Civic Semester Fellows Fall 2024

Belen was born in Bogota, Colombia but later grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Westfield, New Jersey with her brother and parents. For fun, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family and dog, going to the beach, watching TV, playing the cello, running, making scrapbooks, and baking/cooking. Belen's interest for community service sparked when she embarked on a journey to help Venezuelan refugees when she was around 8 years old in Colombia. From then on, she has been truly passionate in always finding a way to help those in need. Belen found her voice in her high school by advocating for Colombian communities in need through her school's Community Service Club. The Civic Semester will be her first time in Asia and she is very excited to learn about the culture, people, language, food, and knows immersing herself in community service in Thailand will be a meaningful experience. Belen is thrilled to meet new people at the Tufts community and hopes to study International Relations where she can continue her commitment to service and activism.

Raphael Beauchemin was born in Montreal, Canada, but has lived in Massachusetts for most of his life. He is hoping to major in environmental science or biology. One of his main passions is sports, especially hockey, in which he played for three years at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. Traveling is also a very important piece of his life, and something he hopes to build his career around later on. His interest in the program grew due to his love for traveling and international experience. Although he has lived a good amount of time in the States, he also has lived in Europe, and has traveled in several different countries. He is looking forward to participating in this program to help him view new cultures that he has yet to discover, and meet people that will help him grow as a person. He hopes to improve his Spanish as well.

Karlita Cadena was born and raised in North Plainfield, New Jersey. She enjoys photography, listening to music, playing soccer, and hanging out with friends. Throughout her high school years, she has partnered with various organizations to raise awareness and advocate for minority groups with her two favorites being El Centro Hispanoamericano and the Veterans Affairs ambassadors club. Spiking her interest in activism, she can’t wait to dive into the experiences the civic semester has in store within the Thai community. Lastly, she is thrilled to expand her perspectives and immerse herself in a different language and culture.

My name is Nelson Chen, and I am from Quincy, Massachusetts. A fun fact about me is that when I was growing up, I moved around a lot (five times, to be exact)! Although it was sad for me to say goodbye to many of my friends, I was always eager and enthusiastic about the adventures that awaited me. Whether it was being completely immersed in a new environment or experiencing the variety of cultures each new place has to offer, the countless opportunities that were presented to me through each journey strengthened my passion for adventure and exploration. When I was searching for colleges to apply to, I carefully considered each option and chose the university that would best provide me the opportunity to explore my ambition for travel, exploration, and adventure. After hearing about the opportunity at Tufts to spend my first semester in college abroad, I thought to myself, what better way to explore and deepen my love for adventure than to join the Tufts Civic Semester program! I am so excited to be civically engaged this fall semester with my cohort and explore what Chiang Mai has to offer!

My name is Bryan Cristobal. I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I come from a strong Mexican background, and getting closer to my culture has taught me the importance of family, friends, and social struggle. I enjoy going on long walks, listening to music, and learning new things. Although I am a native Spanish speaker, I hope to improve my skills in Spanish further. I hope to become more involved in community service and explore new cultures, which Civic Semester will help me to achieve. Although it is sad that I am leaving my home, I can’t wait to experience many new things, make connections with others, and especially to bring back what I have learned and experienced to my family, friends, and my community back home.

Liam was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Go Grizz! The Civic Semester will be his first time in Thailand. He is excited to explore Thai culture and politics, as well as meet new groups of friends while he is abroad. Liam hopes to pick up on some Thai during the Civic Semester in order to expand his worldview and help him with learning other languages. He plans on majoring in International Relations, and hopes to one day work in politics and help create change on a larger scale.

LG was born and raised in central Connecticut. She has been passionate about civic engagement and the environment since she was little, which has led her to be very invested in her local Democratic Town Committee. Municipal election cycles are her absolute favorite time of year, but she also prioritizes civic awareness outside of campaign season. Throughout her senior year of high school, she interned with an auxiliary branch of her school to extend educational opportunities to women and girls across the world. At Tufts, she hopes to continue engaging with social, political, and environmental issues from a global perspective, which is what led her to civic semester. She is very excited to learn all she can and experience a way of life different from her own in Urubamba. She hopes more than anything to return home with a fresh perspective, many lessons learned, and solidified Spanish skills!

Elie Goldman is from White Plains, New York. He loves to spend time outside (walking, running, camping). His love of the environment and of all the organisms that make our world beautiful fuels his interests in environmental science and ecology. In the last two years, he has taken learning Spanish quite seriously, by taking higher-level classes at school and by using it in daily conversations with new friends. Elie hopes to learn a lot of Peruvian slang, immerse himself in the culture (especially music) and history of Urubamba, and work to make the world a bit better through collaborating with local organizations. He loves to work, and is looking forward to learning in this hands-on environment. Elie is excited! 

Vorleak, born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, has spent the last two years of high school in Japan. You will often spot her in the kitchen cooking up meals of her home or the outdoors with her two younger sisters and her neighbor’s golden retriever. She enjoys playing the piano, tennis, and will never refuse an invitation to the beach or a swimming pool. Throughout her two years at UWC ISAK, she also picked up a love for theatre and singing, participating in a lot of school plays and band performances. Her passions stem further afield to a love of civic engagement and community service through her non-profit Project Kannon, which works towards empowering the underprivileged children of rural Cambodia. With a deep interest in Economics and Computer Science, she hopes that time spent at Tufts will allow her to further help her community. Finally, thrilled to be in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Vorleak seeks not only new experiences but also lasting friendships during Civic Semester.

Jake is from Burlington, Connecticut. Working at Hartford Hartford over summers, he saw the direct impact of inequities on communities, leading him to study domestic policy. He has a deep passion for civics and approaches it with the context of a philosophical lens. Beyond college, he hopes to become a lawyer and work on reducing healthcare injustice. Jake loves spending time listening to bossa nova and indie rock, reading philosophy books, cooking, and making oil paintings. He can’t wait to go to Chiang Mai. He sees the Civic Semester as a great opportunity to step into a completely new environment and learn from the culture there. The interactive element of the semester excites him to elevate his studies from just textbooks to developing a personal connection with the material.

Natalie Koehn-Wu was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Her hobbies include creative writing, listening to music, fashion, thrifting, and exploring the outdoors. Natalie is always up for a boba trip, a run, soccer game, or a good fiction novel. She was originally drawn to Tufts because she is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of a nonprofit organization, Sisters Project Peru, which is in the same region of Peru as the Tufts Civic Semester. This nonprofit began after a family trip to Peru in 2019 and seeks to raise funds for a medical clinic in the rural village of Huacahuasi. It has fueled Natalie’s passion for increasing her fluency in Spanish, learning Quechua, collaborating with indigenous communities in Peru, and gaining a better understanding of Peruvian politics and traditions. She believes that there is no better way to understand a community than to fully immerse oneself in the culture. She hopes to apply her increased knowledge of Peru after the Civic Semester to improve her relationship and collaboration with Huacahuasi and surrounding communities in coming years.

Zoya Kumar grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She enjoys listening to music, dancing, and playing soccer. She is excited to explore a new culture and improve her Spanish. She is passionate about female education in the developing world, especially Pakistan and has spent a lot of her high school career bringing awareness to this issue, both in her high school and teaching girls abroad. She is excited to learn more about what the world outside the US has to offer. The Tufts Civic semester will allow her to learn more about education systems abroad and how they function in and outside of patriarchal structures.

Eva was born and raised in New York, and going to Peru for the Civic Semester will be her first time in Latin America. She can’t wait to discover Peruvian culture. Her interest in learning languages and becoming more civically engaged drew her to the program, and she is eager to become fully tri-lingual. Her passion for community service heavily influenced her high school career, as she interned for the Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance and volunteered at the Rhinebeck Farmers Market so she wants to learn from the community and organizations of Urubamba! In her free time she enjoys ski racing, running, and beginning a new arts and crafts project. She is excited to get to know everyone!

Originally from Madrid, Spain, Daniela has lived in various parts of the world, including Switzerland, and now resides in Princeton, New Jersey, though she has never lived in Asia. Daniela has discovered her passion for leading social change, both nationally and internationally. She believes this influence can be used to help others find their focus, adapt, and learn from the challenges that come with change. Her experiences include organizing a children's camp in Costa Rica, serving as an officer in the Debate Club,  interning at Oxfam Intermón HQ and leading the Model United Nations Club. In her free time, Daniela enjoys going out, socializing and reading. Through this program, she hopes to build connections, learn new strategies for creating impactful change, and bring these insights back to her work both nationally and internationally! 

Ana Luísa was born and raised in the interior of Alagoas, Brazil and enjoys playing the guitar, camping, reading and watching animes. Coming from South America, she is excited to explore more of her region and learn about Peruvian culture. She has just graduated from United World Colleges in Canada, an international boarding school where she discovered a passion for nature, cultural sharing and learning about global politics. Throughout high school, Ana Luísa was involved in the College Assembly, volunteering and supporting the Latin American and Caribbean community, with whom she started learning Spanish. Intending to study International Relations and Education, she cannot wait to work closely with non-profits, deepen her knowledge of social justice in Latin America, and get immersed in the vibrant city of Urubamba with this cohort!

Originating from Italy and Taiwan but born in Singapore, Tai has spent most of his life in Hong Kong. At the current moment, he loves to play football (the one with your foot), go on hikes with his dog and two younger brothers, and eat dim sum at Shang Hai Lao Lao. In school, you can find him studying for his favorite classes economics and math, orchestrating school events as an executive for both the student and athletic council, and winning SEASAC abroad in Indonesia with his school football team. While he hasn't had the most extensive experience with civic work, he's eager to gain hands-on experience during his semester abroad in Peru!

Bernie is from Seattle, Washington. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, going on runs, and playing guitar. After thirteen years of Spanish class, he still can barely use the subjunctive, so he's looking to further his proficiency throughout the program. He's also looking forward to the active and outdoor aspects of the trip, whether it's hiking, swimming, camping, etc. Overall, he's just glad to be part of this experience and is excited for everything Civic Semester has to offer!

Michela Rowland is a longtime Massachusettan, having grown up about 15 miles north of Tufts. Some of their favorite things include farmer’s markets, music, card games, ultimate, and the word crisp. They also hold delight for language, food, and meeting new people. As such, they are super excited to be spending the fall semester in Chiang Mai, where they hope to learn a ton, be immersed in a new culture, and ask a lot of questions.

My name is Alonso, and I grew up in Santa Barbara, Heredia, Costa Rica. I enjoy playing/watching soccer, reading books, hanging out with friends and meeting new people. Driven by curiosity, an open-minded personality, and a desire to explore diverse cultures, I applied to finish my high school education in Singapore, where I successfully completed the International Baccalaureate in a UWC. During my time in Singapore,  I studied Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) and I actively participated in environmental initiatives, which deepened my commitment to understanding and addressing environmental challenges.

As a result, I decided to apply for the Civic Semester program. This opportunity aligns with my goal of continuing to explore different perspectives and cultures, while acquiring new insights on Thai indigenous communities and expanding my knowledge on environmental conservation, and sustainable development.

Cameron was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In his free time, he enjoys building Legos, going to the gym, and playing trivia. Passionate in history, language, and international politics, he has previously studied Spanish and Arabic in Madrid and Amman, respectively. As president of his school’s Junior World Affairs Council, he worked to connect students with international resources in Hampton Roads, such as NATO. In Peru, he hopes to build relationships with those in the local community through Spanish and prepare himself to make an impact at Tufts and beyond!

Nicolly, an international student hailing from Brazil, is deeply passionate about education, service learning, and community building. During high school, she dedicated her time to leading projects that made a positive impact on low-income communities. She helped promote scientific education to schools across Brazil by distributing portable labs. Her interest in community building was sparked when she attended a summer program with the Telluride Association focusing on self-governance and community-care during her senior year. Continuing this passion, she spent her first semester of 2024 living with a small cohort of students on Sitka, an island in Alaska. There, she volunteered with the Sitka Sound Science Center, studied Indigenous Studies and the Tlingit language, and engaged in Creative Writing. Those experiences are part of the reason she decided to apply to the Civic Semester. She is looking forward to engaging with Chiang Mai's community and history while building meaningful relationships with her peers.

Amos was born and raised in Narok, Kenya. His ardent curiosity and passion for cancer had led him into a path of self realization about his spirited ambition to make a worthwhile transformation in his community in the field of cancer. Ever since he has set multiple trailblazers by leading a way into creating cancer awareness to the young and old people all around Kenya. He seeks to extend his scope of cancer awareness to a global scale and become the voice of the voiceless in this excruciating menace.

He is full of passion and zeal, ready to embrace the world full of strange speculations about cancer and transform the notion to a realistic and impactful one. The Thailand Civic Semester Program has just arrived at the perfect timing to lead the way for him and unveil his hidden energy in leaving a lasting impact in the Thailand community and he’s curious to learn many aspects of the Thai language and visit his long-desired Tham Luang Cave.

Micaela was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, and comes from a Jewish Puerto Rican background. Micaela has always been passionate about civic engagement and community service, especially related to women's, human, and immigrants' rights. Micaela was a Girl Scout for 9 years. For her Gold Award Project, she collected oral histories of three women leaders in her community who came from immigrant backgrounds and wrote a book of their narratives. In addition, she was a leader in her school community as president of both Model UN and the Social Studies Honor Society. Micaela enjoys exploring different mediums of art and hiking in her free time. She was a member of her high school's visual arts program and achieved her Adirondack 46er. Micaela is beyond excited to participate in the Civic Semester in Peru and learn more about different communities and global organizations. She hopes that her time in Peru will continue to widen her perspective on the world, allow her to make meaningful differences, and improve her confidence with the Spanish language!