be completed online at wavemaker.commerceri.com.