Cate McLaughlin has her eye on the globe. Growing up speaking some French with her mother and sisters in her hometown of Rehoboth, MA, McLaughlin actively sought out universities with strong foreign language and international relations programs. She quickly determined that URI was the perfect match for her because of a recent program implemented into the university’s curriculum. As a subset of the Political Science department, URI now offers the International Studies and Diplomacy (ISD) program. This dual degree program offers students the chance to receive a B.A. in International Studies and another in one of five languages offered as a B.A., including French, German, Chinese, Spanish, and Italian. The program is meant to be completed in four years, though an option to earn a B.A./M.A. in five years is also offered.

McLaughlin became one of the first freshmen in the major, declaring her language focus to be French. “It’s been really great,” McLaughlin says. “You get support from all different departments, so it allows you to really weave your way through different disciplines. You learn from a lot of different disciplines and make connections all over campus. It really gives you a huge advantage.” With her first semester in the ISD program now reaching its close, McLaughlin isn’t stopping there. In an effort to expand her linguistic prowess, she’s taking on a new challenge: double minoring in Arabic and Spanish. “Spanish was kind of a last minute decision because I have experience working with people who only speak Spanish, so I wanted to keep learning it,” she explains. “I wanted to be able to communicate with them, and I know its importance in this country. There are also a lot of immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries who live in France. There’s a lot you can do with both languages.”

With her plate stacked full and her future shining bright, McLaughlin looks forward to graduating in May 2023 with her B.A.s in International Studies and Diplomacy and French, as well as two minors in Spanish and Arabic. As for her future career, she hopes to go into either foreign service or immigration law, though she notes that her options are limitless thanks to the ISD program. To any students interested in the program, whether new or returning, McLaughlin has this to say: “Definitely join the ISD major, especially if you’re studying a language. It forces you to get fluent in the language of your choice, and not many programs in the country do that. It allows you to be a really well-rounded person by studying so many disciplines and picking up so many more skills. The program is really helpful for people who don’t know what they want to do yet because there’s so many options to explore.”