In the summer of 2013, Project ExCEL came to life at Rhode Island College, providing a pathway for non-English speakers to enter higher education. It was the initiative of Andrés Ramírez, Ph.D., a former RIC TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professor and former coordinator of the ESL Intensive program, and Brian Stevens ’01, M.A. ’05, assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Project ExCEL Empowers Students to Break through Language Barriers ric.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ric.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pauline Dobson was born in the West African nation of Liberia and immigrated to the United States in 2012, at the age of fourteen. A shy youth who did not talk much during her years at Hope High School in fear of her Liberian English accent she nonetheless managed to graduate in 2016 and decided that Rhode Island College was the best fit for a first-generation student like her.