Meet Jacob

UB's student Fulbright scholars, from left: Farhana Hasan, Ashlee Hart, Michael Surrett, Antara Majumdar (alternate), Sushmita Gelda, Sarah Stanford, Lisa Gagnon and Jacob Caldwell. Photo: Douglas Levere.

UB's 2017 Fulbright scholars, from left: Farhana Hasan, Ashlee Hart, Michael Surrett, Antara Majumdar (alternate), Sushmita Gelda, Sarah Stanford, Lisa Gagnon and Jacob Caldwell. Photo: Douglas Levere

Jacob Caldwell, a recently graduated Spanish and biomedical engineering major, has accepted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in an urban area in northern Spain.

Recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence.

Jacob (far left) and other recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence

“I will use American football to support health and learning at my placement,” Jacob wrote in his application. “An after-school flag football program requires little equipment while introducing a key piece of the U.S. identity. Showing football films and games will complement the physical activity. Introducing the variety of cities that host professional teams will display the variety of American society. Finally, I will play soccer as well, in order to ensure an equal exchange of culture.”

Jacob, who also received a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, intends to pursue a doctorate in biomedical engineering when he returns to the U.S.

Meet More Students

  • Mame Salim
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    "Overall, I'm grateful to have participated in this program. Although it was stressful at times, I enjoyed every minute of it. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who loves working with kids from different cultures/backgrounds and anyone who wants to learn more about the day-to-day life of Italians."
  • Daniel Oakes
    4/23/19
    "I never considered myself to be a teacher in the past; however, it’s the amazing experiences I had by studying abroad in Italy and helping international students practice English through UB’s Chat Room that convinced me to apply. Here at the school, I’d like to thank Dr. Emanuela Pecchioli, Dr. Paola Ugolini, and Dr. Laura Chiesa for teaching me Italian to a level that made this possible. "
  • Joëlle Carota
    3/24/20
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  • Sophie May
    12/22/21
    French and Political Science double major Sophie May has won a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship beginning in Fall 2022! The Rangel Program selects outstanding Fellows annually in a highly competitive nationwide process and supports them through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities. How did she do it? Read on...
  • Elise Roberts
    3/12/18
    "My foreign language skills have helped me accomplish far more than tracking down the best gelateria in Florence—they have opened the door to countless opportunities in both my personal and professional lives."
  • Paige Melin
    1/29/19
    In the fall of 2018 Paige applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Senegal and the Teaching Assistant Program in France. After teaching abroad, Paige plans to get her Ph.D. in Translation Theory to teach & translate francophone literature not traditionally represented in the Western canon. She says, “I am so grateful for the supportive community I found in the Romance Languages Department at UB. Without these professors and mentors, I would never have had the courage to study abroad in France as an undergrad, or to pursue my current goal of teaching English abroad.”
  • Adam Dounane
    6/6/23
    Adam Dounane ’23, joint major in French and Communication and RLL’s 2023 Outstanding Senior, came to UB knowing that he wanted to explore how studying world languages and cultures could help solve real-world problems, and he says that “RLL has been an amazing community to do exactly that.”
  • Diana Cortés-Evans
    1/27/20
    "I came to Puerto Rico with support from the University at Buffalo Romance Languages and Literatures Department to be a cultural mediator and translator for legal services and policy work by the Puerto Rico Recovery Assistance Legal Clinic group. This is my first time visiting the archipelago, and it is hard to position myself; although I am not a lawyer, and cannot contribute in creating policies, I am a PhD student in Spanish literature. Therefore, personally as a cultural critic mind-driven I am hoping to understand the Puerto Ricans through their written language and artistic representations. Today I am not writing as a cultural critic, however, but as a witness who is seeing Puerto Rico and its diaspora mobilizing to help each other."
  • David Turnbull
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    "Language is a gift. It helps us understand how to build bridges with other people. It’s something we should feel privileged to study. Because the relationships and opportunities you can create with language are truly unique."
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  • Andrea ModicaAmore
    5/15/19
    "As my time here in Italy comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on these last three months and feel so incredibly lucky to have had this experience. I could not have asked for a better school and family to have spent my time with. I now consider this tiny, close-knit community to be another home of mine. Throughout my time here I have made forever friends, gained new family members, and have developed a passion for helping students learn and achieve their goals."
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    "In light of recent events, I believe it is more important than ever to educate ourselves and each other about people from different walks of life."
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    "The freedom to pursue my interests in the humanities while satisfying my primary goal of dentistry was due to the flexibility of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures."
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    3/12/18
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  • CaTyra Polland
    1/3/19
    "I originally wanted to be a Spanish teacher but I changed my mind along the way. However, I still wanted to major in Spanish. I knew the importance of being bilingual and the rapid growth of the Spanish speaking population."