BY DANIELLE LEGARE

Samuel Coniglio, a recent graduate of GSE’s English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) EdM program, received an English teaching assistantship in Taiwan. Abigail Frank, a current student in the information and library science MS program, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Open Study/Research Award and is working with the National Library of Latvia to study imagery in textiles and other applied arts.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program supports graduating seniors, graduate students and young professionals pursuing graduate study, research or English teaching abroad. Direct exchange is central to the program. Recipients live, work and learn alongside people in their host countries while developing their academic and professional interests.

“Samuel and Abigail are pursuing very different Fulbright experiences, but both are grounded in curiosity, careful listening and respect for the people and communities with whom they learn,” said GSE Dean and Professor Suzanne Rosenblith. “I’m proud to see them represent GSE in ways that are so distinctly their own.”

Coniglio’s Fulbright assistantship in Taiwan follows two years of teaching English in Japan. The Buffalo native earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from UB in 2020 and later returned to complete his ESOL EdM, graduating in May 2026.

As an undergraduate, he focused on Japan and the Japanese language, studied at Konan University and received a Gilman Scholarship. From 2021 to 2023, he served as an assistant language teacher at an elementary school in Minoo, Osaka, through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.

Coniglio also served as a student teacher at a Buffalo charter school while completing his master’s degree at GSE. After his Fulbright experience, he intends to begin his teaching career in the Buffalo area, with the goal of teaching English as a second language in city schools.

He recently told UBNow that the most important part of building relationships is “showing up consistently and genuinely.” 

Based at the National Library of Latvia, Frank is investigating patterns, motifs and imagery in Latvian applied arts, with an emphasis on textiles. 

The research brings together the fields that have shaped her education. Frank earned a BFA in visual and critical studies from the School of Visual Arts in 2024. At UB, she is building on that arts background through her interest in documenting, archiving and researching artworks.

Her professional experience at the fashion company Bode—where she worked with antique fabrics and historical crafts—helped spark her interest in textiles, she recently told UBNow.

“I was hoping to find a way to combine all of my interests into something unique to myself and felt that this would require me to embark on a very personalized journey,” Frank said. “The Fulbright seemed like the perfect type of grant to give me the freedom and resources to do something of this level of specificity.” 

She had been especially interested in textiles from the Baltic region and the Caucasus as she considered a research focus. Her family ties to the Baltics and longstanding interest in visiting Latvia helped narrow that focus.

“Latvia has very rich national traditions in the areas of applied arts, and it became apparent that this would be the best place for me,” said Frank.

The experience is also helping her refine what she wants to pursue after graduation. She hopes to work in an arts-oriented research library, museum, academic library or gallery, drawing on both her arts background and her training in information science.

“I hope to take what I learn on this grant to complete my MS at UB with more direction and purpose,” Frank said.