Three Southeast Asian Fellows Learn from Vermillion Community Leaders
This summer the University of South Dakota participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) program and hosted three participants who engaged in enriching professional development opportunities in the Vermillion community through exposure to the U.S. public and non-profit sectors.
YSEALI PFP is a two-way U.S. Department of State exchange program designed to strengthen people-to-people ties between young leaders from Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam and the United States.
Through activities and intensive fellowships designed to broaden their professional expertise and enhance their leadership capabilities, YSEALI PFP provides emerging Southeast Asian leaders with the opportunity to gain first-hand experiences in, and exposure to, U.S. public and private sector offices working on a variety of issues related to civic engagement, economic empowerment, governance and society, sustainable development and the environment.
USD hosted three fellows as a part of the civic engagement theme, which is managed by the University of Montana's Mansfield Center. USD provided professional placements and housing accommodations in the Vermillion community. USD also provided a cultural excursion to the Black Hills during the Fourth of July weekend and a kayak trip down the Missouri River.
"The excursions and time spent with their hosts allowed the fellows to develop connections and relationships with the Vermillion community and ideas to bring back to their respective workplaces and communities," Susan Hackemer, director of USD's career services, said.
The fellows included Fhiliya Himasari from Indonesia hosted by Meghann Jarchow, Ph.D., department chair of sustainability and environmental studies, Monica Aclan from the Philippines hosted by Kelsey Collier-Wise, executive director of United Way, and Jim Roberto Nemeno hosted by Ionela Georgescu, executive director at Sesdac, Inc.
“It is an honor for USD to have had the good fortune to be selected as a host for the YSEALI Professional Fellow Program,” Hackemer said. “It is such a dynamic and uplifting opportunity to connect Vermillion's nonprofit community leaders with professionals doing similar work in vastly different environments. We anticipate the chance to host another cohort next spring, and that group will potentially get paired with different local partners. It is such a unique and positive way for the community and the university to collaborate. We could not have asked for a better group of fellows, and I look forward to seeing what grows out of these relationships.”
This year's hosts applied for the reciprocal program where they will travel to Southeast Asia for a two-week exchange this winter. They will stay with their respective fellow to learn in their work environment.
“During the fellowship, I learned a lot about how people work passionately and sincerely doing egalitarian things," Himasari said. "People here also respect each other and know that making a mistake is common because that's part of the learning process. Furthermore, I like how people organize everything and respect time because those are so useful for my professional development. It is an honor being here because I feel like all my experiences can be adopted to advance my organization.”
“As a professional fellow at the United Way of Vermillion, I learned a lot in terms of networking, fundraising strategies, maximizing resources to serve a wide range of people, leveraging volunteers and building a community of dreamers and doers who wholeheartedly serve the people," Aclan said. "I am grateful to have witnessed such acts of volunteerism and kindness at the Community Connection Center. I am thankful to Kelsey Collier-Wise for being so generous in introducing me to different organizations and individuals. From these meetings, I was able to learn about their different advocacies and their strategies for executing them.”
Through activities and intensive fellowships designed to broaden their professional expertise and enhance their leadership capabilities, YSEALI PFP provides emerging Southeast Asian leaders with the opportunity to gain first-hand experiences in, and exposure to, U.S. public and private sector offices working on a variety of issues related to civic engagement, economic empowerment, governance and society, sustainable development and the environment.
USD hosted three fellows as a part of the civic engagement theme, which is managed by the University of Montana's Mansfield Center. USD provided professional placements and housing accommodations in the Vermillion community. USD also provided a cultural excursion to the Black Hills during the Fourth of July weekend and a kayak trip down the Missouri River.
"The excursions and time spent with their hosts allowed the fellows to develop connections and relationships with the Vermillion community and ideas to bring back to their respective workplaces and communities," Susan Hackemer, director of USD's career services, said.
The fellows included Fhiliya Himasari from Indonesia hosted by Meghann Jarchow, Ph.D., department chair of sustainability and environmental studies, Monica Aclan from the Philippines hosted by Kelsey Collier-Wise, executive director of United Way, and Jim Roberto Nemeno hosted by Ionela Georgescu, executive director at Sesdac, Inc.
“It is an honor for USD to have had the good fortune to be selected as a host for the YSEALI Professional Fellow Program,” Hackemer said. “It is such a dynamic and uplifting opportunity to connect Vermillion's nonprofit community leaders with professionals doing similar work in vastly different environments. We anticipate the chance to host another cohort next spring, and that group will potentially get paired with different local partners. It is such a unique and positive way for the community and the university to collaborate. We could not have asked for a better group of fellows, and I look forward to seeing what grows out of these relationships.”
This year's hosts applied for the reciprocal program where they will travel to Southeast Asia for a two-week exchange this winter. They will stay with their respective fellow to learn in their work environment.
About the Fellows
Fhiliya Himasari
- Host: Meghann Jarchow, Ph.D., department chair of sustainability and environmental studies
- Organizational Strengthening & Gender Justice Manager
- WALHI North Sumatra
- Medan, Indonesia
“During the fellowship, I learned a lot about how people work passionately and sincerely doing egalitarian things," Himasari said. "People here also respect each other and know that making a mistake is common because that's part of the learning process. Furthermore, I like how people organize everything and respect time because those are so useful for my professional development. It is an honor being here because I feel like all my experiences can be adopted to advance my organization.”
Monica Aclan
- Host: Kelsey Collier-Wise, United Way
- Deputy Executive Director
- Project PEARLS, Inc.
-
Manila, Philippines
“As a professional fellow at the United Way of Vermillion, I learned a lot in terms of networking, fundraising strategies, maximizing resources to serve a wide range of people, leveraging volunteers and building a community of dreamers and doers who wholeheartedly serve the people," Aclan said. "I am grateful to have witnessed such acts of volunteerism and kindness at the Community Connection Center. I am thankful to Kelsey Collier-Wise for being so generous in introducing me to different organizations and individuals. From these meetings, I was able to learn about their different advocacies and their strategies for executing them.”
Jaime “Jim” Roberto Nemeno
- Host: Ionela Georgescu, executive director at Sesdac, Inc.
- Project Inclusion Network Inc.
- Mandaluyong City, Philippines
