For many, the path to a college degree is linear — from high school straight to college move-in. But for the students in Brown’s Resumed Undergraduate Education program, the journey is anything but traditional. Established over 50 years ago, Brown’s RUE program is designed for applicants who have been out of high school for at least six years.
This year, eight new students joined the program, which enrolls just 33 students across all class years, according to Avery Danage, the transfer and resumed undergraduate program advisor at Brown.
Before coming to Brown, Irene Choi ’27, a RUE student studying applied math-economics, spent two years in ministry school and held various jobs before becoming a marketing manager in the Southern California wine industry.
Before coming to Brown, Irene Choi ’27, spent two years in ministry school and held various jobs before becoming a marketing manager in the Southern California wine industry.
“I graduated high school in 2018, and I had really big questions about life and faith that I felt like traditional academia couldn’t satisfy for me at that time,” Choi said.
Choi originally wanted to return to college after ministry school, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her plans. Looking back, she believes her journey before Brown allowed her to “come back to school with more of my why.”
But the transition was not easy. Choi remembers attending her first class at Brown and feeling extremely nervous.
“I hadn’t been in a classroom environment in so long,” Choi recalled. “I think I felt some level of overwhelming gratitude, but I also felt slightly out of place.”
Since RUE students are exempt from Brown’s two-year on-campus housing requirement, many students, like Choi, choose to live off-campus when they first arrive on College Hill. Without a residential hall network that first-year students usually benefit from, she had to be intentional about making friends.
“I didn’t have meals to meet up with people (for) or people on my floor,” she said.
Finding connection within the RUE community was difficult, too. The experiences of each RUE student are “so unique and so individual” that it becomes difficult to relate to one another at times, Choi said.
But Choi eventually found a loving community. Now, most of her friends are traditional undergraduate students. “People here are kind, warm and curious,” she said. “I think it’s beautiful to be in such a sweet environment.”
“There’s just not another school that I would rather be at,” Choi added.
Like Choi, Blaine Maye ’27 came to Brown with years of professional experience. A RUE student studying international and public affairs and economics, Maye grew up in a town of 300 people in Oklahoma before pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, where he worked with notable figures like Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton.
After giving up a golf scholarship, Blaine Maye '27 spent seven years of his life building a career in Hollywood.
Maye initially planned to play golf in college. He was the first athlete in his school’s history to sign a Division I golf scholarship, but a talent showcase on the radio piqued his interest. Although Maye had never taken a drama class before that moment, he ended up winning the showcase. All of sudden, managers were reaching out to sign.
“I gave up my golf scholarship, and I decided that at 19 I would move to Los Angeles,” Maye said.
Maye spent the next seven years of his life building a career in Hollywood. Wanting a “new challenge” outside the world of acting — he started taking classes at Santa Monica College. “I fell in love with education, fell in love with the learning process and decided that I was going to start applying to schools,” Maye said.
His curiosity blossomed at Brown. “The community is so diverse and intellectually stimulating,” Maye said. “They’ve also helped me change and morph my preferences into things that I really didn’t imagine I would be into or ever really thought of before.”
Merissa Underwood ’29, a RUE student concentrating in modern culture and media, also found her path to Brown after being in the public eye. Underwood moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and activism before competing in Miss USA 2020.
After high school, Merissa Underwood '29 moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and activism before competing in Miss USA 2020. Courtesy of Merissa Underwood
She also worked as a production coordinator at a boutique media agency before landing a job in film production at Paramount Pictures. Although she took part-time classes at another university, Underwood remembers leaving feeling “unfulfilled and unchallenged.”
Underwood’s professional experience inspired her focus in feminist theory within modern culture and media. “That was all shaped by my time in the entertainment industry, modeling and pageants,” said Underwood. “I definitely would not be here by any means if I had not done what I did for the last decade.”
After graduating, Underwood hopes to publish a book about women’s representation in media.
Elaine Rand ’29, another RUE student, spent years on the ballet stage before arriving at Brown. She graduated high school early to dance professionally, holding company positions in Indianapolis, Washington state and St. Louis. During this time, Rand never thought about attending a four-year college full time. “I was like, ‘That ship has sailed. I’m too old. I’m in my 20s.’”
Elaine Rand '29 graduated high school early to dance professionally, holding company positions in Indianapolis, Seattle and St. Louis before coming to Brown.
Rand heard of Brown’s RUE program through her girlfriend, Rachel Harrison ’27, who is also a RUE student. Rand remembers sitting in on her classes and realizing, “I wanted to go here too.”
Rand emphasized that Brown’s curriculum has given her a sense of agency that is refreshing. “Ballet as an industry can be very strict,” Rand said. “I feel like I’m breaking free from the mold.”
After arriving at Brown, Rand said her “social circle just expanded from 25 people who all do the same thing for a living to thousands and thousands of undergrads from a variety of backgrounds.”
After graduating from Brown, Rand hopes to teach and break into the publishing industry.
Amy Oung ’28 P’26 also stumbled upon Brown’s RUE program through a loved one — her daughter. Oung recalled seeing an ad about returning to school and her daughter, Michelle Oung ’26, telling her about Brown’s program for non-traditional students.
Amy Oung '28 also stumbled upon Brown’s RUE program through a loved one — her daughter.
Amy Oung paused her education to work as a nail technician for financial reasons. She ended up representing manufacturers and brands across the country, becoming not only a technician but a licensed instructor. But when COVID-19 hit, she realized her profession was in danger and ultimately decided to return to school.
At Brown, Oung intends to concentrate in business economics and literary arts because she aspires to tell a story about her roots, helping immigrant communities start businesses with limited resources.
When reflecting on her adjustment process, Oung noted the intellectual curiosity and engagement she has encountered on College Hill. “It’s refreshing but also can be very daunting,” Oung said.
Oung admits that her age often takes classmates by surprise.
“Whenever I have to introduce myself, everyone’s always shocked, like, ‘Why is there a 40-something enrolled in the classroom?’” Oung said.
“Once I say, ‘resumed undergrad,’ they do have an understanding,” she added. “I’m a little different. But it doesn’t take long. I think 30 seconds later, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, Amy is part of the class.’”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the class year, concentration and previous jobs of Irene Choi ’27. The Herald regrets the error.
