2024 Plastino Scholars

University of Delaware Plastino Scholars have studied maternity and child nutrition in Bangladesh, investigated how Amazon's stingless bees thrive, tackled health care reform, brainstormed how we can build more livable and environmentally responsible cities, bicycled across the U.S., promoted pop-up entrepreneurship, and implemented school lunch programs for students in need. And that's just for starters.

In the 17 years since the program's inception, more than 70 undergraduates have created their own experiential learning opportunities around their passions, with the goal of achieving transformational change in both their academic and personal lives.

The Plastino Scholars Program was established with a gift from UD alumnus David A. Plastino, who saw the impact that a similar program at another university had on his daughter. He wanted to pay it forward. Not long afterward, the Plastino Scholars Program was born.

This year's scholars have traveled to or will travel to, Brazil, Tanzania, England and South Africa.

Shanea Higgin had meticulously planned out her Plastino Scholar research - she would survey residents in Rio de Janeiro's favelas to learn their views on the influence of race, culture, poverty and politics on their educational system. Favelas are a collection of unregulated and informal neighborhoods that can be home to upwards of 300,000 people.

A senior triple majoring in psychology, Latin American and Iberian studies, and Spanish, Higgin became interested in favelas during an earlier research project in the McNair Scholar program. But there was just one problem with Higgin's research plan - no one would talk to her.

"The irony is that I ended up having to switch from a research survey to doing a pilot study," said Higgin, with a chuckle. "Whenever I would pitch my survey, people would say yes, they would open the link. And they would, but no one would take the survey."

Higgin speculates that the favela residents were concerned that their anonymity wouldn't be protected. However, the conversation flowed freely when she informally went out with locals for coffee or lunch and asked questions.

"When you talk in person, people can see and know who you are, and they feel more comfortable," said Higgin. "If I go back in the future and have another survey or conduct a formal interview, they are more likely to do it. We built a connection."

That's not a theoretical wish. Higgin is applying to the Fulbright Scholars program to return to Brazil for post-graduate study.

The other component of her Plastino Scholar project - a computer science class -- was a big hit with locals. She taught middle school students at a community center under the auspices of a Brazilian nonprofit, Recomaçando. Higgin's ultimate goal is to work in the field of educational technology on platforms and programs that enrich students from disadvantaged backgrounds.