The Goldwater Scholarship is a prestigious scholarship program that seeks to recognize and support college sophomores and juniors that are dedicated to research in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. This scholarship is awarded to students who are seen as the next generation of research leaders. Ashley Agatep, a junior Environmental Science and Policy major and Honors minor, was one of the 2026 Goldwater Scholarships recipients. Since her first
Early into the 2025-26 academic year, the Center of Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) had the opportunity to speak to Roxanne Aguilera about the beginnings of her U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award, which has allowed her to move to Spain for about a year to teach and be a cultural ambassador for the United States. Months later, CUE once again had the
While everyone was stuck at home during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, Emry Sottile was spending their days working on their research for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program that was being held on Zoom at the time. What started as a jumpstart on their master’s thesis turned into Sottile’s career in academia and a pursuit of a PhD. Sottile graduated
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a program that gives Chapman undergraduate students the opportunity to do hands-on research and creativity projects with faculty mentors. It is an eight-week program that is hosted on Chapman University campus. SURF Fellows receive a $4,000 fellowship and have the option to request free housing during the program.
While finishing her master’s program at Chapman University, Roxanne Aguilera decided to take a bold step—she applied for a U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award.. This prestigious award offers students the opportunity to teach English in classrooms around the world while immersing themselves in a new culture. The Fulbright program provides support for room and
One of the 2025 recipients of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence Scholarly/Creative Grant was Victoria Hess, a fourth-year student double majoring in Theatre and Integrated Educational Studies. Thanks to this funding, she spent this past summer on a creative project adapting a children’s book into a one-act play. Hess leveraged her double major to create an interdisciplinary thesis project. “I knew I
Emma Han spends her time analyzing social media influencers. Her research project, “on the rise of the deinfluencer trend on TikTok and Instagram,” which she presented at the Student Scholar Symposium, involved looking into the techniques social media influencers use to build a following. “I worked with [fellow student] Misha Harneja in data collection of
On the verge of graduation, Kasey Markell is focused on helping others. An Applied Human Physiology major and Nutrition minor, Markell recently completed her Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), with her research focusing on exercise’s effect on symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. SURF fellows come from various disciplines, from the sciences to the arts and everywhere in
Are you looking to give back to your community after graduating? Do you want to be paid full-time while implementing your unique program at a community organization of your choice? If so, the Shinnyo fellowship is for you! The Shinnyo fellowship is a prestigious 10-month fellowship that allows post-undergraduate Chapman University students to immerse themselves
As an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Disability Studies, Helen Lee ’23 participated in the 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), where she explored the Implications of Affect Variability on Cortisol and Sleep. “Specifically, I looked at how emotion variability might relate to daily cortisol output and physical health outcomes,” Lee