Welcoming the 2023 Fellows to Indonesia

This fall, we are excited to have two fellows headed to Indonesia: Ari will be based at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh and Paris is headed to Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta.

Ari Leandry (she/her) ’23 majored in Comparative American Studies with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and a Journalism concentration. Growing up in Lorain, Ohio (dubbed the “International City”), she has always had a love for cultural exchange. In the Spring of 2020, she was elected as the Lorain 3-C Representative for the Lorain County Democratic Central Committee. At Oberlin, she was a Peer Advising Leader, an educator in the Experimental College for the Sexual Information Center, a sexualized violence prevention trainer through PRSM, and an Accessibility Coordinator for OSCA. As a Bonner Scholar and Senior Intern for the program, Ari is also deeply committed to service. She co-founded the Coronavirus Oberlin Mutual Aid Fund (COMA), which raised over $65K to support low-income students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of these leadership roles, Ari has a background in dance and was a part of AndWhat!?, a hip-hop group on campus. She is eager to bring her passion for learning and solidarity-building to her Shansi Fellowship in Aceh. 

Paris Mercurio (she/her) ‘23 majored in Creative Writing and minored in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. At Oberlin, Paris was: a Teaching Assistant of poetry and fiction classes; a contributor to Wilder Voice; and a participant in the WITS program, where she developed and taught poetry lessons to 7th grade students at Langston Middle School. Along with her vibrant love of teaching, Paris fostered her passion for the performing arts through her role as a Stage Manager and a Student Manager position at Central Ticket Service. Off campus, Paris has enjoyed interning with a literary agency and a children’s book author, volunteering at her local library, teaching language arts workshops at a summer enrichment camp, and providing college application guidance to high school seniors. Paris is an avid reader, and her view of storytelling as an agent of personal and social change inspires her to connect with new people and encourage creative expression. She is excited to deepen and expand upon this work while continuing a legacy of cross-cultural dialogue as a Shansi Fellow.