Tinh Huyuh ’11 is thinking about becoming a neurosurgeon. Meanwhile he’s working as an EMT, shadowing doctors at Rhode Island Hospital, volunteering as a Big Brother—and preparing for medical school at the University of Vermont, where he received a generous merit scholarship.

But that’s not the way the story began for Tinh, the middle son of Vietnamese refugees who moved frequently to find work. Life was often a struggle for the family, especially when Tinh’s older brother was killed in a gang shooting in Houston.

When the family moved from Texas to Rhode Island several years later, Tinh wanted a new start. He knew he had a knack for math, so he enrolled at the Community College of Rhode Island, where he earned his associate’s degree, and then transferred to URI in 2009, setting his sights on a medical career. In 2011, he became a summa cum laude grad with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry.

“I thought being a doctor would put me in a position to be on the front lines helping people,’’ he says.

Tinh worked with his parents at their Providence nail salon while studying for the MCATs, and in 2012, he became an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, researching patient health outcomes. But he credits URI’s Health Professions Advisory Committee with helping him achieve his medical school dream. The committee helped him prepare his medical school applications and held mock interviews. “Everyone did a lot for me,’’ he says. “The committee was amazing.’’

Grateful to URI for giving him so many opportunities, Tinh says he is definitely going to wear his URI sweatshirt when he’s in Vermont. “URI gave me a chance to change my life.’’