Born in Pawtucket, R.I., Renee Cartier, now a junior at the University of Vermont, didn't originally plan to study political science and economics though.
It wasn't until 2007 when her brother and another motorist collided on the highway, killing the other driver. Cartier said that since then her brother has been in and out of court, had his licensed revoked for 15 years and has more than 500 hours of community service.
"I had no idea what was going on and I was just amazed at how long everything took and how confusing it was," Cartier said. "I got into political science to get into law, I wanted to understand what was going on with my own family," she said solemnly.
"It was hard for Renee, but now she's really using this as the drive for her college career," her mother, Deborah, said.
Cartier said she is now refocusing her energy to understanding local Vermont politics.
"I spend a lot of time at the state house for my internship, so I have been paying close attention to local business," she said.
"There's actually a law they're working on right now called Nick's Law about drunk driving and they're evaluating the legal consequences of DUI charges," Cartier said.
She said: "considering her family's history with car accidents, this is an issue that is very close to me. It's important."
She eventually decided to double major in political science and economics.
"They [economics and political science] definitely overlap on certain things," she said. "You see economics in a lot of odd aspects of life so it is really interesting and it isn't always math intensive."
"I'm often the only girl in some of my classes, and usually there isn't too much gender discrimination, but it definitely happens," Cartier said.
She remembers a particular instance in her statistical economics class: "We often had to do group work and all of the guys thought I was dumb. Basically they didn't listen to me. It wasn't until we got our first exams back and I had one of the highest grades in the class, so they started to take me seriously."
"She's actually pretty intimidating," her coworker Josh Cameron said. "I know her now, so it's fine. But when I first met her, she seemed almost unapproachable. She's real serious and focused."
She says she's prepared to enter this male-dominated business but hopes that she won't experience too much discrimination. "I know I will. Like, pay rate for starters," she said.
With graduation from UVM about a year away, Renee is looking at law schools, with plans to eventually become a lawyer.
"It's definitely a scary thought because jobs just aren't available for lawyers unless I want to travel to the Midwest, and I just don't," she said.
"I definitely want to be a prosecutor because the money is just better considering how much you're paying for your education," she said. "Don't get me wrong, though. I'm just worried with the economy, and my student loan debt that I won't be able to make ends meet."
She said she keeps the memory of her brother's accident close to her heart and uses it to keep herself going when the work seems impossible and the hours in the day seem too short.
She shakes her head and said that, regardless of her future plans, right now she's focusing on finishing up her junior year.
She takes a final gulp of her coffee and closes her textbook, resting her hand on the cover. "I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but right now I have to go take this exam," she says and sighs before ushering me out of her downtown apartment.