Congratulations to Julia Davies who was awarded a Princeton in Asia Fellowship and to Chloe Dawson who was awarded a Princeton in Latin America Fellowship! For the next 6 months, Dawson will be a fellow at a regenerative farm in Costa Rica supporting Osa Conservation with biodiversity assessment while Davies will teach at the University of World Diplomacy and Economics in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for the next year.
Princeton in Asia, Princeton in Latin America, and Princeton in Africa fellowships fund 6 month to 2-year immersive work placements at host organizations in these three regions of the world. Fellows contribute to work in diverse sectors with placements in organizations that focus on arts and culture, economic development, education, environmental sustainability, peace and justice, public health, sports, or STEM. The fellowships aim to bridge cultures through mutual understanding and person to person diplomacy and to mobilize young people to effect positive social change.
In Uzbekistan, Davies is excited to explore teaching as a potential career path. She said, “I get to teach international relations, a topic that I have studied since undergrad. I'm excited about being in a new academic environment, where I can learn from the professors' research and teaching styles, and hopefully publish my first academic paper within the year.” Davies is also excited to learn about Uzbek culture. “Of course, I am looking forward to trying Uzbek food, hiking around Central Asia, and learning Russian!” she continued.
Davies graduated from Ohio State in 2023 with a B.A. in Political Science and History. As an undergraduate, she traveled to Rwanda where she took courses about genocide, conflict, and reconstruction, and her undergraduate thesis focuses on the politics of memory and history in post-genocide Rwanda. She continued work in peace and conflict studies as an intern at the nonprofit Peace Catalyst in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina where she led conflict transformation workshops. Currently, she is finishing a year-long Fulbright grant in Serbia where she is completing her Masters in Peace, Security, and Development Studies at University of Belgrade.
Dawson expressed enthusiasm for the environmental work and cultural immersion opportunity she will have in Costa Rica. “I am incredibly excited to further my experience researching sustainable agriculture through hands-on study design, field work, and analysis,” she said. “I am also looking forward to speaking Spanish daily and improving my fluency level, as well as trying new foods, exploring the Osa Peninsula, and working with an international team that shares my passion of enhancing climate resiliency for people and wildlife.”
Dawson graduated from Ohio State this spring with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Spanish. She also ran cross country and track & field as an athlete at Ohio State. In Columbus, she served as a Spanish interpreter for free clinics and used her Spanish skills in her role as a Natural Resource Management Intern for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She studied abroad for a summer in Barcelona taking courses on Spanish language, culture, and film.
Both Dawson and Davies emphasized the importance of being true to yourself in the Princeton in Latin America and Princeton in Asia applications. Dawson said, “The PiLA application process taught me that the most powerful tool I have for finding the right position is being authentic. Being candid about my experiences, strengths, and goals opened the door to the position that is right for me, and closed the doors to ones that would not have been the best fit. I learned to trust that all the work I did throughout undergrad proves my capabilities and to be confident about the skills that I bring to the table.”
Davies echoed Dawson’s sentiment. “I think people can tell when you're not passionate or being truthful about why you want to do something or why you think you would succeed in it,” she said. “I have learned to have the most success, you must be honest about why you believe you are the best person for that position or fellowship.”
The Undergraduate Fellowship Office supports students applying to Princeton’s nationally competitive fellowships abroad and other similar opportunities. Undergraduate Fellowship Coordinator Louise Ling Edwards said, “I am absolutely thrilled to see these two exceptional alumnae receive the Princeton in Asia and Princeton in Latin America fellowships. Their profiles are a perfect match for the missions of these programs, and their thoughtful, compelling applications reflect both their readiness and passion for global engagement. I can’t wait to see how they will grow, contribute, and thrive in their new communities abroad.”