Although the end of the schoolyear did not look normal for the Class of 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, that didn’t stop Priscilla Gaspard from putting her experiences at Salve into practice.

After graduation in May of 2020, Gaspard interned for U.S. House of Representative Sean Patrick Maloney NY-18 in his Washington D.C. office. At this time, she also began her master’s program at George Washington University studying Political Management. She currently resides in Washington D.C. and works as a Staff Assistant for Senator Elizabeth Warren.

During her time as a student, Gaspard lived in honors dorms including Walgreen and Wallace. “I really had the best time growing up in that kind of living community,” Gaspard says. Residing in on-campus housing throughout the entirety of her undergraduate experience, Gaspard had the opportunity to also live in 134 Webster and Stoneacre, Salve Regina’s apartment and carriage house-style dorms.

While Gaspard had many favorite professors within the Business department, her most memorable was Dr. Colosi. “He really took me under his wing from my very first year at Salve, from writing countless letters of recommendation to being my academic advisor,” Gaspard reflects. During her time at Salve Regina, Gaspard also participated in many clubs and activities including Women’s Tennis, Philosophy Club, Student Government Association, Nuala Pell Leadership Program, and Navigator Leadership Program. She also founded both the Student Networking Association and the International Students Club. Gaspard could often be found in Global Café, which was in Wakehurst, now known as Gerety Hall. Like many other Salve alumni, her favorite meal was always the chicken pesto sandwich. Off-campus, Gaspard often visited O’Brien’s and Ocean Drive.

“Initially, I was recruited [to Salve Regina] for tennis, but I chose Salve because they were able to accommodate my playing tennis as well as being a double major. You also can’t beat the location of Salve Regina!” Gaspard explained. When asked what she would tell students who were considering attending Salve Regina, she encouraged students to go for it. “Salve gives you many opportunities and also gives you room to create your own and become the adult you wish to become!”

During her time at the Nuala Pell Leadership Program, Gaspard and her classmates set in motion a community service project to clean up the Cliff Walk giving students the opportunity to complete their community service hours. This program is still offered each year to all students, even outside of the Nuala Pell Leadership Program. With the Navigator Leadership Program, Gaspard and her partner, Samantha Velazquez, began an honest discussion initiative which hosted workshops and a “big honest discussion” event on campus. Unfortunately, this program never came to fruition because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Gaspard hopes to see if come to life through other students involved in the Navigator Leadership Program. Salve Regina’s mission encourages Gaspard to live with integrity, accountability and kindness. Through her time at Salve Regina and within her current work, Gaspard has had the opportunity to live out this mission in her own life and continues to bring Salve Regina’s mission with her in all her upcoming endeavors.