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Scholar Stories

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Osaka, Japan 2025 World Expo

Published 03/19/2026 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Valencia Lewis | 03/19/2026

Knowledge is one of the greatest gifts we can share and receive from others as it allows us to build on ideas to further innovations and progress within our world. Sometimes we get used to routines, habits and things that feel consistent and stable. Getting comfortable in the status quo can lead to stagnation when there is a lack of innovation. As time passes other aspects of the world are changing whether it be for the good or for the worse and it’s important we are aware and adapt to those changes. Adapting doesn’t always mean giving up what we know as truth and getting rid of it to adopt something new. Often times change is viewed as throwing out the old and welcoming in the new.

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Lessons From Colombia

Published 12/11/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Chase Lin | 12/11/2025

When my plane landed in Bogotá, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had come to Colombia hoping to understand the local culture and societal infrastructure. What I discovered was how young people find purpose when opportunity is scarce, and what structures help them stay in school. What I discovered over the next two weeks, traveling from Bogotá to Medellín to Cartagena, went far beyond classrooms. My discoveries ranged from observations of the walls of the city, the rhythm of its streets, and in the choices people make when life demands creativity to survive.

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The Colombian Conflict: Women Survivors. A discussion on the normalization, revictimization, and postmemory of gender-based violence.

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Julissa Mendoza | 12/10/2025

The armed conflict in Colombia was a nightmarish period that has lasted 60 years, leaving a dark stain and puzzle in the minds of thousands of civilians. With the UN Resolution 1325 and the Colombian government’s admission of the disproportionate violence women endure in conflicts, an enormous bottom-up feminist movement has fought to address the violence women still face in the country. However, there are still effects that are not widely discussed. The Colombian armed conflict played a significant role in the formation of patriarchal systems that, especially with a negligent state, have worked to normalize gender-based violence and revictimization cycles. This has generated a distinct intergenerational trauma.

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Vietnam and the Philippines: A History of Resourcefulness

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Dana Hua | 12/10/2025

According to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) which considers a nation’s overall economic growth, life expectancy, health, education and quality of life, both Vietnam and the Philippines are considered to be developing nations. This comes as no surprise once we consider their turbulent paths towards national sovereignty with neither country achieving true independence until the mid to late 20th century. However, despite their difficult beginnings, both nations have successfully harnessed their pasts to bolster national economic growth and provide their citizens with productive and satisfying lives by opening up their past historical landmarks for tourism.

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Beyond Frivolity: Making the Most of a Brief Stay in Japan

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Lena Jones | 12/10/2025

To celebrate graduating in May 2025, I went to Japan. Three friends and I crammed all that we could into one week, separating the trip into three cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Since we had a limited time to internalize the people, personalities, food, scenery, and experiences of these locations, we tried to make our intentions clear. For every piece of frivolous fun, we bore a deeper analytical purpose in mind.

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Tea, Tradition, and Healing: A Wellness Journey Through Morocco

Published 12/11/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Simrankaur Wahan | 12/11/2025

This past month, I had the privilege of visiting Marrakech, Morocco: my first time traveling to Africa. The journey was more than a trip: it was a deep exploration of culture, wellness, and connection. I immersed myself not only as a traveler, but also as a lifelong learner, curious about how Morocco’s culture and healthcare values intersect holistic wellbeing.

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CJ Cultural Foundation’s Impact on Cultural Enrichment and Diversity in South Korea

Published 11/03/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Sally Williams | 11/03/2025

This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to be a Global Intern at CJ Cultural Foundation in South Korea. My research was on the unique work that could be done by a corporate foundation, defined by the Council on Foundations as “philanthropic organizations that are created and financially supported by a corporation…Companies establish corporate foundations and give programs to have a positive impact on society.”

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Two botanists converse: Memory, science, and the Cold War

Published 10/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Kathleen Gutierrez | 10/10/2025

On an August morning on the patio of an Italian deli, two retired scientists met with me to talk of the past. Domingo Madulid, a historical botanist of the Philippines, and Hermes Gutierrez, expert on the Philippine Dipterocarpaceae family, have been colleagues since the 1960s. Over hot black coffee, the two detailed their experiences collecting plant specimens, their collaborations with foreign scientists, and their musings on the current state of genetic mapping and systematics.

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A Journey Through Barga, Italy: Community, Culture & Continuity

Published 09/12/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Mattie Isaac | 09/12/2025

In early July of 2025, my grandmother, mother, and I traveled to visit my mother’s friend in Barga, a small medieval town tucked into the hilly folds of Tuscany and an hour outside of Pisa. After over an hour of jolting twists and turns up a mountain, my family and I trekked further up sleek stone slabs, passing through narrow streets and towering sunset color buildings to make it to our home for the next week.

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Ramsay Goyal with EcoBici Station

Building a Sustainable, Healthy City with Multimodal Urbanism in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Published 08/20/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Ramsay Goyal | 08/20/2025

The street of Buenos Aires are littered with a multimodal canopy of pedestrian, cyclist, bus, and vehicular infrastructure. On the widest street in the city, the 18 lane “Avenida 9 de Julio” street, a center-running bus rapid transit system occupies two lanes in each direction. Although the city maintains a car-dominated landscape, one can feasibly connect neighborhood to neighborhood, suburb to city center, and throughout the entire city without owning or renting a vehicle. Such green urban infrastructure investments support environmental sustainability, improved public health, and inclusive mobility throughout the Buenos Aires metro area.

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