Executives & Staff
: Past Fellows and Scholars
Norah Perez
MacArthur Scholar
Norah Perez is a MacArthur Scholar under the auspices of the William MacArthur International Affairs Awards Program in the Global Perspectives Office. A senior at Rollins College, she is majoring in Economics with a minor in International Affairs. She is one of the founders of the Ethics Committee, where she helped to develop the Ethics Roundtable Discussion. Perez spent four years in South Africa, and speaks English and Spanish, as well as some German.
Jessica Gagnon
China-Taiwan Fellow
Jessica Gagnon the Project Specialist for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and other affiliated organizations, including the Global Connections Foundation. She is also the China-Taiwan Fellow for Spring 2010, under the auspices of the C.T. and Jean Hsu Fund of the Global Connections Foundation. Gagnon is responsible for assisting with globally oriented projects and programs, conducting research and serving as a liaison to key partners, notably the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations. She also specifically works on research projects related to China and Taiwan. Previously, she was a Program and Research Assistant for the same group of partners. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with an Honors degree in International Relations and Comparative Politics and a minor in Marketing. Gagnon is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Studies at UCF, and is a Graduate Assistant in the UCF Political Science Department. She was a Provost’s Fellow in 2007-2008. Gagnon’s research interests include East Asia and American national security. Fluent in French and a student of Mandarin, she has traveled extensively in North America and has visited China. She is sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.
Laura Stockbridge
Global Fellow
Laura Stockbridge is a Global Fellow, under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office. She is currently a senior at UCF, majoring in Business Economics, International track, with a minor in Mathematics. She is currently a member of Honors Congress and the Burnett Honors College Economics Club, an economics researcher for the UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness and an Economic Research Assistant for the UCF Economics Department. Stockbridge recently won the R. Glenn Hubbard Research Award in undergraduate economics. Her research interests include development economics and trade theory. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in international economics and development economics. Stockbridge speaks French and has traveled to France, the Netherlands, Mexico and Canada.
Jason Kelly
India Program Fellow
Jason Kelly is the India Program Fellow, under the auspices of The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, for the Global Perspectives Office and The India Program at UCF. He is currently a junior, majoring in Psychology and Journalism. Kelly has served on the executive boards of various Caribbean student groups at UCF. Upon graduation, he wishes to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology, intending to focus his research on the psychology behind European colonialism and imperialism. Kelly is proficient in French and Dutch, and enjoys studying Papiamentu, Haitian Creole, and Afrikaans in his spare time.
Amal Khan
Global Peace Fellow
Amal Khan is the Global Peace Fellow, under the auspices of the Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship, for the Global Perspectives Office. She is a senior at UCF, majoring in Political Science, with an emphasis on International Relations. Khan is a member of the President's Leadership Council, a graduate of the LEAD Scholar Program, and actively involved with various UCF organizations and associations, such as the Student Government Association and Junior Achievement. Upon graduation, she aspires to work internationally with non-profit organizations. Khan is conversational in Hindi and has traveled to India, Hong Kong, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Maria Daniela Blanchet
Global FellowMaria Daniela Blanchet is a Global Fellow, under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office and the Diplomacy Program. She is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science and Arts in Economics, with minors in Hospitality and International Business. She served as the Senior Co-Executive Director of the LEAD Scholars Program and as a member of the President’s Leadership Council. Blanchet also holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the ICN Business School of Nancy, France, where she studied abroad for over a year. She recently completed an internship at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and is looking to continuing her involvement with institutions that conduct research on topics such as Globalization. Blanchet was born in Zurich, Switzerland, raised in Austria and the United States, and is a citizen of Argentina. She is fluent in Spanish, has a good knowledge of French, and is conversational in German.
Ross Harrison
India Program FellowRoss Harrison is the India Program Fellow, under the auspices of The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, for the Global Perspectives Office and The India Program at the University of Central Florida. He is currently a junior, majoring in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, with minors in Chemistry and Sociology. Harrison was very involved last semester in encouraging political participation among students at UCF and throughout the Central Florida Community as a member of the UCF College Democrats and Knights for Change. He has also participated in the Ethics Bowl at UCF, and represented the university at a regional competition. Harrison was also previous member of the Honors Congress. His research interests on international issues include the politics of India and the Middle East. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue an M.D. and Ph.D. and study Immunology or Infectious Disease at the molecular level. Harrison has is a background in Latin and is studying French. He is a native of Canada and has traveled to Germany, France, India and throughout the Caribbean.
Magdalena Lasota
Global FellowMagdalena Lasota is a Global Fellow, under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office and the Diplomacy Program. She is currently pursuing a B.A. at the University of Central Florida, with a major in Political Science and a minor in Public Administration. Lasota's interests include immigration policy, human rights, the Middle East, the global economy and managing human behavior in public and non-profit organizations. She has traveled extensively in Europe and the United states; speaks Polish; understands German and Russian; and is studying Spanish.
Tazeen F. Siddiqui
Global Fellow
Tazeen F. Siddiqui is a Global Fellow, under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspectives Office and the Diplomacy Program. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida. Her research focuses on the economic viability and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Her work in this field allowed her to originate and lead the first university-wide HealthyUCF campaign on the MDGs. Tazeen holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, as well as an M.B.A., both from the University of Central Florida. Tazeen completed both degrees within three and a half years.
Stephanie Pavolini
Global Fellow
Stephanie Pavolini is a Global Fellow, under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida, for the Global Perspective Office and the Diplomacy Program. She was previously an intern and a Global Connections Scholar. Pavolini is pursuing a B.A. in Political Science–International Relations, with a minor in Latin American Studies, at UCF. Her research interests include Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as human trafficking. Born in San Cristobal, Venezuela, she is fluent in Spanish.
