Haley Lehew '19

What advice do you have for others interested in following down a similar path?
For those interested in a Fulbright or similar opportunity, I recommend learning to understand and work together with other people. Social skills, like reading a room or considerately asking for a favor, are crucial every step of the way. For example, building relationships with good mentors leads you to better research experiences. Informational interviews with country-specific Fulbright alumni give you the insight to make your personal statement stand out to the selection committee. Friends will stay up at night to do last-minute proofreads and encourage you when you feel like giving up on the extensive application. People want to help you, but make sure to express your honest appreciation for their help!
What research and internship experiences did you have while at UCF?
I started off as a UCF Provost Scholar, which financially supported me to pursue all the research UCF has to offer. I conducted Spanish bilingualism research with Dr. Alvaro Villegas, where I learned about psycholinguistics and connected with heritage Spanish speakers from our UCF community. Afterward, I investigated Alzheimer’s-related research with Dr. Ken Teter in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, as well as clinical radiology research at AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital Orlando) under the internship program headed by Dr. Alicia Hawthorne. Further, I was part of the LEAD Scholars Academy which allowed me to explore social change through research.
Through these projects, I’ve been fortunate to win two Judge’s Choice Awards at the UCF Showcase of Undergraduate Research, be awarded two research grants, win Best in Category in the UCF Social Change showcase, and present at the annual national Experimental Biology conference. Another memorable experience was working with Dr. Robert Borgon and Professor Nicole Verity as a molecular biology teaching assistant, and being selected to speak about their uniquely impactful lab course at a university-wide faculty meeting.
What are some of the activities you enjoy outside of academics?
My favorite hobby is yoga! I’ve done yoga on and off for almost five years, and the mental clarity and reflective time has helped me grow personally and given me the creativity to solve problems I face every day. I actually came up with the ideas for my Fulbright personal statement while doing yoga!
What can you share about your future plans/long-term goals? How has receiving the Fulbright helped you towards those goals?
My favorite quote is by Marie Curie, who said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” My career goal is to help people fear less by increasing understanding of our world through interdisciplinary research and education. Through Fulbright, I shared American culture and language with South Korean high schoolers while increasing my own understanding of issues, including barriers to education for North Korean defectors and Korean-American identity. Due to COVID-19, our grants were cut short so I’m now in the United States. I’m working in interdisciplinary research and teaching opportunities while I prepare to return for graduate school. In the future, I’d like to work at the intersection of education, technology and international relations, and am currently exploring computational linguistics applied to K-12 education as a manifestation of those fields.