Villarreal, Hanafiah Win International Peace Scholarships
Danna Villarreal, left, and Meutia Hanafiah.
Two additional University of Arkansas graduate students — Danna Villarreal, a Panamanian doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering, and Meutia Hanafiah, an Indonesian doctoral student in anthropology — won $5,000 International Peace Scholarships from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship provides funding to international women pursuing graduate degrees in the U.S. and Canada to foster global peace through education. IPS recipients carry the spirit of P.E.O. back to their home countries where the degrees they have earned positively impact people’s lives around the globe.
Danna Villarreal
Villarreal is a native of Panama City, Panama, and earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Technological University of Panama. She earned a master’s degree in Flood Risk as part of a prestigious Erasmus Mundus program in Europe before pursuing a doctoral degree in biological and agricultural engineering at the U of A. Her current research focuses on analyzing complex watershed systems in the U.S. and their impact on water quality as part of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineering-funded project in their Engineering with Nature Program.
“The P.E.O. Peace Scholarship Fund supports international woman specifically seeking a graduate degree in the United States,” she said. “They have been supporting international women for over 75 years, which encouraged me to apply.”
Villarreal currently serves as a chapter representative for the U of A’s Graduate Society of Women Engineers, and this spring she won a poster award for Best Science Communication at the Network for Engineering with Nature Symposium.
“I am honored to be selected for a competitive award like the International Peace Scholarship,” she said. “I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Rebecca Muenich, for her guidance during my current graduate journey, as well as my project team, friends, and family for supporting me in my decisions.”
Meutia Hanafiah
Hanafiah is a native of Aceh, Indonesia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in dental science and DDS before traveling to study as a Fulbright scholar at the U of A. In 2022, she began as a doctoral student in the U of A’s anthropology program. Her current research explores the variation and heritability in palatal rugae and understand how genes and the environment influence their morphology.
She said she felt compelled to apply for the scholarship after earning the Virginia Burdick International Scholarship from the university’s International Students and Scholars Office.
“As a Burdick scholar, I feel compelled to apply for the PEO International Peace Scholarship because its mission strongly resonates with me,” she said. “The scholarship’s focus on supporting women and girls aligns perfectly with my values and my ongoing commitment to this community. I am deeply committed to helping women and girls, particularly women of color, in any way I can. My passion for giving back to the community is channeled through my work in dentistry.”
A first-generation college student, Hanafiah has become actively engaged in helping fellow international students find their way at the university by serving as a Cross-Cultural Mentor through the International Students and Scholars Office. In that role, she helps new international students adapt academically, culturally, and socially to the U of A and the U.S.
“I am deeply honored to receive this scholarship among the many prestigious awards out there. I admire the organization’s mission and values, and I am genuinely inspired by the impactful work they do,” she said. “I would like to extend my thanks to my principal investigator, Dr. Kathleen Paul, for her unwavering support. I truly appreciate the time and effort she has devoted to advising and supporting me on many occasions. I am incredibly grateful to have her as my PI.”
This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.