Story on Set: Year One of the Independent Fellowship

Every year, our Fellows share "Stories from the Field." These updates on their Fellowship experience have been presented as non-fiction essays, creative writing pieces, comic strips, and collections of personal anecdotes. And now we have a video!

Independent Fellow and multimedia producer Jingyi Laura Li '18 made a short film sharing scenes from her everyday life in Japan. Laura shares:

"The Shansi Independent Fellowship has been an incredible journey. It's allowed me to explore life in the real world after graduating from Oberlin College. I am so lucky to be working at Taktopia, a start-up Educational company, with many respectful and inspiring co-workers. So far, I've taken on a number of media projects, including a short commercial series for Taktopia. I was given a lot of control over the series' production and explored my boundaries as an artist and filmmaker. I've also traveled extensively with experienced educators and taught filmmaking to high school students. Outside work, I've explored Japan, participated in community activities near my neighborhood, and joined Tango, Jazz Singing, and Art Classes. Through these activities, I got to meet interesting people with innovative ideas. Everything that I have experienced is helping me understand what I want to achieve and who I want to be. I can't wait for my next year in Japan!"

For more information on Shansi's Independent Fellowship, please check our website. Also, be sure to check out Laura's bio.

Enjoy the film!