KINGSTON, R.I. – May 2, 2024 – Like many members of the Class of 2024, Victoria Wrage saw her education turned upside down by the pandemic.

Class vice president at her high school in North Providence, she was devastated when her grand plans for senior year were wiped out. And when she moved into her residence hall at the University of Rhode Island the following fall, her expected roommate was now living across the hall.

But as she prepares to graduate from URI this month with a degree in finance, those problems seem like stepping stones to her future.

“It was isolating,” admits Wrage, who will give the student address at URI’s College of Business commencement on May 17 in the Ryan Center. “But that’s when I realized I had to get involved. That’s how I found everything.”

A three-sport athlete in high school who loved trying new things, Wrage followed that strategy at URI – which originally may not have been among her top choices for college.

“I loved school and that’s why at first I felt, ‘I’m going to my state school after I worked so hard to take AP classes and receive honors?’” she says one afternoon after pulling an all-nighter to study for her tax exam. “But I can confidently say I’m so glad I came to URI. It definitely was the best choice.”

At URI, Wrage, a Dean’s List student all four years who amassed more than 150 college credits, has experienced much of what the College of Business and the University has to offer. She has served as president of the Women in Finance Club; vice president of finance in her sorority, Delta Zeta; mentor to first-year students in URI 101 for two years; and member of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. 

She was also selected to be one of the 15 students that manage the Ram Fund, a student-managed investment club with a competitive application process. “It was just the best real-world experience I could have had in the College of Business,” says Wrage, who was a portfolio manager for real estate investment trusts and the financial sector. “We had to present every single class. I had to think on my toes and really practice my presentation skills.”

Finance professor Michael Ice, who oversees the Ram Fund with Executive in Residence Deborah Imondi, also recommended Wrage to represent the College of Business with the student-led venture fund Odds On VC, where she is one of two student investors.

“She has accepted every challenge along the way and excelled,” says Ice. “She is more than competent; she is a pleasure to work with. She is passionate on a daily basis and a very hard worker.”

“I got to know Victoria as president of the Women in Finance Club,” says Imondi, faculty advisor to the club. “The club was created last fall, and as president, Victoria quickly and effectively took the reins, designing a club logo, establishing a social media presence, communicating effectively with her executive committee and club members, leading meetings, and communicating with college administration. There was nothing she couldn’t do and nothing she didn’t do well.”

In high school, Wrage was into painting with acrylics – which she still does during her infrequent downtime – and grew up thinking she would pursue a career as a fashion designer. At URI, she took a couple of courses in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design and studied fashion during a J-Term trip to Florence, Italy. 

But eventually her analytical side – and a desire to graduate with a skill applicable to almost everything – drew her to finance. She’s added to her finance degree by completing the URI Innovation and Entrepreneurship certificate program along with her involvement in Odds on VC, where she recently moderated a panel hosted by the startup accelerator Techstars.

“URI has definitely given me exposure to so many new experiences and gotten me out of my comfort zone,” says Wrage, who works part-time for Centreville Bank, a position that started as an internship she found through a College of Business Finance Night. “I have so many interests and I really was able to explore all of them here.”

This semester, while many business classmates may have been resting on their laurels approaching graduation, Wrage was busy weaving new ones. She added three, high-level accounting classes to her spring schedule after coming across a job opening as an auditor at the national CPA firm Wolf & Company, in Boston. 

“I was about to finish my finance degree and then I applied to 50-something jobs,” she says. “This one stood out because the chief financial officer at Centreville Bank worked for Wolf doing auditing for 10 years. So, I just learned that most CFOs start in accounting. I thought it would be a good background.”

Wrage, who starts at Wolf in September, hopes to eventually sit for her certified public accounting certification. But chief financial officer is just one of the future options she is considering. She also would like to blend her analytical and creative sides, starting her own business or investing in a startup she’s passionate about.

“I think that’s how my journey has been,” she says. “I like trying new things and that’s how doors have opened.”