Classes for the 2024 fall semester might have officially started August 26th, but for me, they started on August 12th–the day that most of this year’s Humphrey Fellows arrived in Ithaca. My experience with the Fellows has changed my life; the synergistic informal learning environment while working with the Fellows has supplemented my coursework in ways I could not have imagined.
With thirteen sites on academic campuses across the country, the Humphrey Fellowship Program is funded through the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The mission of this program is to provide a platform for international professional exchange with mid-career Fellows from around the world selected based on their field of interest and expertise.
The Cornell Humphrey Fellowship Program, with a focus on agriculture and natural resources, is housed locally within the CALS Department of Global Development and led by Director Ed Mabaya and Associate Director Polly Endreny Holmberg. This year’s cohort of Fellows come from Africa, South America, East Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. They bring with them an abundance of experience in their respective fields, life perspective, and good cheer. Whether in a formal professional environment, or an informal social gathering, there has not yet been time spent with them that I have not walked away a better, different, person. They are literally changing my life with every meeting.
Weekly Fellow Discussion Hour brings Fellows’ expertise to the forefront through the rotation of weekly team leads. I look forward to these discussions every week: this year’s Fellows know how to have fun. After weekly discussion hours, talent from around the University and Ithaca area are invited to speak and provide experiential learning opportunities in diverse and relevant areas. We routinely make trips to campus areas of interest and the surrounding community—the impact and education is a two way osmosis; I observe that the farmers, business owners, faculty and professionals that we visit with also learn as much from the Fellows as we learn from them.
My personal favorite example of Humphrey Fellowship Program international exchange is the engagement with regional community colleges, including TC3, Corning and Onondaga Community Colleges. These connections are facilitated by the Einaudi Center. Fellows arematched with regional community colleges to visit classes as guest speakers. The value of this international education and exchange is more important than ever.
Another standout element of this experience has been the opportunity to be a student alongside Humprey Fellows in both the Tsujimoto Perspectives in Global Development Seminar Series and GDEV 6820 Community Organizing and Development course taught by Professor Scott Peters. As semester-long visitors to the course, the Humphrey Fellows bring invaluable and wise international perspective to class inquiries and discussion. My focus in graduate school is civic agency, democratic systems and instrumentalizing the future. The international lens I havehad the opportunity to include in my focus has fortified my understanding of the global context of these topics in incalculable ways.
As a member of the 2024-2025 Global Development Masters in Professional Studies (MPS) cohort, I would be remiss in not taking the opportunity to spotlight my talented classmates. The GDEV MPS class of 2025 is a group of thoughtful people working on a wide range of issues. Every single one of them is here in this program to improve the lives of others. Wecome from Burundi, China, Colombia, Niger, Nigeria, South Korea and the United States. Working and getting to know these people has been the honor of a lifetime. I have learned so much from my cohort.
The value of diverse, international teams is made abundantly clear in this environment. Theadvantages of the problem solving capabilities with these groups is evident. The impact of adversity lands so very differently than in my prior team experiences in which all or most peopleon the team have similar life experiences as U.S. citizens. The Humphrey Fellows and my MPS cohort are fierce people, many who have strived for excellence in the face of incrediblechallenges. Their presence here on campus is evidence of their determination to improve the world.
Ultimately, my goal in this writing is a call for more of these programs, a call for continued support and prioritization of international exchange and education. Supporting international exchange programs is critical for the health of our global future. Advocacy to ensure these programs thrive will be needed in the coming years.
Cheers to the Department of Global Development for this support of the Humphrey Fellowship Program. The Graduate Assistance position allowed me to pursue graduate studies. The synergistic learning cultivated at the crossroads of the Humphrey Fellowship Program as international exchange educators paired with coursework, conferences, and other campus events is proving to be the most authentic learning environment I have ever been in. Having a connection to the expansive world is now a vital part of what makes me feel human. Programs supporting international exchange change lives throughout the world. I am forever grateful to be a part of it.
Michelle E. Wright is a Master of Professional Studies student in Global Development and Humphrey Graduate Assistant at Cornell University.