ALUMNI CARRY THE PiA MISSION FORWARD

by: Lil Kalish (Myanmar ’16)

For many Princeton in Asia Fellows, their years in Asia have taught them to be adaptable, open to the unexpected and to forge connections where others might see a divide. Mayumi Sato (Thailand ’17 - ’18), now a Sociology PhD candidate at Cambridge and a Gates Cambridge Scholar, says her years in Thailand witnessing the impacts of forestry policies on rural communities pushed her to academia to bolster her research skills – while ensuring that higher education is more accessible for low income students of color through her mentoring project and resource guide, The Solidarity Library. A formal football player and Japanese language enthusiast since his youth, A.J. Koikoi (Japan ’16 - ’17) has called Japan home for the last 5 years. Through his project, Danketsu, A.J. has not only fostered cross-cultural exchange through sports, but has created new spaces for racially mixed Japanese youth to talk about their identities. Simon Shieh (China ’15) credits his years teaching English in Beijing as his “springboard” not only to becoming a high school English teacher but as the perfect lifestyle for him to develop his poetic voice. Simon recently was awarded with the Poetry Foundation’s prestigious Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship. Even after moving countries or finishing their posts, PiA alumni all carry their experiences of building bridges and a deep sense of service at the forefront of their work.