URIs_MOMENTUM_Research_and_Innovation_Magazine_Spring_2026_M

“Without my research background I wouldn’t have known where to begin.”

- Aria Mia Loberti

Acclaimed actress, newly published author, and UNICEF Ambassador Aria Mia Loberti (’20) is still at the beginning of her career. But the University of Rhode Island (URI) alumna credits much of her success to the plethora of her cross-disciplinary research opportunities as an undergraduate student. At URI, Loberti’s focus was to research as much as she could, in as many subjects as she could. Her resume features academic awards, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed papers in academic journals—all before she graduated URI in 2020. Her efforts earned her a prestigious US/UK Fulbright Award, which funded her master of research in ancient rhetoric at Royal Holloway, University of London. Upon completion of the program, she began a doctorate in the same subject at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). It seemed as if Loberti was on a fast track to an academic career. But shortly into her time at Penn State, Loberti’s path shifted. She was chosen from a global search to play the lead role in Netflix’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All The Light We Cannot See . Loberti’s performance was widely praised by critics. The World War II set miniseries, which also starred Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie,

Aria Mia Loberti ‘20

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