UC doctoral candidate awarded prestigious doctoral fellowship
June 11, 2026
A native of Muribenua village on Nikunau island in Kiribati, Amota Ataneka could have led a life of subsistence fishing on his home island of less than 2,000 inhabitants. But his passion for education led him to various academic pursuits, including the recent announcement he'd been awarded one of only 35 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellowships.