Faculty Mentors

JORDAN COLE

Graduating third-year Foundation Fellow majoring in psychology and sociology

“Working with Dr. Anne Shaffer and graduate student Violeta Rodriguez in the UGA FRESH Lab has been one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had at UGA. We are studying how to develop parenting assessments that better include the experiences of racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse parents, so I’ve gotten to recruit and interview parents across the nation and discuss their various parenting styles with the intention of improving systems for parents like them in the future. Dr. Shaffer and Violeta Rodriguez have been nothing but immensely supportive, and I am so honored to have learned from and worked beside them.”

SHI HO KIM

Graduating third-year Foundation Fellow majoring in international affairs

“In the spring of 2022, I took elementary Tajiki as part of UGA’s Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program under Prof. Manizha Datlatova. The Fulbright FLTA program gives students an exposure to languages and cultures that are not easily accessible, and it brings highly qualified and passionate educators to the university. During my three and a half months of intensive education, I have been able to reach a lower intermediate conversational level, and now have the means to learn the Tajiki language independently. I have also gained a deep cultural understanding of Tajikistan and Central Asia, a region that I was always interested in but knew little about.”

SASHA STOGNIY

Fourth-year Foundation Fellow majoring in biochemistry & molecular biology and Russian

“The Russian Department feels like a family. Every single professor and administrator has been so incredibly supportive in every endeavor I’ve pursued— study, research, competition, Russian Flagship, and more. I’ll miss the picnics, coffee hours, costume contests, conversation tables, movies, trivia nights, matryoshka-painting workshops, even the cursed stairs that lead to nowhere, and most of all, the people!”

JENA JIBREEN

Fourth-year Foundation Fellow majoring in international affairs and psychology

“I came to UGA with one goal: to travel extensively, with the Fellowship’s assistance. When that goal became unattainable, thanks to COVID, I didn’t know quite what I was going to do. That is, until Dr. Maryann Gallagher helped me find research opportunities within international affairs that made me excited to stick around. Her mentorship has meant the world to me. She helped me build confidence in my research capabilities, and she helped illuminate my academic path. It’s remarkable how eager everyone is to help you find your way in the Fellowship. Thanks to the FFR network, I’ve been able to experience fields outside of my academic focus, and I no longer feel pressured to follow one singular path. I am eternally grateful to the fellowship for allowing me to find what brings me joy.”