2023 Global Citizen Award Recipient: Jorge Galeano-Cabral

Jorge Galeano-Cabral is a doctoral student from Paraguay studying Mechanical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. On top of being a standout student in his field, Jorge has also been a great addition to the Florida State family and was recognized on April 11, 2023, as one of the recipients of the Global Citizenship Award. This award honors outstanding students who have actively engaged in intercultural initiatives on campus or abroad and have exemplified leadership qualities in promoting and supporting a global community among Florida State University students. Jorge said this is what it meant to him to win this award, “In addition to it being a great honor, winning this award reassures me that I am on the right track in helping to build a stronger and more global community on the Florida State campus. It also gives me more motivation to continue serving this community.”

Outside of the classroom, Jorge has been a highly active member of the Hispanic Graduate Student Association (HiGSA). Even before coming to FSU, he began communicating with HiGSA saying, “Students within HiGSA often call this community "familia" and they quickly became my Tallahassee familia.” During his second year at FSU, he served as the president of HiGSA and led the organization of the Cinehassee Film Festival as well as leading HiGSA through the beginning of the pandemic by creating an online meeting series called "Quarantine with HiGSA.” After leaving his leadership role in HiGSA, he became the International Graduate Student Advocate within the Congress of Graduate Students (COGS), where he enjoys helping other international student organizations on campus secure funding for their events.

When asked why he chose to attend FSU, he cited Innovation Park and the MagLab saying, “Having the Innovation Park with so many lines of research and the MagLab (the most powerful magnet lab in the world) right next to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering campus is unique at FSU. You get to meet, interact and collaborate with top scientists!” Jorge felt very welcomed by the FSU community even before arriving in Tallahassee. Members of HiGSA picked him up from the airport when he first arrived. They helped him find housing and settle in as soon as they found out he was coming to FSU. Due to the welcoming environment and sense of community, he was able to call Tallahassee and FSU "home" very fast.
Being invited by President McCullough to serve on the Provost Selection Advisory Committee in 2021 was Jorge’s greatest academic achievement saying, “It was an honor to serve as the voice of graduate and international students on that committee.” Jorge has loved his time at FSU for various reasons, but the combination of working on cutting-edge research at the world-renowned National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and being a part of the welcoming and multicultural community across the FSU campus stands out to him as what has made his time at FSU so special.

Working at the MagLab and attending the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has given him a chance to explore different research areas and sharpen his knowledge of sustainable energy, his field of interest. When asked what his personal goals were after FSU, he said, “Research and development on material systems that could provide a platform for the next generation of low-temperature thermoelectric materials that can offer very broad and promising applications, from renewable energy sources to deep space exploration. FSU has not only trained me to become an excellent researcher but has also given me the necessary tools and connections to do so.”

Looking back at how he has grown as a person over the past couple of years, Jorge had this to say, “It was an honor to serve on HiGSA's executive board. Through serving as president, I was able to develop my leadership skills and style as well as develop great interpersonal skills. I've continued to develop and apply these skills through my other service activities such as my Congress of Graduate Students position and my service on the Provost Search Committee and the Quality Enhancement Planning Committee.”

“My advice to new incoming international students is to find your community and research some of the international activities and student organizations across campus. One of the things I love about FSU is that there is a place and community for even the most diverse students,” said Jorge.