麻豆传媒

I received an email from the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships about Spark the summer before my freshman year. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to meet some other first-year (and second-year) students and learn about funding opportunities, so I applied! 

My favorite activity was the CliftonStrengths assessment led by Ed Brodka from UB’s Career Design Center. The assessment identifies a person’s top 5 CliftonStrength themes. It’s important for students to have self-awareness and understand what their innate strengths are. It helps in leading a fulfilling career, as people are happiest when they utilize their strengths. I was initially skeptical of the assessment and wrote it off as a silly personality test, but knowing my strengths has explained my enjoyment in much of what I study and participate in today.

My favorite memory was meeting the people from my Spark cohort. One of my closest friends today was in the same cohort! There was plenty of time to speak with other members of the cohort through group activities and dinner breaks.  

Spark allowed me to network with faculty, staff, and past award winners in a low stakes environment. Students are told about the benefits of networking all the time and this is advice that I firmly stand by. I cannot emphasize the power of networking enough. Networking both in and outside of the university will help your future self a lot. 

Strong letters of recommendation are easy to write when your professors know who you are beyond the classroom. Relationships formed from one of my previous internships helped me land my summer internship at National Grid. Spark gave me the confidence to put myself out there through the form of cold emails and approaching people at events in person. A lot of students are understandably intimidated by networking, but getting to talk to professionals early on in my college career helped me gain confidence.  

My passions include civic engagement, sustainability, and education; my activities at UB reflect that. Currently, I am a College of Arts & Sciences Ambassador for the Department of Geography. I have also been a Future Alumni Network Leader since October 2022. During the Spring 2025 semester, I taught a section of HON 102: Honors Colloquium. Additionally, I was a Student Engagement Ambassador for the Office of Student Engagement during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. I was also the Director of Sustainability and Innovation for the UB Chapter of the Food Recovery Network that year.

I applied for and have received the WNY Prosperity Fellowship twice. I was a fellow during the 2024 - 2025 academic year and will be a returning fellow for the 2025 - 2026 academic year. The Prosperity Fellowship is a scholarship and professional development opportunity that teaches students about entrepreneurship and economic development in the Western New York region. 

As a WNY Prosperity Fellow, I had the opportunity to learn about various social and economic challenges in our region, such as food apartheid, affordable housing, and transportation inequities. I also experienced WNY through exclusive tours with local organizations such as OpenBuffalo, Explore Buffalo, Top Seedz, and 43North. Now more than ever, I feel equipped to make an impact in our region. 

I was also a UB campus nominee for the Truman Scholarship. Ultimately, I was not chosen as a Truman Scholar, but the application taught me a lot about my own career goals in public service. 

After my undergraduate degree, I plan on pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban Planning. My goal is to be a transportation planner and eventually lead a transportation agency in a major city. One of the key takeaways from Spark is that success comes from combining your strengths and interests. It took me some time to discover my academic interests (as shown by changing my major multiple times), but Spark encouraged me to focus on my strengths, which was very helpful. Looking back at my Spark final reflection from two and a half years ago, I knew what I wanted to do all along! My essay mentioned geospatial technology and transportation. It was just a matter of narrowing my interests.  

There are fellowships and scholarships for all types of experiential learning: study abroad, research, teaching, intensive foreign language study, and more. There are so many funding opportunities that students are unfamiliar with or may not even know exist. This includes opportunities right here at UB, as well as national and international awards. Spark introduces these opportunities to students early on in their academic careers, giving them the best chance of preparing and strengthening their applications to these competitive awards. Apply for Spark, you won’t regret it!