Among UB's student body, countless students are hardworking both in and out of the classroom; however, their achievements sometimes go unnoticed. Such students have been able to juggle outstanding GPAs with extensive extracurricular activities in order to be noted as some of the smartest and hardest working students at UB.
Tuan Peter Nguyen is a sophomore mechanical and aerospace engineering major with a 3.8 GPA.
He works on campus as a resident advisor in Clement Hall. He is also a Residence Halls and Apartments (RHA) parliamentarian, a member of the Taiwanese Student Association and the UB intramural soccer team. In addition, he works as a public safety aide for the Department of Public Safety.
Nguyen, who is originally from Saigon, Vietnam, aspires to get a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and work for a major engineering company such as Lockheed Martin.
Nguyen noted that his parents were his motivation to work hard in school.
"I come from a working class family. Half of my parents' lives have been devoted to their children," he said. "I hope one day I will give them what they deserve: a real sweet life where they don't have to worry about anything anymore, especially money."
Kelly Duval is a sophomore environmental engineering major from Bethany, New York, with a 4.0 GPA.
She is an active member of several clubs such as the Political Science Club and the Society of Women Engineers. She is also a teacher's assistant for EAS 140 (Engineering Solutions). She has been a part of a research project titled "Engineering Impact on Society."
Despite having high academic achievements, Duval feels there is more to school than learning and would remain content if she wasn't able to maintain her 4.0. GPA.
"I'm here at UB to get an education, but I also know that an education (is worth) so much more than absorbing information from a teacher or textbook," she said. "Working hard in school is fine, but as Mark Twain said, 'Don't let school get in the way of your education.'"
More so than being well known, Duval aspires to simply live a satisfying life.
"When I'm 90 years old, I want to be able to look back on my life and be proud," she said. "I'm not talking about solving the world's energy crisis or inventing a simplistic desalination system. Those things would be nice, but if I can enjoy my job and have a fulfilling life outside of work, I think that I will be one of the happiest old ladies around."
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Lora Cunningham is a senior environmental design major and art history minor from Cherry Creek, New York, with a 3.6 GPA.
She has participated in the 2007 Celebration for Academic Excellence and the Atelier 2007, a display for projects made by students of UB's School of Architecture and Planning.
She has worked as an intern at the Office of Strategic Planning in Buffalo's City Hall, the Buffalo Central Terminal Restoration Corporation and has been a lifeguard at Alumni Area Pool.
She enjoys line dancing and is a part of UB's Impulse Dance Force.
Cunningham plans to go to graduate school for urban planning with a focus on history preservation.
"(I want to be able) to help save and preserve sites that are a living history of our past," she said.
Cunningham notes the necessity of her future career as her motivation to work hard.
"Planning is a field that affects everyone; where you live, roads you drive on, the cafes where you sit and people-watch," she said. "Without planners, the world would be living in just the present and not plan for the future. I hope to someday have a positive effect on how people live."
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Jessica Fialko is a junior theater design and technology major from Rocky River, Ohio, with a 3.9 GPA.
She is very active in UB's theater department, having helped with several shows performed at the Center for the Arts. She was recently the lighting designer for UB's production of The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute.
Fialko also won a scholarship from the Rocky River Junior Women's Club, which took her to study at the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles for a month.
Fialko hopes to go to graduate school for theater design with an emphasis in lighting.
"I hope to be a successful designer. I hope to have the brains and the patience to deal with whatever life throws at me," she said.
According to Fialko, she's just used to being a hardworking student.
"I think it's just a habit; I was raised to be a good, respectful student, and it just stuck with me," she said. "It bothers me when I don't do well - (it's) probably some complex I have with proving myself to the world. I still can't stop myself from falling asleep in class from time to time."
Katharine Peskor is a senior communication major from Pittsford, New York, with a 3.8 GPA.
She is the president of the Communication Undergraduate Student Association and is currently joining the Communication Honors Society, Lambda Pi Eta.
She spent this past summer studying advertising and media branding in children at Boston University and received a scholarship from Harvard University to study Ukrainian politics and language. She will also be starting an internship with WRUB radio station this month.
According to Peskor, she works hard to dispel the myths that communication is an "easy" major.
"While it's not rocket science, communication affects everyone almost everyday through media, news, online newspapers, advertising and public relations," she said. "I want other students to realize the kind of work we do and how we shape American culture."
Peskor hopes to attend graduate school at either Boston University or New York University to study broadcast journalism.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
