College of Graduate Studies

Boniesta Melani

Mataram, Indonesia

College:

College of Community Innovation and Education

Degree Program:

Education PhD, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Track

Research Focus:

Corpus linguistics

An affinity for languages and a passion for helping others communicate is what drives Boniesta Melani to pursue her field of study. As someone who has firsthand experience with learning a new language, she understands the challenges and aims to help make the experience easier for other people. Her zeal for linguistics and pedagogy drives her exploration of new technologies that can be used to make learning English simpler and more efficient.

The Indonesia native came to UCF to earn her PhD in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) as a Fulbright scholar. Her studies have also been funded by the Doctoral Research Support Award and the Graduate Presentation Fellowship for several years. Throughout her academic journey, Melani has been breaking barriers and has pursued various higher education opportunities around the world. Before coming to the United States, she completed her master’s degree at the University of Queensland in Australia, thanks to an award scholarship she received.

Melani finds the environment at UCF very welcoming to her work and appreciates the diverse range of backgrounds represented at the university. She also enjoys the multidisciplinary approach utilized by her program. She wants to learn more about education and linguistics and is determined to take advantage of the numerous growth opportunities available at the university, citing the Pathways to Success workshops as one of her favorites. She describes how the variety of subjects covered by the workshops have helped broaden her perspective.

Currently, Melani is conducting research on corpus linguistics regarding the frequency of idioms in spoken and written collections of languages. Last year, she won first place when she presented her research at the university’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. The English teacher intends to use her findings to improve data-driven language learning through modern technology.

Melani’s students motivate her to continue her work. “Having the chance to share my knowledge and experiences is the best reward for me,” she says. As a first-generation student from a small town, she describes how lucky she feels having the opportunity to study abroad and receive a high-quality education.

After graduating in the fall of 2022, Melani plans to return to her hometown and continue her teaching career in the Department of Language and Arts at the University of Mataram, where she has worked as an assistant professor since 2006. She aims to bring a new perspective back to her students and help enhance language learning capabilities for those who aim to become bilingual.