When it comes to global exchange and making an impact abroad, fellowships like Princeton in Asia and Fulbright offer incredible ways to dive into new cultures and gain hands-on experience. Princeton in Asia (PiA) places recent graduates in meaningful roles across Asia, where they contribute to local organizations. At the same time, Fulbright offers grants for Americans to teach, study, or conduct research in over 140 countries. Hannah, our featured fellow, has charted a unique course through both of these programs—first with a Princeton in Asia Fellowship in Taiwan, and now as a Fulbright grantee in Indonesia. Her journey is one of curiosity, adaptability, and a dedication to making a meaningful impact, all of which shines through as she shares the experiences and insights that have shaped her policy and public service career.
What made you interested in pursuing public policy and global commerce in undergrad?
Growing up in DC, I was always surrounded by discussions of politics. In high school, I had the chance to volunteer at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, where several politicians wryly advised me not to enter politics.
Later that year, I was lucky to start college as a guinea pig in UVA’s pilot interdisciplinary curriculum called “The Forum.” This allowed me to take fascinating classes across departments on global economic and social mobility and cap it off with a language immersion and field research for my thesis on third places and ceremonies of belonging across Spain, the US, and Japan.
These courses and public sector internships reinforced for me– that though politics may be a tricky field– policy was a channel for enacting change in areas I cared about. I applied to UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy in my 2nd year.
During undergrad, you won the Critical Language Scholarship to study in Indonesia. Can you tell us about your experience in this program?
The windy road to my Bahasa Indonesia CLS began in Sydney, Australia. Although I had learned about Asia in the classroom, I realized through conversations with my classmates from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, that I knew very little about the cultural and historical nuances that dictated life in that part of the world.
At the same time, I was studying environmental policy and volunteering in a jacky dragon research lab (a lizard endemic to south-eastern Australia). I had always loved wildlife, and in Sydney was exploring ways a policy career could bring me closer to the animals I admired, despite my lack of college-level chemistry classes.
Somewhat optimistically, naively, or both, I applied for an internal scholarship at the University of Virginia through its Environment Resilience Institute to work at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that summer (among about 65 other internships and scholarships). While I waited to hear back, my environmental policy class took a field trip to the Sumatran Tiger exhibit at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. There, I learned how American consumption patterns led to habitat loss in Indonesia. I was distraught that I hadn’t heard about this issue before– and embarrassed that I couldn’t even place Indonesia, the world’s 4th largest population, on a map. So when Spring break rolled around, I decided I had a responsibility to learn more. I found a homestay with a wonderful family on Airbnb. Thus began my education on Indonesia.
Upon returning, I received word that I had the great fortune of working fully funded at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that summer at an otherwise unpaid internship. It is critical to remark at this juncture that the generosity of those donors enabled me to pursue my genuine curiosity and passions over a resume-building internship at a well-funded, name-brand organization.
I spent that summer negotiating a “green economy” deal between stakeholders such as governments, impact funds, and big-name companies as part of WWF’s Sustainable Livelihood project on Borneo across Malaysia and Indonesia.
All that to say, I took this series of miracles as a sign from the Universe to keep learning about Indonesia- and also to become vegetarian. Come senior year, I explored options to get back to Indonesia after graduation. I applied to several scholarships, including the Critical Language Scholarship.
Unlike CLS in Russian or Chinese, CLS in Bahasa Indonesia does not require prior knowledge of the language. I told my story and was on the receiving end of another Miracle. I was gearing up to embark on the 2-month intensive language training in Malang, Indonesia, followed by an internship at the United Nations in New York, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Though much more fortunate than others, I had to adjust course.
While global multilateral jobs were put on pause, I decided to build my analytical skill set, began my consulting job, and completed the CLS virtually.
Can you tell us the progression in your professional journey that led you to the Princeton in Asia fellowship program? What made you a standout candidate?
Back then, I knew I would apply for these types of programs when they opened up– I shortlisted several that made sense by location and function, mapped their timelines, and waited. When applications opened, I applied all the advice alumni and strangers had given me over the past few years.
I received both a Fulbright ETA to Indonesia and Princeton in Asia (PiA) Fellowship to Taiwan that year. It was a difficult decision, but coming out of my consulting job, I wanted to apply the skills I had built over the last few years. So I accepted the PiA offer and joined the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), a fast-growing multidisciplinary organization with an excellent global leadership team from whom I hoped to learn. To boot, it was an upcoming critical election year for Taiwan. I felt I could not pass up such an opportunity to better understand this key player in the global supply chain first-hand. CAPRI was the perfect place to apply my private-public advisory experience with my policy training and background in a worldwide professional context.
As for what made me a good candidate, I cannot say for certain. But here’s how the process worked my year (note it may vary year-to-year):
- Candidates apply to PiA
- Candidates rank their top 3 host organizations from a list of available fellowships
- Candidates who advance to the finalist stage are evaluated by the host organization. Official fellowship offers are extended to host organizations’ preferred candidates.
- Candidates accept or decline that post (with the option to make a case for another post)
Princeton in Asia does an excellent job of building a cohort of people who value service, open-mindedness, and humility. Dean Ian Solomon, of my alma mater, the UVA Batten School, emphasized servant leadership through his example. I credit Batten and the service-mindedness of my all-girls high school with creating similar environments.
Last bit of advice for applicants to Princeton in Asia– when ranking your choices, look at the post requirements carefully and choose a post that makes sense for both your background and future interests. For example, if you have public health experience, consider applying for one of those posts. Likewise, if you have never been rock climbing in your life, perhaps don’t apply to the rock climbing post.
For PiA, what were some of the biggest takeaways from your time in Taiwan?
My biggest takeaway was the amazing friendships I made while working at a truly global organization like CAPRI. I learned so much from conversations with colleagues from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines, India, Canada, Italy, Spain, the UK, and more. The job was like a crash course in cross-cultural adaptation and building sustainable global organizations.
Our work on resilience also reinforced to me the necessity of cross-sector collaboration to solve the world’s trickiest cross-border problems like misinformation, black markets like wildlife and human trafficking, resilience to natural disasters and supply chain disruptions, etc.
Taipei, Taiwan is such a fun city. I joined a Gaelic football team, took Chinese classes, competed in the city’s ancient Dragon Boat competition, visited dozens of cat cafes, participated in a silent book club, and more. I am also grateful for the friendships from my Princeton in Asia cohort– despite never meeting in person, we still keep in touch and support each other’s journeys around the world.
Now, you are a Fulbright grantee in Indonesia! How did your previous experiences make you a competitive applicant?
My next step was Indonesia or bust. I actually had accepted the Princeton in Asia Fellowship the year prior with the hope that as PiA rebuilt post-COVID, they might open up a post there later. I communicated my interest in Indonesia to the PiA team early, who kindly listened. Also, I reapplied to the Fulbright ETA Indonesia based on my updated experiences. I created a list of backup plans for how to get to Indonesia if those two options didn’t pan out.
Fortunately, they did– I ended up doing the Fulbright ETA because I wanted to challenge myself in a field-based role rather than a major international city, where I could be fully embedded into the community and learn the language more quickly.
My Indonesian language experience gave me a leg up– connecting with community members has been beneficial. I maintained my Indonesian language skills through free classes at the Embassy in DC, Duolingo, and other virtual offerings for Americans from Indonesian Universities. I am in language classes now, and excited to continue language instruction this Spring through BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing, or Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers) and CLS Spark, a refresher program for CLS alumni.
I’d advise applicants not to get discouraged by a lack of formal teaching experience. Though I had little formal classroom instruction experience, I wrote about my experiences as a lifetime soccer coach, volunteer English tutor, freelance career coach, and resume editor lending themselves to the classroom.
So far, what has been the highlight of being back in Indonesia? What do you hope to do after the Fulbright?
The ability to impact people’s lives directly has been the highlight of my time in Indonesia. It is riveting to encourage young students to follow their dreams– such as applying to scholarships like Fulbright– and help them take steps to get there. One student recently told me that she feels like I am her older sister, which was especially poignant as a lifetime athlete who has always strived to be there for her younger teammates.
Not only am I seeing the orangutans and palm oil plantations I once studied in the classroom first-hand, but I am also entering fruitful dialogues with my friends and coworkers here whose livelihoods and second jobs rely on them. I am developing a more nuanced understanding of subject areas I didn’t even know I didn’t know, as well as an ability to navigate tricky scenarios in a culturally sensitive way.
I hope to bring back this nuanced global, cross-sector understanding to the classroom as a prospective graduate student. I plan to continue studying international trade to help government and business leaders make ethical, locally-informed decisions.
Finally, can you share any advice about applying for international fellowships or general advice for our readers?
My advice is to reflect deeply and identify 2-3 things that are very important to you in life. As opportunities present themselves and tradeoffs must be made, weigh your options against how they align with those things you care deeply about. Likewise, if you ever feel in a funk, take a moment to reflect and assess whether your actions have been aligning with your values. If not, adjust. Be kind to yourself. You will not always get what you want, but in time, what you need will find you.
Lean into what you love. It may not make sense to others or fit into a grand scheme, but if it piques your curiosity at that moment, follow it and see where it leads! Don’t worry about what others think or even what you think you should be doing. Your own intuition is usually right. And if it wasn’t… then you’ve learned your own lessons! How wonderful.
Seek counsel, practice gratitude, and listen to your heart– everything else is just noise. If you decide you really want something, don’t give up. Keep applying to stuff and putting out what you want into the Universe. Rejection and failure are the best teachers! For example, I was rejected two years in a row by Fulbright until I learned exactly where I’d fit best as an applicant. Ultimately, have fun with it. If it stops being fun or exciting, adapt.
Interested in pursuing a PiA or Fulbright ETA fellowship? Be sure to bookmark these opportunities to your ProFellow account for the next application cycle!
Hannah graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Public Policy. She is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) at a public high school in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia. Before this, she served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow at a new global policy think tank, the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), in Taipei, Taiwan. Previously, she was awarded a State Department Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Bahasa Indonesia, which she completed virtually while she worked as a private and public sector consultant in Washington, DC, due to COVID-19.
© 2024 ProFellow, LLC. All rights reserved.