Luciana Mariel Alberio
Luciana is from Buenos Aires (Argentina). She has a BA in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language and is the current Fulbright FLTA scholar in Virginia State University for the Academic Year 2023-2024.Luciana has experience teaching English to students in Argentina of different age ranges (covering Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary level).
Her current duties as a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant include teaching a course of Elementary Spanish I, participating in the weekly meetings of the Spanish Conversation Club, spending time in the Office for International Education and giving Spanish tutoring. Moreover, she serves as a cultural ambassador of Argentina, which is why she is dedicated to the diffusion of not only her native language (Spanish) but also the customs, idiosyncrasy and history of her country.
Also, as part of her Fulbright scholarship, Luciana is allowed to take 2 courses per semester in her host university. For the Fall term, she chose “American Literature I” and “The teaching of English in Secondary School”, both of which she found very interesting.
During her stay here in the USA, Luciana hopes to not only get to know places and people (both native and foreign) but also acquire knowledge and experiences that enrich her life from every point of view (professional, personal, etc.)
In her photo, you can see Luciana wearing an Argentina T-shirt as part of a movie night event at Virginia State University in which she was the host. Within the celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month, and together with the Languages and Literature Department, the university screened the Argentinian film “La Odisea de los Giles” (“Heroic Losers”) and had some typical meals from Luciana’s country. Both students and teachers shared a nice evening, and Luciana was also able to talk about the Argentinian historical context in which the film takes place. |
Theingi Aung
Theingi is a Fulbrighter from Myanmar, studying Masters in Microbiology and Immunology at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine. She is eager to study her research interests including antiviral activity, cancer cell signaling and immunotherapy in order to broaden my horizon. Apart from that, Theingi would like to explore the tourist destination areas, which is one of her dreams while she is here. |
Manuela D’Ávila
Manuela is a Brazilian journalist with a Master’s degree in Public Policy and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Public Policy at UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul). Her research focuses on examining violence and freedom as catalysts for Brazilian internet regulation.
Manuela has served as the youngest city councilor in Porto Alegre, as well as the most-voted federal and state deputy in Brazil. In 2018, she ran for vice president of the country, making it to the second round of the election where she competed against Jair Bolsonaro.
She founded the “E Se Fosse Você? Institute,” aimed at combating disinformation, gender violence, and hate speech. She has published four books: “Revolución Laura”, “Por que lutamos? um livro sobre amor e liberdade” (also translated into Spanish) “E Se Fosse Você? Surviving hate networks and fake news” and “Somos as palavras que usamos”.
She is also the organizer and author of the Collections “Sempre foi sobre nós: relatos da violência política de gênero no Brasil”, and “Rede de Mentiras e de ódio: e se o alvo fosse você?”, both with Spanish translations. |
Alexandra Gemitzi
Alexandra, a Professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering of Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, received a Fulbright Scholar award to conduct research at the University of Virginia. She is focusing on satellite derived soil moisture applications in hydrology.
Alexandra graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 1993 with a Bachelor degree in Geology and a Master of Science in Groundwater Engineering from University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) in 1995. She obtained a Doctorate in 2002 from the Department of Civil Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, sponsored by the National Scholarship Foundation.
Before starting her academic career, she has worked as geologist for almost ten years in the private and public sector. Her main teaching and research interests are related to environmental modelling, climate change impacts, remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems.
Her research focuses on the simulation and assessment of environmental systems, climate and land use change effects and the prediction and risk assessment of extreme natural phenomena or natural disasters. Her published work features over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals and over 60 conference presentations. |
Agostina Giaroli Nogueira
Agos is from Argentina and is attending the LL.M. program at the University of Virginia School of Law as a Fulbright Scholar. She graduated with honors from Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Her areas of legal interest include criminal law, criminal procedure, legal research, and gender studies.During her time in the US, Agos is looking forward to learning more on the American justice system and exploring Charlottesville and its surroundings. |
Marvin Nicholas Michael Hirt
Marvin is from Munich, Germany, currently attending the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the Batten School.
He graduated from the University of Applied Sciences of the State of Bavaria in 2018 with a Diploma in Public Law and Public Management. Furthermore, he is studying law for public administration (LL.M.) at the Berlin School of Economics and Law since 2021. His areas of interest include urban affairs, policymaking process, and public law. Following graduation, he worked for the City of Munich, Germany, as a executive officer for the Department of Housing and Migration in the area of misappropriation of living space and protection of citizens from gentrification.
Marvin is curious about the U.S. culture as well as its wonderful people. In his home country, he enjoys hiking in the Alps and hopes to explore the wonderful nature and landscape in the US as well. One of his other interests is architecture. |
Hoang Ho
Hoang is from Vietnam, currently pursuing an MS in Business with a focus on Branding & Copywriting at the VCU Brandcenter. With eight years of experience in multinational advertising firms like Ogilvy, Dentsu, and Publicis, he represented Vietnam at the 2019 Cannes Lions, the world’s premier advertising festival in France.Hoang is passionate about leveraging advertising’s creative and attention-grabbing power to address social issues, particularly in healthcare and sustainability, where he has spearheaded impactful campaigns in his home country. Beyond his “Mad Men” dream in the U.S., Hoang loves immersing himself in America’s natural beauty through hiking and visiting national parks. |
