Rhode Island Commerce Announces New Cohort of Wavemaker Fellows Including First Addition of Teachers
Published on Thursday, June 26, 2025
PROVIDENCE, RI – Today, Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner and Rhode Island Commerce announce the addition of 153 new fellows to the Wavemaker Fellowship, a competitive student loan reimbursement program for professionals working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), certain design fields, the healthcare sector, and for the first time—education.
The Wavemaker Fellowship awards refundable tax credits of up to $6,000 per year for up to four years. Of the 153 new fellows, 76 are from STEM and design, 58 are from healthcare, and 19 from education.
77 of this year’s Fellows are graduates of the following Rhode Island higher education institutions:
- Community College of RI (2)
- Johnson & Wales (7)
- NEIT (4)
- Providence College (3)
- Rhode Island College (13)
- RISD (1)
- Roger Williams University (3)
- Salve Regina University (2)
- URI (42)
“We’re proud to welcome this new cohort of fellows into the Wavemaker program,” said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. “The program is a critical investment in retention which will help us build a strong, skilled workforce that will contribute to our state’s long-term economic growth.”
This is the ninth round of Wavemaker Fellowship awards. The first eight iterations awarded 1,347 professionals tax credits to help offset the cost of student loans. Applicants are evaluated on a variety of criteria, but most importantly by their pursuit of careers in key industries and the impact of the award on the applicants' decisions to stay and work in Rhode Island.
“Freeing college graduates from the burden of student loan debt allows them to build wealth and invest in their future. Between the loan reimbursements these Fellows will receive and their commitment to joining our state’s workforce with businesses’ most in-demand skillsets, this program lifts our economy statewide,” said Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. “Congratulations to all 153 new Fellows who are joining the Wavemaker Program today!”
“Here in Rhode Island, we deeply value our educators, and we’re pleased they can benefit from the state’s Wavemakers debt relief program,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Greene. “Attracting and retaining top talent is essential in ensuring high-quality teaching and learning takes place in our schools as we work to improve academic outcomes statewide. We congratulate this year’s Fellows and thank RI Commerce and our partners in government for expanding this incentive program to also help educators.”
The Wavemaker Fellowship program received a further $2.5 million in funding in the FY 2026 budget. The next application period is expected to open later in 2025.
Read more about the Wavemaker Fellowship here: wavemaker.commerceri.com.
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