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MARC U*STAR staff and students from left to right are Professor Niall Howlett, undergraduate student Anya Sondhi, Graduate Assistant Coordinator Jacob Green, Program Coordinator Meagan Pepper Estes, and undergraduate student Nana Oblie.

know we are not alone, and it makes it so much easier knowing you have cheerleaders who are willing to help anytime.” Howlett hopes that MARC can help students navigate complex barriers in applying to graduate school programs. The barriers a student from an underrepresented background may face in matriculating to graduate school range from financial insecurity, a lack of family support, or the absence

of a sense of belonging in the greater scientific community. Anya Sondhi, a senior molecular neuroscience, and biology double major, says MARC not only gave her financial support, research experience, and a community of scientists at URI, but also the guidance she needed to successfully pursue a Ph.D. program.

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