Executives & Staff
: Past Fellows and Scholars
Jeff Higgins
Global Fellow
Jeffrey Higgins is the Global Fellow for Fall 2011, under the auspices of The Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office. Previously he was the China-Taiwan Fellow for the office. A senior at UCF, he is majoring in International and Global Studies, with a minor in Asian Studies. He is the Academic Affairs Director for the UCF Honors Congress. His research interests include terrorism studies, arms control and East Asian geo-politics. Upon graduation, Higgins plans to teach English in Asia, and then pursue a graduate degree in Asian studies. He speaks conversational Japanese and has traveled to the United Kingdom.
Remi Vespi
India Fellow
Remi Vespi is the India Fellow for Spring 2011 under the auspices of The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, for the Global Perspectives Office. A junior at UCF, she is majoring in Legal Studies, with a minor in International and Global Studies. She volunteers at the Seminole County Humane Society, and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Her research interests include human rights, international law and European cultures. Upon graduation, she plans to attend law school to study international law. A native of Canada, Vespi speaks conversational Italian and Spanish. She has traveled to China and throughout Europe.
Justin Sanak
Global Peace Fellow
Justin Sanak is the Global Peace Fellow for Fall 2011, under the auspices of The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, for the Global Perspectives Office. A senior at UCF, he is majoring in Journalism, with minors in Spanish and Middle Eastern Studies. He is a National Merit Scholar and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Sanak’s research interests include security policy, and the role of the news media in the Middle East and Latin America. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in international relations or security law. Sanak is fluent in Spanish and speaks some Arabic.
Ken Klose
Terrorism Studies Fellow
Ken Klose is the Terrorism Studies Fellow for Fall 2011, under the auspices of the Stephen Sloan Terrorism Studies Fund of the Global Connections Foundation, for the Global Perspectives Office. He is a graduate student at UCF, studying Political Science/International Relations. Klose received a B.A. from UCF in Political Science – International Relations track, with minors in both Russian Area Studies and History. From 2006-2007, he served in Iraq as Platoon Leader in the 1st Calvary Division of the U.S. Army. From 2010-2011, Klose served in Afghanistan as Troop Commander in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. His research interests include Iranian foreign policy, Israeli national security policy and counter-terrorism. Klose has studied Russian and French, as well as Arabic and Pashto. He has traveled to Costa Rica, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Gabrielle Swaby
MacArthur Scholar
Gabrielle Swaby is the 2011-2012 MacArthur Scholar, under the auspices of the William MacArthur International Affairs Program, for the Global Perspectives Office. A junior at UCF, she is majoring in French and Environmental Studies, with a minor in International and Global Studies. She serves as the Student Government Association’s Relations Director for the Multicultural Student Center, and is the Secretary of the National French Honors Society. Her research interests include environmental law and global environmental sustainability. Upon graduation, Swaby plans to pursue graduate studies in either international relations or public policy. A native of Jamaica, she is studying French and has traveled throughout the Caribbean.
Astrid Breuer
India Fellow
Astrid Breuer is the India Fellow for Spring 2011 under the auspices of The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, for the Global Perspectives Office and The India Program at UCF. A senior at UCF, she is double majoring in International and Global Studies and French, with a minor in Hospitality Management. She is the President of the UCF chapter of the National French Honor Society. Her research interests include environmental issues and the European Union. Upon graduation, Breuer plans to pursue a graduate degree in international relations, with a focus on environmental policy. A native of Paraguay, she speaks Spanish and French, and has traveled in South America and throughout Europe.
Maria Lucrecia Capizzano
Global Peace Fellow
Maria Lucrecia Capizzano is the Global Peace Fellow for Spring 2011, under the auspices of The Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship Program, for the Global Perspectives Office and the UCF Global Peace and Security Program. A junior at Rollins College, she is majoring in International Affairs, with a minor in Economics. She serves on the Honors Council at Rollins. Her research interests include Latin American politics and diplomacy. Upon graduation, Capizzano plans graduate studies in international relations and a career in diplomacy. A native of Argentina, she is fluent in Spanish, is studying French, and has traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Jeffrey Higgins
China-Taiwan Fellow
Jeffrey Higgins is the China-Taiwan Fellow for Spring 2011, under the auspices of the C.T. and Jean Hsu Fund of the Global Connections Foundation, for the Global Perspectives Office and the UCF China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Program. A junior at UCF, he is majoring in International and Global Studies, with a minor in Asian Studies. Higgins is the Academic Affairs Director for the UCF Honors Congress. His research interests include terrorism studies, arms control and East Asian geo-politics. Upon graduation, Higgins plans to teach English in Asia, then pursue a graduate degree in Asian studies. He speaks conversational Japanese and has traveled to the United Kingdom.
Gabrielle Swaby
Global Fellow
Gabrielle Swaby is the Global Fellow for Spring 2011, under the auspices of The Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office. A junior at UCF, she is majoring in French and Environmental Studies, with a minor in International and Global Studies. She serves as the Student Government Association’s Relations Director for the Multicultural Student Center, and is the Secretary of the National French Honors Society. Her research interests include environmental law and global environmental sustainability. Upon graduation, Swaby plans to pursue graduate studies in either international relations or public policy. A native of Jamaica, she is studying French and has traveled throughout the Caribbean.
Elvira Bouriak
Global Connections Associate
Elvira Bouriak is a Global Connections Associate for the Global Perspectives Office. Previously, she was a Program Assistant, the inaugural Human Trafficking Awareness Fellow for Spring 2011 and a MacArthur Scholar in the Global Perspectives Office. She recently completed a B.A. degree at Rollins College, with an emphasis on International Affairs. Bouriak was born in Russia, speaks Russian and some Spanish, has traveled in the Americas and was an exchange student in China.
