Undergraduate Research

Congratulations to the October Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Ceydee Schellenberg! 

Ceydee Schellenberg is a Hicks Honors College student double majoring in international studies and interdisciplinary studies (with a focus on Hispanic cultural inquiry and sociolinguistics) and minoring in marketing. She is currently interning with Dr. María Ángeles Fernández Cifuentes in UNF’s Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Through this internship, Ceydee has had the opportunity to assist in the project, Volando Alto ("Osprey Wings"), a collaborative initiative with UNF Professor Natalie Avilés to create a fully digital, zero-cost Spanish textbook. The textbook incorporates artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other interactive tools, and is designed according to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to address student variability. 

Ceydee’s main role on the project has been creating interactive resources and activities that connect to the textbook’s curriculum and course objectives. She has presented the team’s progress at several conferences, such as the 2025 Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS), UNF’s 10th Annual Digital Humanities Institute (DHI) Digital Projects Showcase, and the 2025 Advancements in Research, Inquiry, and Scholarship Exhibition (ARISE).  

When reflecting on her favorite parts of the project, Ceydee notes how rewarding it has been to strengthen her Spanish skills, creatively utilize various digital content creation platforms, and connect with other students, faculty, and Spanish speakers at conferences. In juxtaposition, she notes that the most challenging aspect has been compiling all the concepts of the curriculum and finding ways to make them engaging, interactive, and helpful for students of all different backgrounds and learning styles, but Ceydee also describes this process as extremely rewarding.  

Ceydee’s advice to aspiring undergraduate researchers is to “talk to professors and go to their office hours, even if they are not a current professor of yours. Share your interests and ask them questions about their respective backgrounds and research, you never know what opportunities may arise just from having a faculty connection!”