蜜桃传媒

Six UB students have won Fulbright awards, the prestigious national scholarship competition for grants to study, research and teach abroad.

“It is always exciting for UB to win Fulbright Awards,” says Patrick McDevitt, Fulbright program adviser, associate professor of history and a 1993 Fulbright grantee to New Zealand.

“Congratulations to our winners. The Fulbright program exemplifies America’s finest tradition of global engagement, benefiting awardees, their host nations and the United States as a whole.”

McDevitt says UB is proud to have a long history of contributing to the Fulbright program by sending some of the university’s brightest graduates overseas to represent the university and the nation.

Students who win these awards often have “life-changing experiences,” says McDevitt, who also serves as associate dean of undergraduate education and the 蜜桃传媒 Honors College, “and build relationships that will stay with them for the remainder of their lives.

“It’s an honor to play a small role in this program. We’re actively recruiting for the next cycle; rising seniors, alumni and graduate students are especially encouraged to contact us today and apply.”

McDevitt says UB submitted 22 applications, nine of which were recommended to the national committees. Besides the six winners, two others were named alternates.

McDevitt also recognized the pivotal support and contributions from UB’s Office of Fellowships and Scholarships, citing in particular director Megan Stewart.

The six student Fulbright winners:

James Falzone. A doctoral student in music composition, Falzone won a research grant to study in Austria. His project title is “Composition for Organ in an Ensemble Context with Study of Tuning and Temperament.” Falzone is realizing his dream to study with Austrian composer and organist Klaus Lang, whose music Falzone said “moved him deeply” when he first heard it. He has since pursued a relationship with the Austrian musician, but the Fulbright will allow him to build upon this established rapport through “sustained study.” Falzone’s future plans are to pursue a career in academia.

Olivia Barth. A law and environmental sustainability student, Barth won an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) award to Taiwan. A member of the 蜜桃传媒 Honors College, Barth has designed lessons for campers that engage nature with special attention to American and Native Americans culture. Barth aims to foster a sense of responsibility for the Taiwanese students’ own conservation efforts, along with improving their English skills. Barth said her role as an ETA will serve as a stepping stone toward becoming an environmental justice lawyer.

Laibah Mir. A philosophy, politics and engineering student, Mir won an English Teaching Assistant award to study in Jordan. A student in the Honors College, Mir received the Key into Public Service Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa Society, in 2023. She is devoted to cross-cultural understanding, holistic educational curricula and teaching styles that uplift underrepresented perspectives. Her work in Jordan will expand these interests by focusing on the diverse and often marginalized populations of the country, which hosts the second-largest number of refugees per capita in the world. Her future plans are to study Islamic studies at the Qalam Seminary, then attend law school.

Jaden Troiano. A biochemistry student, Troiano won an English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan. An Honors College student, Troiano plans to attend medical school. He aims to research how media helps unite diverse populations through “shared aspects of the human experience and to empathize with experiences and struggles that may never have been encountered otherwise.” Troiano aspires to be a superlative teacher, one who will encourage fun, engaging learning, cultural exchange and appreciation, and mental wellness, “a source of knowledge for students but also a source of support and compassion.”

Constance Yap. A student in health and human services, Yap won an English Teaching Assistant award to the Canary Islands. A Presidential Scholar and Honors College student, Yap is especially interested in cultural exchange, whether it be local cuisine that has incorporated Latin American and African influences, or the carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, or exploring the diverse natural landscapes of the islands. Yap plans to incorporate music to break through mental health stigmas and improve her students’ confidence in communicating with their peers. Yap plans to enter medical school.

Taylor Smith. A linguistics and education major, Smith won an English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea. Smith has spent the past five years learning how to be an effective English language teacher and will use her knowledge of the nuances of Korean language to help give children a “conscious awareness” of the features of the English language they need to focus on. Her goal is to praise these students for their effort in a demanding academic environment, and also “make sure they find joy in learning.” Smith’s future plans are to teach English as a New Language (ELN) teacher.

The Fulbright alternates:

Ariel Ratne. A Spanish/environmental geoscience student, Ratne is an alternate for an English Teaching Assistant award to Spain. An Honors College student, her future plans are to attend graduate school for urban forestry and environmental restoration.

Nyia Meyers. A linguistics student, Meyers is an alternate for an English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea. An Honors College student, Meyers plans to attend graduate school for either education or linguistics.