Pang Xiong, a new special education student for fall 2016, has accepted the Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) fellowship. Pang was nominated for this award by Dr. Veronica Fleury who, along with Dr. Rose Vukovic, will be her adviser in the program.

“Pang is committed to improving access to educational opportunities for underserved and underprivileged students with autism and their families with a particular focus on educational inequities and the effect of bilingualism in children with autism,” said Dr. Fleury in her nomination. “She is particularly focused on conducting research that has direct implications for Hmong-speaking individuals and other minority populations, which she is uniquely positioned to be able to accomplish given her personal experiences, background, and skills.”

The DOVE is awarded to students based on the strength of their application, the challenges overcome to excel academically, undergraduate research experiences, volunteer experiences that required a long-term commitment, experiences with other communities, honors, academic performance, strength of references, and the strength of the program’s commitment to provide financial support beyond the fellowship year.