2019 Pacific Bridges

Louis A. Simpson International Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 Phone: 609.258.3657 Email: pia@princeton.edu www.princeton.edu/~pia

PACIFIC BRIDGES

NEWSLETTER OF PRINCETON IN ASIA

FALL 2019 ISSUE

A LASTING IMPACT

PiA alumni reflect on the impact of their fellowships & life after PiA p. 8-12

Introducing New Program Director Julian Peterson

PiA’s Global Hosted Dinners

Join us in welcoming Julian to the PiA team!

We have hosted our very first worldwide alumni event, and the fun has only just begun! Stay tuned for the next round of dinners in spring 2020.

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p. 13

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

“The incredible thing about this fellowship is that it’s unlike anything I’ll ever get to experience: for the first time, my life doesn’t and shouldn’t revolve around me and what I want.”

“Some two months ago, our podcast became rather popular (a Korean friend of mine who is currently learning English actually found our podcast in an app designed to facilitate Koreans’ learning of English: she was very confused when she heard my voice), and so the four of us had an informal meeting of sorts wherein we discussed ways we could step up our game to meet our listeners’ discerning palate. In the end, we decided to do fewer political stories and increase the number of cultural or non-governmental, yet topical, stories, many of which are longer than their front-page ilk. This moment was engaging for myself and Holly since we’re both copy editors and are rarely ever consulted on these matters — yet Mooyoung and Taegyu valued our input on the subject. While the meetings resulted in more work for the two of us, we were happy to shoulder the burden since it meant that we could produce a podcast of better quality and we were part of the decision that led there.”

REFLECTIONS & PHOTOS FROM PiA FELLOWS IN THE FIELD “Maybe around a month or so ago, some neighborhood kids came up to me and asked if they could come over to have English lessons. I was really impressed that a bunch of nine-year-olds were asking for help studying (I don’t remember being that gung-ho at that age) so I said sure, come on over and bring your schoolwork, which it turns out that they didn’t have. The initial batch that came over was five kids--the next time it was 15, then 20, and now twice a week after work I have anywhere from seven to thirty kids (ages around three to twelve, I’d guess) rocketing around my living room for an hour and change. This definitely wasn’t what I’d planned for, but they’re super great kids, generally really well-behaved, quick, and motivated!”

“Though the purpose of my trip to Jishou was to give the students a chance to interact with native English speakers, I ended up benefiting more from my students than them from me. One student, Joy, wrote a speech at the end of the program about her failing the national examination, and as a result, attending Jishou Normal.

Despite this setback, she didn’t give up, losing sleep to achieve her dreams of becoming an English teacher. In the end, she succeeded in getting first place in her class for four consecutive semesters. Her speech alone inspired me to better myself as a person. Her passion for English and hard work made me rethink my desired career path and reflect on my own reasons for choosing to come to Princeton.”

Jordan Borgman, Fundasaun Mahein Dili, East Timor

Nancy Kim, Summer of Service Jishou, China

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“The incredible thing about this fellowship is that it’s unlike anything I’ll ever get to experience: for the first time, my life doesn’t and shouldn’t revolve around me and what I want. I have the next 30 years of my life to think about me and make life work for me.

But for this year, I am serving not just the students in the school, but also the organization.

I had to change my mindset. For example, if they wanted me to file papers, I was going to file paper more quickly and more efficiently than they’ve ever had them filed. If they wanted me to laminate… I was going to be the best laminator they’ve ever seen. As soon as I embraced this new approach to my daily tasks, some really big projects landed on my table like Zhixing, getting to coach Track and Field, and helping run the Peer Mentorship program.

I’ve been getting more exposure to the students as time goes on and it has all been in the most organic way – things have turned out better than I could have planned so I’m glad I could let go of my own expectations and let life lead the way for me.

Liam Reilly, The Korea JoongAng Daily Seoul, South Korea photo captions: 1: The Mongolia Fellows take an outdoor adventure, as the Mongolia Fellows are prone to do; 2: Hong Kong Fellows on a hike; 3: KIMEP Fellows with the new school mascot, Boris the squirrel!; 4: Inside the classroom at the Tushita Foundation 3

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McKay Novak, YK Pao School Songjiang, China

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VOICES FROM THE FIELD “I’ve been given the privilege this semester of teaching a group of nuns and monks at a nearby pagoda, on Sundays. The class is composed of around 25 people.

And although my focus is on helping them improve their English, it’s also an opportunity for giving the monks and nuns time to interact with someone from outside the pagoda. These monks and nuns are not allowed to leave the pagoda, even to buy essentials or personal items. It’s super nice for them, as a result, when they have a friend visit. So far I’ve taught three classes, and although I’m very respectful and polite as one should be at a pagoda and in the presence of nuns and monks, I love throwing in youthful enthusiasm, humor, and lightheartedness into my lessons. Seeing them laugh and smile is like nothing on Earth. And hearing them pronounce things perfectly, or hearing them master and employ things I’ve taught them in prior classes, gladdens my heart like nothing else.

Since there is a range of abilities in this little group— with a few competent speakers and several who are very much beginners—I started right at the beginning.

With the “Trina show”. (If you’re reading this, and you don’t know who Trina is—go ask someone. Do yourself a favor). I teach almost purely through visual cues and gestures. The first class covered introductions and colors. In the second class, I introduced the distinction between “that” and “this”, then added “these” and “those”. I build on this foundation each time—by now everyone feels comfortable speaking about things they see in the room and on their desks, and next class they’ll be ready to conjugate verbs.

For me, what’s most important is helping them experience the pleasure of communicating with another human in another language—even if that’s just to say “that is green” or “these are blue”! But at the heart of this class is an even greater pleasure, and that’s the pleasure of sharing a friendly hour with a friendly face you don’t often get to see. I’ve gone to teach these classes during what has been without a doubt the hardest month of my life here and during a difficult time in my life, emotionally. Putting on a

UPDATE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MAGGIE DILLON

A WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR As I write, hundreds of applicants are pushing “submit” and

evaluating our impact. We’ve made upgrades to our health and safety infrastructure and have bolstered the support services and resources on offer for Fellows and Interns. And that only speaks to our first two priorities. Some of our greatest strides have come in strengthening our organizational infrastructure and capacity, particularly around alumni engagement. With the launch of a digital platform for alumni, Alumni Network chapters across the US and Asia, a Class Ambassadors program, and a mentorship directory, we are connecting with our community and connecting people within our community like never before. And, our community is contributing to advancing PiA’s mission in extraordinary ways. Last year, PiA alumni volunteered over 1600 hours of their time – an 88% increase from 2015, when we first started tracking volunteer hours. Your efforts have allowed us to conduct broader outreach to talented potential applicants across the US, made it possible for us to provide more travel grants to PiA participants, and enabled us to invest in growing and strengthening the PiA team in preparation for an ambitious campaign for PiA’s future.

throwing their hats into the ring, with the aim of joining the PiA Class of 2020. 2020: the number stands out, as it has long served as a reference point in and for the future. Institutions and individuals crafted plans for their futures, setting bold and ambitious goals for where they wanted to go – and who they wanted to be at the turn of the new decade.

smile for these classes has never been a problem for me, however. I’ve never felt more joy in teaching. Recently, after eating the dinner that the nuns prepared for me after class, as one of the nuns was walking with me to the gate, I asked her, “How do you feel the classes are going? Do you feel like you want to be learning more, or is this okay?” She looked at me and just said, “I feel so happy.

I feel so loved.” I just bowed, held back tears, and went on to say my goodbyes and leave. This has been the most meaningful thing I’ve done in Vietnam.”

Oscar Mahoney, Can Tho University Can Tho City, Vietnam photo caption: Oscar and visiting PiA teacher Sophie holding class in the pagoda. photo taken by Joshua Umansky-Castro (Singapore ‘17)

Five years ago, PiA set out on an inclusive strategic planning process that engaged a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including Fellows, partners, alumni, donors, staff and friends.

This was the first time PiA engaged such a diverse group of voices from our community, and these perspectives shaped the vision for the next five years of PiA. We set three key priorities: maximize the transformational experience for PiA Fellows and partners, increase PiA’s impact through growth, and build PiA’s organizational and financial capacity to support current operations and strategic initiatives. As we approach the end of our timeline, I’m thrilled to report that we have made tremendous progress on each of these objectives and that we have tremendous momentum as we reach the end of our five year timeline in 2022 and look towards 2023, when PiA will celebrate its 125th anniversary.

We are deeply grateful to each of you for continuing to invest your time, energy, wisdom, and resources in PiA. You help us in so many ways: from organizing Alumni Network events to holding information sessions at local colleges and universities, from rallying classmates to support the crowdfunding campaign to connecting with Fellows on your trips through the region, from coming out on a cold January morning to interview new candidates to joining us at orientation to help prepare our newest class of Fellows. And you also help us by sharing your own stories. When you share with us, it helps us better understand the PiA experience and how we can better serve and support all of our Fellows, partners and alumni –

Later this spring, we will share with a more fulsome report on the progress we’ve made on our plan – but for now, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating some key accomplishments. We’ve increased financial assistance provided to Fellows in the form of travel grants by nearly 140%. We’ve doubled the support available for language grants. We’ve reviewed and refreshed our orientation program. We relaunched our program in India, started new flagship postings in the Arts & Culture field in Laos and China. We developed a system for monitoring and 4

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INTRODUCING PROGRAM DIRECTOR JULIAN PETERSON

MEET JULIAN PETERSON: PiA’S NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR THAILAND & VIETNAM

Hello! My name is Julian Peterson and I am thrilled to be the new Program Director for PiA’s Thailand and Vietnam programs. My PiA experience began in 2016, two years after graduating from the University of Washington in Seattle with a degree in English Language and Literature. My interest in languages and cultures, paired with my desire for a service-oriented opportunity led me to submit my application. I was fortunate to receive a PiA fellowship in Khon Kaen, Thailand, where I spent my time teaching English at Khon Kaen University.

Every day, I rode my motorbike - which I named Richard Parker, after the terrifying but dependable tiger who shares a lifeboat with the title character in the Life of Pi - across KKU’s large campus. My students were engaged and ready to learn, but they harbored the misconception that they would be

burying themselves in dry textbooks. I strove to show that language learning as an adult can be fun and meaningful. We played games and tried to use English with purpose. Some of my favorite moments were watching students laugh after being asked about their first crush.

I was also thrilled by seeing my more advanced sections have discussions about the issues raised by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street.

Outside of the classroom, I formed bonds with community members, from my barber, to the two Thai women who owned the restaurant on the end of my block.

One cooked grapao - stir fried basil - and the other brewed ooliang - traditional Thai coffee. After some time, language and cultural barriers were crossed, and the bonds felt as real and dependable as any other relationship in my life. One night, Richard Parker and I went into town to see my barber play guitar with his band. And eventually, the women at the end of my block told me to call them bpa, the Thai word for “Auntie.”

KKU is the largest university in the Isaan region. While the land is much flatter than that of the Pacific Northwest, I learned just how much beauty exists in the rice fields and small towns that blossom from the city. I learned that som tam, laab, and sticky rice are a lifestyle.

And I learned that, while the Isaan language is rarely spoken in the public sphere, it is always a good idea to have a few Isaan phrases tucked in your back pocket as a linguistic secret handshake.

After two years of learning Thai, eating spicy food, and listening to the warble of geckos at sundown, I returned to Seattle to work at a nonprofit that focuses on increasing student achievement. And this past fall, I joined PiA as a PD. Although I miss Richard Parker, my bpa’s, my barber, and my students, Princeton has proven itself to be a welcoming city. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with PiA and to see our Fellows grow and continue traveling down the path ahead of them with a new understanding of the world and all its wonder.

update from Executive Director, continued from page 5

UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR OF ASIA OPERATIONS BEN VAN SON

AN UPDATE FROM THE LITTLE RED DOT

Greetings from Sunny Singapore!

Our field office has been very busy over the last few months, and I have some exciting updates to share!

First, our office has relocated to a beautiful and centrally located co-working space called The Company! The layout provides quiet spaces to concentrate, open spaces for collaboration, and a variety of meeting rooms. We are sharing the space with other interesting and friendly professionals, and we’ve been lucky to meet passionate and inspiring entrepreneurs, techies, and not-for-profit workers. Plus, we have a great Japanese café in the co-working space. If you are ever in Singapore, please drop by for a coffee or tea!

I am also pleased to announce that we have re-signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We are lucky to count Ngee Ann Polytechnic as one of our partner organizations – beginning in 1993, NAP has hosted 158 PiA Fellows. In addition to sending Fellows to teach at NAP, PiA will provide research reports and coordinate a speaker’s series to support Ngee Ann’s on and off campus programming. We’re also recruiting former NAP Fellows (Asia-based) who are interested in mentoring NAP students. If you are a former NAP Fellow, and are interested, please reach out.

Finally, we had a wonderful party at the house of Board of Trustee David Johnson. It was a great gathering of 80 Fellows, board members, alumni, partner organizations and friends of Princeton in Asia. The Princeton University contingent was strongly represented, as we had a special performance by The Nassoons, one of the most storied acapella groups from Princeton University. They were touring in Singapore, and we were lucky enough to have them perform a full set for our guests. We heard crowd favorites like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World”, but the highlight was their rousing rendition of “Old Nassau”. It was fitting that the oldest Princeton acapella group joined forces with one of the oldest cultural exchange programs at Princeton. We finished the night with catering from the PiA staff’s favorite Thai restaurant. We are deeply grateful to David Johnson for hosting this magical PiA night, and will not soon forget this evening well spent with good friends, good food, and an even better soundtrack.

and it helps current Fellows reflect on their own PiA experiences, how they can learn from their time in Asia, and the limitless possibilities for after PiA. In this edition of Pacific Bridges, we’re thrilled to share the stories of several extraordinary alumni.

They have followed different paths, but the common thread is that their PiA experiences had lasting impacts on their lives.

This is consistent not only with anecdotal evidence, gleaned from conversations with PiA alumni, but also with the findings from a recent alumni survey we conducted, in which we gained a deeper understanding of the type of impact PiA has on the personal and professional lives of our participants: 87% of respondents noted that PiA influenced their career trajectory; 97% said PiA helped build their interpersonal skills; and 95% reported they were more resilient as a result of PiA. And, we learned that PiA fosters long-term connections to Asia: two out of three alumni reported returning to their host country after PiA; alumni spent an average of 3 years in Asia after PiA; and 77% of alumni reported maintaining contact with friends from their host community.

We hope you enjoy these stories of impact and connection, and we hope you’ll share your PiA story with us in 2020 – whether at applicant interviews, an Alumni Network chapter event, a Global Hosted Dinner (coming again in the spring!), or at orientation and the Annual Dinner in May. Thank you for your support of PiA in 2019 – and here’s to a wonderful 2020!nguage, knowing I 6

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FEATURE: A LASTING IMPACT

A LASTING IMPACT: ALUMNI REFLECTIONS FOUR ALUMNI REFLECT ON THE IMPACT OF THE FELLOWSHIP

FEATURE: A LASTING IMPACT, BINA VENKATARAMAN

BINA VENKATARAMAN Hometown: Wooster, Ohio PiA fellowship position: Strategic Advisor, Van Mon Hospital, Hanoi & Thai Binh province, Vietnam University: BA Brown University, MPP Harvard Kennedy School Current city: Boston, Massachusetts Dream vacation in Asia: Hiking Mount Kinabalu

Tell us about your PiA experience.

scope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age (see p. 15 for details!).

It’s about the choice we have to imagine, invest in and create a better future and it dispels the myth that short-term thinking is an inevitable feature of human nature. I also gave a talk about this topic on the TED mainstage in Vancouver in April.

I was in Hanoi where I worked with a team that was building an HIV/AIDS clinic in a rural leprosy hospital in Thai Binh province to treat their influx of patients. It was a serendipitous fellowship post that arose because I met a Buddhist monk who was collaborating with a Catholic priest and physicians - I know this sounds like the setup for a joke, but in my case it was the setup for an extraordinary year. I decided to work with them to build the capacity of the hospital to treat HIV patients.

How did your PiA experience influence your life path?

My time in Vietnam was pivotal in my path as a writer. In fact, I wrote my first article for The Boston Globe, a travel piece about the Mekong River and the difference between the reality of Vietnam as it was emerging on the world stage and the image that many Americans still had of the country then. I also became aware of the ways in which sick people are stigmatized through my work on HIV. It changed the way I looked at and addressed public health in my later policy work. The importance of centering the experience of patients, and the dangerous potential for policy to drive diseases underground, has stayed with me in my work on public health policy, including when I was involved in the U.S. strategy for responding to the Ebola crisis.

AND LIFE AFTER PiA

What was something important you gained from PiA? What was a memorable experience you had on PiA?

“PiA was a journey into my own mind through the exploration of the outside world, and has been the single most transformative learning experience in helping me to understand who I wanted to become, what I wanted to do with my life, and why.

The process of service taught me that sometimes the best way to do for yourself, is to do the best that you can for others.” - Erica McGibbon

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Perspective. The kind that comes from taking yourself out of context and from struggling to learn the norms and language of a place so different from the ones you have known.

Eating a snake dinner was certainly one of them -- the Vietnamese would talk about how it increased virility. I was skeptical of the claim until I found myself arm-wrestling a good female friend after several rounds of snake liquor. I also used to drive a motorbike around Cat Ba Island, much of which was then sparsely inhabited. I will never forget the people I met at roadside cafes and the kids who would curiously try to figure out what planet I had come from.

What advice do you have for current PiAers?

Meet as many local people as you can, and befriend them on whatever terms is necessary. Say yes to almost any experience that doesn’t compromise your integrity or existence.

What’s next for you?

What are you up to now?

I’m heading into my role at the Globe during a Presidential election year and during an impeachment investigation of the President. It’s my goal to contribute to journalism and public dialogue in a polarized society that is both digitally connected and socially disconnected. This feels like a challenge and a secular calling. And eventually, I’m sure I’ll want to write another book.

In mid-November, I became the Editorial Page Editor at The Boston Globe. It’s a return to journalism for me after a decade spent teaching at MIT, working on science and technology policy, and serving in the Obama White House working on climate change. I also wrote my first book, called The Optimist’s Tele9

FEATURE: A LASTING IMPACT, ERICA MCGIBBON

FEATURE: A LASTING IMPACT, ALLISON BEHRINGER

ERICA MCGIBBON

ALLISON BEHRINGER

Hometown: Westbury, New York PiA fellowship position: English teacher and college counselor at The Prince Royal’s College, Chiang Mai, Thailand University: BA Princeton University, EdM Harvard University Current city: Brooklyn, New York Favorite book: Some favorites are The Stranger and The Fire Next Time

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland PiA fellowship position: 6th grade English teacher at Sriserm School in Nan, Thailand University: BA Princeton University Current city: Brooklyn, New York Dream vacation in Asia: Back to Nan, Thailand!

Tell us about your PiA experience.

What are you up to now?

Tell us about your PiA experience.

What are you up to now?

On weekday mornings I practiced English reading and vocabulary with kindergarten students. In the afternoons, I taught English grammar and composition to 12th graders. I also offered SAT prep and college application coaching. I expanded my work to consulting services and curriculum development for the Ministry of Education of Thailand.

I currently serve as Senior Assistant Dean of Students at Columbia University. In addition to student advising, my work at Columbia focuses on planning and policy for the School’s international dual and joint-degree programs with Sciences Po in France, Trinity College Dublin, and CityU Hong Kong.

I was one of four teaching Fellows at a primary school in Nan, Thailand. The students were creative, hilarious, smart and thoughtful. Nan sits in a valley, along a river, surrounded by mountains and I spent many afternoons going for runs along the river and past rice paddies. Most nights, we’d go out to dinner, spend 1-2 USD, and eat the most delicious food (my increased spice tolerance was hard fought, but so worth it). I loved learning the Thai words for fruits and vegetables and being able to make my market purchases without English. Our boss lent the four of us one-speed bicycles, so we rode around town on our rainbow bikes. It was a very small town. Once, when I left my phone at a noodle shop, I came in to school the next morning to find it sitting on my desk. We were also fortunate because the Fellows before us had become friends with some Thai people in Nan who welcomed us into their friend circle. They taught me

I host and produce a documentary podcast called Bodies. Each episode is one woman’s journey to solve a mystery about her body. It combines intimate, nuanced storytelling with health reporting to uncover the layers that affect women’s health, like racism, patriarchy, and capitalism. This inspiration for the project and the first episode is my own experience with a medical mystery. The first season came out last summer (listen wherever you get your podcasts!) and I’m currently working on season 2, set to publish in spring 2020.

Having never been to Asia before my PiA experience, I spent my free time exploring my neighborhood. I remember the first few days of feeling overwhelmed by the unfamiliar smells, the vibrant colors, and songthaews whizzing by. And I will never forget the calm of the nighttime and the chorus of geckos in the distance it brought with it. But there were definitely moments of homesickness. A turning point came when I began to develop my family away from home, such as my neighbors on Bumrungras Road, local shopkeepers, the visiting teachers from Australia that worked at my school, other PiA fellows, and even students and families that I am still in touch with today. Some weekends I would wake up and wander for long as I could, which was a lot more daring in the days before Google maps. Within months, I was a person constantly in awe of the life I was living and the person I was becoming. Never really feeling in or out of place and reveling in that wonder.

How did your PiA experience influence your life path?

After PiA, I spent another year teaching (high school English in NYC), then the next year doing women’s health work in India and then a short documentary studies program. During those three post-college years, the “what are you going to do with your life?” question felt big and scary and the things that I was doing felt random and disconnected. It’s only now when I look back at those experiences, do I see the way that they connect and form a clear - albeit meandering - path to where I am today, doing audio documentary storytelling. PiA taught me to embrace the unknown, get comfortable with ambiguity, and to constantly interrogate the way that I see the world. I think those are the skills and mindsets that have carried me forward.

that beer is best served over ice on a hot night.

What was a memorable experience you had on PiA? How did your PiA experience influence your life path?

By the end of my PiA experience, it became clear that I had stumbled into a lifelong commitment to education and a global perspective of service. I have continued to invest in my connection to Asia, having had the opportunity to work in China and Vietnam since my PiA fellowship, and even visited Pattaya in 2016. PiA was a journey into my own mind through the exploration of the outside world, and has been the single most transformative learning experience in helping me to understand who I wanted to become, what I wanted to do with my life, and why.

The process of service taught me that sometimes the best way to do for yourself, is to do the best that you can for others.

By the time my students graduated at the end of the school year, I was able to express my well wishes to them and their families in Thai. It was not lost on me that I came to Thailand to serve others through education and ended up learning the skills that made me a more intentional student of life.

What was a memorable experience you had on PiA? My family is originally from the island of Jamaica, so it was a surreal moment to sit in a crowded reggae bar in Chiang Mai where Thais, expats, and tourists alike were belting out the words to No Woman No Cry and Redemption Song along with a live band. I felt, and still feel, very lucky to have a connection to both places, appreciating the uncanny relationship between the culture I am from and the culture I was discovering.

At the end of every school year at Sriserm, there’s a day-long festival of performances and dances. It’s the job of the English teachers to teach the students a song and choreograph a dance (the 2013 lineup included Robyn and Miley Cyrus). The 6th graders always did a play and so we put on an abridged Wizard of Oz. It was remarkable the way that the students owned the production and took the lead in putting their show together.

What was something important you gained from PiA? Friendship! Some of my most treasured friends are from PiA. What advice do you have for current PiAers?

Soak it all in! Don’t worry about what you’re going to do next!

(I promise, it will work out.) Learn and observe the practice of speaking quietly! Stay humble!

What’s next for you?

What’s next for you?

I’m excited to have recently joined the PiA Board of Trustees!

In this role, I’m looking forward to working with the PiA family to develop more opportunities for fellows and to help expand alumni engagement.

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I’m focused on producing the second season of Bodies and very excited for the stories that we have in the works!

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FEATURE: A LASTING IMPACT, DAVID WILLARD

ALUMNI EVENTS: GLOBAL HOSTED DINNERS

DAVID WILLARD

GLOBAL HOSTED DINNERS

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri PiA fellowship position: Global Outreach Director at Education Advancement Fund International (EAFI), based in Beijing, Liaoning, Yunan, & Hunan.

University: BA Princeton University, JD New York University Current city: San Mateo, California Favorite book: A River Runs Through It

Tell us about your PiA experience.

flappable in their determination to come together and attempt to solve problems – collaborating with non-profits like EAFI, mobilizing internal support within schools, and making the case to important stakeholders in the town. The people of Jishou provided a lesson on the importance of institutional dialogue, community engagement and local problem-solving.

I served as the Global Outreach Director and Fellow with Education Advancement Fund International (EAFI), an American non-profit organization dedicated to providing cross-cultural educational opportunities for students in China. I taught English and American history in four locations in China – Beijing, Liaoning, Yunan and Hunan. My responsibilities included volunteer teaching sessions with students, coordinating educational programs at elementary schools and high schools, spearheading initiatives with relevant stakeholders – private institutions, government officials, media and business leaders - in various communities, and leading efforts to grow EAFI’s presence and visibility as an American non-profit organization in China.

What are you up to now?

I’m the Founder & CEO of 52 Capital Partners, LLC, an American boutique strategic advisory firm based in Silicon Valley. We provide general strategic and business advice to North American and European institutional clients in connection with strategic transactions bearing a nexus to the Asia-Pacific region. My family and I enjoy taking hikes, watching fun movies, listening to music, volunteering, and playing baseball in the backyard.

How did your PiA experience influence your life path?

PiA has had a profound influence on my professional development and career in business and mergers and acquisitions. PiA strengthened my interest in China and the Asia-Pacific. I’ve been fortunate to bring my regional expertise and perspectives to Board rooms and negotiating tables in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Teaching English in China and volunteering in different communities gave me opportunities to lead, collaborate and build teams from scratch – which have become integral parts of my career in business. I’m beyond grateful for the experiences I had as a PiA Fellow in China. It’s been instrumental throughout my career and it’s enabled me to cultivate wonderful and lasting relationships with other Fellows and professionals who share such a unique common bond of community and friendship.

What was a memorable experience you had on PiA? One of the most memorable experiences was my time teaching English in Jishou. At the time, Jishou was a small town in Hunan province with generally under-developed public utilities and under-served schools. Power outages were common, and classes often were cancelled due to problems with the school’s water and plumbing systems. Jishou seemed like a different world from China’s major urban centers. This experience demonstrated the resilience of many Chinese citizens with whom I interacted in Jishou. Families, students and administrators recognized the problems and disparities in Jishou. And yet, they were un-

What’s next for you?

As the Founder of 52 Capital Partners, I look forward to growing the firm in the coming years and creating jobs for talented young professionals who share a strong interest in business, sustainability and the Asia-Pacific region. We have an excellent platform that’s helping innovative American businesses grow and succeed, and I’m excited about our future as a boutique firm.

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TAIPEI

TOKYO

MANILA

SINGAPORE

ALMATY

The brainchild of PiA Trustee Austin Arensberg (Thailand ’06), “PiA Global Hosted Dinners” was created to allow PiA alumni to commune with a small group in a cozy setting. A modern take on a potluck dinner, Hosted Dinners ask alumni to open up their homes and arrange dinner delivery for a small group of fellow alumni, matched based on their city.

Austin organized a pilot run of the hosted dinners in the Bay Area in October 2017, coordinating five simultaneous dinners across the Bay. Participants truly enjoyed getting to know each other in these small group settings.

After receiving positive feedback about the event, the second iteration was opened up to the entire PiA alumni and friends community for a series in November 2018, PiA’s very first worldwide alumni event! With over 120 alumni attending 15 dinners in 8 cities in 4 countries, it was a resounding success and many in the alumni community were hungry for more.

The next edition of the dinners was bigger and better. In April 2019, 39 same-day dinners and over 250 alumni enjoyed lively conversation in cities across the world. We were thrilled to have our first-ever alumni events in Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Manila, Nairobi, New Haven & London!

PiA Global Hosted Dinners will continue to run annually. If you are interested in getting involved, keep an eye on your inbox for an email in spring 2020! If you have an idea for a PiA alumni event, please get in touch: piaalum@princeton.edu.

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NAIROBI

ATLANTA

BETHESDA

ANN ARBOR

SEATTLE

ALUMNI NOTES

ALUMNI NOTES 1

STILL LIVING

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THE DREAM IN ASIA [1] Alex Ward (Philippines ’15) has recently relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to continue his work for the Hinrich Foundation. He and his girlfriend, Geneva, have generously hosted several PiA gatherings. Darren Joe (Singapore ’02), Jason Kung (China ’08), Lily O’Connell (Vietnam ’17), Rhea Goveas (Vietnam ’18), Alex Nguyen (Vietnam ’18) and Sarah Bourenane (Vietnam ’19) joined them for a dinner in July!

Lisa Heller (China ’86) relocated to Islamabad, Pakistan to serve as the Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy, where John Hoover (Japan ’82) has been serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission since 2017.

[2] Raya Buensuceso (Singapore ’17) and Vera Lummis (China ’16) have joined the Manila-based team of IDinsight, a global advisory, data analytics, & research organization that helps development leaders maximize social impact.

Samuel Curtis (Kazakhstan ‘16) has traded manti for jiaozi and moved to Beijing to study at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar.

Former Boston Chapter Leader Ramie Jacobson (China ’13) has made his way back to China, almost exactly 6 years after he started his PiA fellowship in Guangzhou. Ramie has joined the staff of the United World College in Changshu to serve as a university counselor, helping students from over 120 countries apply to higher education institutions around the world and living in dorms as a Head of House.

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ON THE JOB IN THE U.S. OF A.

KEEPING IT IN

ON THE PiA BOOKSHELF:

THE PiA FAMILY

BINA VENKATARAMAN’S

[3] “My husband Lobsang and I welcomed our son, Samten Gyatso Reynolds Henning, on January 25, 2018.

Lobsang and I met during my PiA years in Kathmandu and our kids are Tibetan-Americans, born in Kenya where we’ve lived for the past 8.5 years. Samten pictured here at our home in Nairobi with big sister Tenzin -- in their Tiger orange!” – Nina Henning (Nepal ‘01) [4] PiA Trustee Blair Blackwell (Kazakhstan ’96) organized a luncheon for the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Princeton in Asia and KIMEP University in Almaty. Pictured alongside Blair are KIMEP representatives, including Dr. Tim Barnett who serves as Provost and General Deputy to the President, PiA alumni Kalea

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Power (Kazakhstan ’17), Drew Tweedy (Vietnam ’17, Kazakhstan ’18), Cody Rump (Kazakhstan ’18) and second-year PiA Fellow Yongjian Si. Cheers to 25 more years of fruitful partnership!

[5] Brent Scharschmidt (Thailand ’05) and his wife Terra welcomed their first child, Rory to the world in late June.

Upon receiving the customary PiA onesie, Brent recounts “I looked down and realized I was wearing an old PiA t-shirt, and then Terra realized she was wearing one too (clearly we like these), so thanks for letting Rory join the party!” Welcome to the PiA family, Rory!

[6] Matt Losch (Thailand ‘05) and his first born sporting a PiA onesie. Matt reports, “7 weeks old and the 6M size fits surprisingly well!”

After completing her PhD in Geography at the University of California Santa Barbara, Kate Voss (Nepal ’11) has moved across the country to serve as a science advisor for the U.S. Congress and serve as adjunct faculty at her alma mater, Georgetown University.

THE OPTIMIST’S TELESCOPE “How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storyteller’s eye to this question.” —The New York Times Book Review Bina Venkataraman sees the way forward. A former journalist and adviser in the Obama administration, she helped communities and businesses prepare for climate change, and she learned firsthand why people don’t think ahead—and what can be done to change that. In The Optimist’s Telescope, she draws from stories she has reported around the world and new research in biology, psychology, and economics to explain how we can make decisions that benefit us over time. With examples from ancient Pompeii to modern-day Fukushima, she dispels the myth that human nature is impossibly reckless and highlights the surprising practices each of us can adopt in our own lives—and the ones we must fight for as a society.

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[7] Will Fulwider (China ’14) joined the Sustainable Food Group in Madison, WI as a Program Manager after graduating with a M.S. in Sustainable Development in Agriculture from the Agris Mundus program.

Kristin Lynch (Cambodia ‘11) is currently serving as the communications director for Senator Cory Booker. She previously served as a communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, after working on communications for Representative Jared Polis, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator Michael Bennet.

After graduating with Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Nancy Tan (China ’10) has returned to New York to serve as the Strategy and Operations Director for General Government, Technology and Innovation in the Office of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

www.princeton.edu/~pia

Princeton in Asia Louis A. Simpson International Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544

ON THE PiA BOOKSHELF:

HELEN ZIA’S LAST BOAT OUT OF SHANGHAI “The support of PiA made it possible for me to be one of the first American students to visit China just months after the historic opening.” - Helen Zia “Back in 1972, when I was doing research for my Woodrow Wilson School senior thesis on the public health system of the People’s Republic of China, President Nixon made his historic trip to China. Suddenly there was the remote chance of going behind the Bamboo/Iron Curtain. My professors in the East Asian Studies certificate program encouraged me to try. With the help of a Princeton in Asia grant of $500, I made it to Hong Kong to start my research. After a week of fighting crowds to get a visa, I was approved to enter the PRC. The support of PiA made it possible for me to be one of the first American students to visit China just months after the historic opening. I’d love to share observations with other PiAers to China, 47 years later!

Currently, I’ve been speaking in the US and Asia about my new book, Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Mao’s Revolution. I spent 12 years researching and writing about WW II and the mid-20th century turmoil in China and Asia, the Communist revolution and the subsequent exodus and diaspora; I track four young people through those calamitous times and the difficult decision to flee to Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US and elsewhere - an agonizing process not unlike that of migrants and refugees today.

As a student, I never imagined that my PiA adventure in China and Hong Kong would lead to this book almost 50 years later. I always welcome exchanging insights with PiA alumni. Find me at book events and other lectures, @HelenZiaReal or at helenzia.com. “