The Light Fellowship Student Advisory Committee (SAC) was founded in 2007 by a group of Light Fellows returning to campus after their time abroad, eager to share their experiences with peers, encourage other students to seek the same opportunity, and give back to the Light Fellowship Program.
Reach out to one of the SAC members below if you are interested in speaking to a former Fellow about applying to the Light Fellowship, choosing a program, spending a term or year abroad, or have general questions about the Light Fellowship experience and studying abroad in East Asia!
Tip: Contact the Light Fellowship office:
- If you are interested in speaking to a recent Fellow with similar academic or career interests or who did a particular program or term abroad not represented below.
- If you have questions or concerns about how your race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, language, disability, religion, or other identity considerations may impact your experience abroad and are unsure which SAC member to speak to.
We would be happy to share resources and put you in touch with former Fellows who are willing to share their experience and insights into these important considerations.
I had a good time studying Chinese over the summer virtually. Despite the challenge of virtual (and living on Chinese Standard Time), I felt that my language ability really progressed quickly and I had a fun time talking to all the other students, teachers, and Chinese students in the program.
I’m Jeffrey, a rising senior at Yale double majoring in CS and EAST. I’m was a Light Fellow at ICLP in Taiwan, so if you have any questions about how to find housing, live with Taiwanese people, or make Taiwanese friends (NTU students or other), feel free to reach out!
Hi! My name is Lynn and I studied in Taiwan over the summer of 2022 through the Light Fellowship. The past summer was honestly a blur; it was a life-changing experience. I spent almost every weekend travelling (my photo is from the beautiful Alishan and I woke up at 3 AM this day for the sunrise) and soaking in all Taiwan had to offer. I fell in love with the city, the food, the culture, and my classes at ICLP. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
I spent Summer 2021 as a Light Fellow with CET China virtually. Throughout the program, I really was able to focus on improving my language skills as well as strengthen my cultural understanding of China. It was particularly rewarding to finish the program with language skills that could communicate complex thoughts and ideas about government, policy, or even Chinese pop culture in Mandarin. I would love to hear from anyone interested in learning more about the Light Fellowship program, or anything related to my summer experiences!
My name is Monique, and I participated in Light virtually in the summer of 2020 through the CET program. While I was wary of a virtual study-abroad experience at first, I was able to learn so much and make incredible friends along the way. From attending interesting workshops about Chinese history to chatting with my weekly language partner (a local Chinese university student), I was truly about to enrich my understanding of Chinese culture as well as language.
Hello! My name is Sophia and I am a junior in Saybrook College, double majoring in Psychology and East Asian Studies (Japanese track). I was a Japanese and Chinese Light Fellow, and participated in the online CET programs for each the summer after my first and second year respectively. After studying higher level Japanese, I moved on to work for the HR department at an international Japanese company where I spoke Japanese daily and have been working as a TF for the Japanese Department here at Yale. Although both experiences were done virtually, I am still passionate about
你好！I’m Ross, a sophomore in Pierson. In Summer 2022, I studied at Middlebury Language Schools in Vermont. I am so thankful to have had this experience. If you have questions about learning Chinese outside of China or honestly anything else, reach out!
Hi, I'm Lisa and I spent Summer 2021 participating in the CET Beijing program. Although I initially didn't expect much due to the program being virtual, but I ended learning a lot and improved my Chinese significantly. I was also able to expand my knowledge on Chinese history, culture, and social norms. I thoroughly loved hearing from natives about their perspectives towards US-Sino topics and felt this was a very enlightening experience!
I spent this past summer on a Light Fellowship studying Chinese through the International Chinese Language Program in Taipei. Though the news that we would not be able to attend the program in-person in Taiwan initially brought me great disappointment, I cannot imagine an online program more engaging, helpful, and generous. I spent my entire first year studying remotely at Yale, which arrangement I felt was overall positive: ICLP showed me, to great surprise, that this bar could be dramatically risen. The vital and irreplaceable strength of this online program was the nature of classes: 2 hours, one-on-one, every single weekday. Over 90 total hours of personal instruction with two different professors has augmented my speaking abilities to an incredible extent in a time period I did not think possible. To top it off, I still stay in touch with both professors, and I got to know both of them at a deep level, even though we communicated almost only in Chinese. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about the Light Fellowship or ICLP! This was the best summer of my life, and I’d love to help pass on what I learned! To come across a gem like the Light Fellowship is so rare—seize the opportunity!
Hello! My name is Sophia and I am a junior in Saybrook College, double majoring in Psychology and East Asian Studies (Japanese track). I was a Japanese and Chinese Light Fellow, and participated in the online CET programs for each the summer after my first and second year respectively. After studying higher level Japanese, I moved on to work for the HR department at an international Japanese company where I spoke Japanese daily and have been working as a TF for the Japanese Department here at Yale. Although both experiences were done virtually, I am still passionate about