PVAMU SCHOLARS EARN RESEARCH AWARDS
By: Prairie View A&M University Fedd is just one of three Honors students from PVAMU selected to receive Fulbright research awards. Spring ‘24 alumnus Ehiguese Obiomon will pursue prostate cancer research in Brazil, and graduating senior biology student Anisa Cole will conduct cancer research in Switzerland. This momentous occasion marks another milestone for PVAMU, as […] The post PVAMU SCHOLARS EARN RESEARCH AWARDS appeared first on African American News and Issues.
Black News 
By: Prairie View A&M University
Fedd is just one of three Honors students from PVAMU selected to receive Fulbright research awards. Spring ‘24 alumnus Ehiguese Obiomon will pursue prostate cancer research in Brazil, and graduating senior biology student Anisa Cole will conduct cancer research in Switzerland.
This momentous occasion marks another milestone for PVAMU, as the University celebrates its second Fulbright U.S. Student cycle producing awardees. Previous Fulbright applicants primarily pursued English Teaching Assistantships. This year, PVAMU had a historic wave of five student applicants for the Study/ Research award; the cohort reflects a growing student interest in opportunities to engage in research abroad.
“This shift signals a deepening of academic engagement and research capacity among our students, positioning them not only as global participants, but as contributors to global knowledge,” said the Dean of Prairie View A&M University Honors College, Dr. Quincy C. Moore III. Dean Moore stressed that the achievement is not the result of chance, but of intentional strategy and sustained investment in preparing PVAMU students and alumni to thrive as global scholars and researchers.
Building a Campus Culture Grounded in Research Excellence The Fulbright U.S. Student Program sends students, artists, and early-career professionals abroad to study, research, and teach in more than 160 countries. The program offers three types of awards: the Study/Research Award, which supports independent research or graduate study at a host institution abroad; the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), which places fellows in classrooms within a host country to teach English; and the Critical Language Enhancement Award, which provides additional language training for students in host countries where proficiency in the local language is essential to their work.
As one of the most prestigious international exchange programs, the Fulbright application and selection process is very competitive, with only about 20% of applicants selected each year. PVAMU Fellowship Advisor Alexis Agard formalized an advisory cohort to give students a competitive edge. The cohort included Dean Moore, Dr. Nathan Mitchell, and Dr. Stephanie Tilley ’24, PVAMU’s first Fulbright student recipient in 2023.
The cohort was part of a greater collaborative effort, led by Agard, to unite the Honors College and the Office of International Programs to mentor students and strengthen their applications.
“Dr. Nathan Mitchell sacrificed a great deal of his time to help me research my topic and locate credible sources and data….he continues to show up for me even in his most demanding seasons. I am truly grateful for his support and remain deeply appreciative of all he has done for me,” said Fedd.
Anisa Cole, a member of both the Honors College and the Undergraduate Medical Academy (UMA), says her campus experiences helped shape her leadership path. With encouragement from the Honors College and Dean Moore, she took on roles as Vice President of Research for the Student Government Association and as an executive board member of the Student Music Union. Cole is a Goldwater scholar and noted that Dean Moore, the campus representative for the scholarship, provided steady guidance throughout the application process.
Cole also credited the Office of International Programs as being instrumental in her journey to becoming one of PVAMU’s first- ever Goldwater Scholars last year and now a Fulbright awardee in this historic cycle. “Ms. Agard helped me through the process of choosing a country to apply to, reaching out to host labs, and preparing a winning personal statement,” said Cole. She added that mentorship from the UMA was also central to her development as an aspiring physician scientist.
For Obiomon, this is an opportunity to conduct research that can serve as a model for reducing health disparities and improving cancer care. His research at the University of São Paulo’s Comprehensive Center for Precision Oncology will examine how a patient’s DNA influences whether a drug will work well or cause side effects. Currently, most pharmacogenomic data come from populations of European descent, limiting their applicability to more diverse populations. Obiomon’s goal is to focus on scalable, cost-effective approaches to precision oncology.
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