To see more photos from Alyx's time abroad, click here.
Alyx Gleason ’17 had quite the busy summer. The day after she and her team of e-NABLE students presented nine-year old Karissa Mitchell with a Frozen-themed prosthetic arm, Gleason was boarding a plane for England.
As her face was showing up on television screens and print media such as Entertainment Weekly, The Today Show, Time Magazine and more, Gleason was already off on her next adventure. Selected by the Siena Physics Department faculty, she was offered an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Or could she?
“When I first got the email from Dr. Finn that I received the Gaffney Fellowship, I kind of had mixed emotions because I never thought that I would get it,” said Gleason. “I was freaking out, but I knew I had to do it. I applied for the Fellowship in the first place because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone.”
Siena’s Mary K. Gaffney Fellowship was created to provide a life changing opportunity for a Siena Physics student, and for Gleason it did just that. The fund is awarded at the discretion of the Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in consultation with the Dean of the School of Science to provide for a Physics major or Math major with a Physics minor travelling abroad for a semester to either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge located in the United Kingdom.
“We reviewed a number of applications for the fellowship, all from well-qualified students. We felt that Alyx's strong academic record and the work she has done with e-NABLE set her above the other applicants,” said Rose Finn, Ph.D., associate professor of physics. “In addition, Alyx had not traveled much up until this past summer, so we knew that the opportunity to study in Cambridge would be life changing.”
During her time at the University of Cambridge’s Pembroke College, Gleason took courses in material science, environmental science and Lego robotics with other students from across the globe. Not only did her time across the pond strengthen her academically, it also helped her to grow as a person.
“I’m more aware of different parts of the world now and I want to learn more about different people’s cultures,” said Gleason. “But, one of the biggest things I learned was how to work independently. At Siena, I have a group that I usually work and study with but at Cambridge I branched out and started asking more questions in classes and learning to work on my own.”
Gleason had the opportunity to meet students from Egypt, the Philippines and New Zealand, attend traditional Formal Halls, and even squeezed in time to travel to Barcelona, Paris and Rome.
“It is a great opportunity and I’m so grateful for the donor because it will definitely be something I remember for the rest of my life. It has already changed me in so many ways.”
