Each Fall, as it has done for more than 100 years, Oberlin Shansi offers two-year fellowships to current Oberlin College seniors and to those who have graduated from Oberlin in the past three years. The fellowships provide challenging and rewarding opportunities for engagement with Shansi partner institutions in China, India, Indonesia and Japan.
Meet the 2013-2015 Fellows!
Shansi’s fellowship’s goal is to allow Oberlin College graduates to immerse themselves in life in Asia, while they assist our partners with specific tasks, whether teaching or volunteering. Within a limited time Shansi Fellows are expected to develop a comprehension of the culture, its language and its people. Shansi Fellows receive cultural training during the January Winter Term orientation program and enroll in an intensive summer language program. Language acquisition is a fundamental part of the program and we insist that it continues throughout their terms. Linguistic and cultural competence distinguishes Shansi Fellows from many other young teachers, volunteers and travelers in Asia.
Moreover, Shansi Fellows’ responsibilities to their host institutions ground their experience in a different reality, so that it goes beyond casual contact. Fellows work with non-Americans to achieve common goals, a process or cultural sharing that goes both ways. Engaging in meaningful ways with young Americans allows those associated with our partners to learn about the culture and people of the United States.
Balancing these demands requires a full-time commitment, individual initiative, and determination. The rewards are often rich and life changing.
Fellows are selected after a careful review of a written application and an intensive interview. They must demonstrate strong personal qualities, among them flexibility, responsibility, an ability to work with others, energy and intelligence, as well as a commitment to intercultural learning and sharing.
Please e-mail Deborah Cocco. Alternatively, if you’re around Oberlin College’s campus, you can always drop by the Shansi office located in Peters Hall, Room 103. We would be happy to discuss this unique opportunity with you at any time.
Oberlin Shansi considers without prejudice all eligible applicants regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, academic major or physical handicaps (where reasonable accommodation is possible). In the selection process the priorities and sensitivities of the host institutions and cultures also will be taken into consideration.
