Lelia Noble
Hometown: São Miguel, Açores
Major: Portuguese Studies
Born in the Azores, Portugal and raised in Bermuda before arriving in Rhode Island, Noble first enrolled at RIC in 2001 and had to take two hiatuses before returning to complete her degree.
Biology was Noble’s original field of study. At the time, her employer was reimbursing her tuition; a subsequent change in that reimbursement program caused her to leave school for several years. “When I returned to Rhode Island College I was still interested in biology, but not as much as I was in perfecting my native language after visiting some relatives in Portugal,” she said. She soon switched her major to Portuguese Studies.
However, Noble has not left biology behind completely. She still works full-time as a research assistant in histology (the study of the microscopic structure of tissues) at Core Research Laboratories at Rhode Island Hospital.
She recently presented a poster on “Tissue microarray approach for analytical and diagnostic imaging mass spectrometry” at a Brown University research colloquium, for which she received RIC credit.
Previous recipient of the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies John A. and Mary V. Lima Scholarship, Noble was inducted into the Phi Lambda Beta National Portuguese Honor Society and received this year’s Prémio em Estudos Portugueses, a prestigious college award for the best graduating senior in Portuguese Studies.
Noble currently mentors students through the Leadership Alliance at Brown University, which provides research opportunities for undergraduates interested in exploring advanced degree programs.
