While many recent Elon University alumni flocked to major U.S. cities like New York, Washington D.C. and Boston after graduation, Laura Sturdivant '15 and Alexander Ward '14 received the Princeton in Asia fellowships, which will take them Yangor, Myanmar and Manila, Philippines, respectively.
A marketing and finance major, Sturdivant will be working in the marketing department of the Myanmar Times, the largest English newspaper in the country.
Sturdivant, a Civic Engagement Scholar, a student assistant in the dean's office of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and a member of the Beta Alpha Psi business honor society, said she feels her Elon experiences prepped her for this new chapter in her life.
“This opportunity uniquely combines my marketing major and Asian studies minor with my growing interests in international development," she said. "I cannot wait to become completely immersed in a new culture and gain experience that will help to shape my future career and goals.”
With the fellowship, Ward, an Honors Fellow and psychology major while at Elon, will be working with the Hinrich Foundation in Manila, where he "will help advance international development through export-led job creation, international trade policy research and trade-related education and training."
Funded by an independent, nonprofit organization affiliated with Princeton University, the Princeton in Asia fellowship program has a mission to "educate Americans about Asia and to help Asian communities better understand the United States," and Ward sees the fellowship as a way to do just that.
“This fellowship is giving me the opportunity to push myself both personally and professionally, as I immerse myself in a totally novel culture that will present me with countless new opportunities,” Ward said.