Global Engagement Fellows Program
Overview | Eligibility | Apply | Current Fellows | Leadership & Mentors | Events
Overview

The Global Engagement Fellows program helps create a multicultural, multilingual, and interconnected campus to better prepare its students to thrive in a complex and global society.
The Fellows (students) are paired with a Mentor (alumni and members of the Vanderbilt community) for the year. Together they explore Nashville’s multilingual community and share their passion about language and culture with the broader Vanderbilt campus.
Fellows provide culturally enriching programs for student audiences, often combined with content in languages other than English (readings, performances, music, media, television/films, speakers).
The Global Engagement Fellows program is supported by the Vanderbilt Center for Languages, empowering its participants through community, mentorship, and funding.
- Fellows contribute to making visible a mix of international students, heritage speakers, third-culture kids, returnees from study abroad, or any student interested in crossing cultural and linguistic borders, in service to the greater goal of promoting language integration and cultural competence among Vanderbilt University’s campus communities.
- Our Fellows are partnered with a Mentor who has more years’ experience crossing cultural borders and living in a multilingual world. As faculty members, staff, alumni, and community partners, our GEF Mentors contribute to the program by lending their expertise, by listening, and by bringing to the conversation a wealth of experience.
Eligibility
The following students are eligible to apply:
- All students, graduate and undergraduate, are eligible to apply.
- Preference will be given to sophomores and juniors.
Our Fellows often identify as part of one or more of these groups:
- Study Abroad Returnees
The GEF program provides a landing pad for students returning from studying abroad. It provides guidance, community, and support certainly, but also targeted activities that can ease their way back into campus life, connect them with similarly oriented Fellows, and contribute positively to campus culture.
- International Students
The GEF program recognizes the unique perspectives of its international student members. It values the contributions of international students to life at Vanderbilt, and can help better integrate our international student community, both undergraduate and graduate, into campus life.
- Heritage Speakers of languages other than English
Our heritage speakers also bring a valued perspective to campus life, enriching our notions of identity through the lens of language, family, and culture.
- Third-Culture Kids (TCKs)
Students who identify as Third-Culture Kids usually grow up outside their parents’ home culture(s); consequently, they must establish for themselves their own, third culture. For both TCKs and heritage speakers, the GEF program celebrates their presence at Vanderbilt and provides legitimacy to their individual experience, as they may move between languages in ways that defy easy categorization.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are due by September 10 for the fall semester, and January 14 for the spring semester. Once your application is reviewed, we will reach out to schedule an interview. Thank you for your interest in the Global Engagement Fellows.
Fellows
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Esme Adotey | |
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Evan Bennett | |
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Nathan Bornstein | |
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Lina Chang
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Pelin Cokuslu | |
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Sara Elhassan | |
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Angelica Harris
Anissa Ibrahim
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Dina Ishak | |
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Taisiia Kostiuk | |
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Jordan LaGrone
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Teg Okotete
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Azah Osman | |
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Susannah Oster | |
| Laird Ruiz-Perez | ||
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Alisa Shmidt | |
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Eva Sinelnikov |
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Ethan Skinner | |
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Andrea Urcuyo
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| Lucy Van der Reis | ||
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Riley Williams | |
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Jenny Yang | |
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Yoshiya Yano | |
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Akari Zhang |
Current Fellows looking to submit an event proposal should do so using this form.
Mentors
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Divya Chaudhry |
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Natalie Curcio, M.D. Dermatologist, Entrepreneur, Vanderbilt Alum, Polyglot |
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Alexis Finet |
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Alan Hurtado |
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Seok Bae Jang |
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Bohyeong Kim |
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Jeong-Oh Kim |
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Xianmin Liu |
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Asami Nakano |
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Caroline Nikolaus |
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Honorine Rouiller |
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Mareike Sattler |
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Brayan Serratos |
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Chiara Sulprizio |
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Yuanqi “Suzy” Wang |
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Steve Wenz |
Current Mentors looking to submit an event proposal should do so using this form.
Events
The GEF program curates cultural events on and off campus to provide Mentors and Fellows with ample opportunities to meet with each other and learn through culturally enriched experiences.
Upcoming Events
GEF Member Appreciation
Thursday, March 19 | 12:15 – 1:15 pm | VCL in Furman 001
Come by the VCL on Thursday from 12:15 to 1:15 to grab a VCL quarter zip sweatshirt and snacks! More information »
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated’s A Taste of Fame: A Global Food and Culture Experience
Thursday, March 19 | 7:20 pm | NPHC House
Join the women of Omega Pi for a global food and culture experience as members present dishes from their cultural heritage. More information »
Dolly Parton’s Threads at the Nashville Symphony
Thursday, March 19 | 7:30 pm | Nashville Symphony
Join your GEF Mentors and Fellows at Dolly Parton’s Threads at the Nashville Symphony with Professor Honorine Rouiller. More information »
VIVID Spring Dance Battle
Saturday, March 21 | 7:30 – 9:00 pm | Sarratt Cinema
Join us at Sarratt Cinema on Saturday, March 21st to watch VIVID go head to head dancing to your favorite K-pop songs. More information »
GEF Conversation Pit: Slow Down! with Professor Honorine Rouiller
Thursday, March 26 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm | VCL Satellite
What is the pace that we live at? What is the pace we are expected to live at—and why? Slow down! Join us for dinner and an insightful conversation unpacking the cultural narratives that instill us with certain conceptions of success, purpose, and time. Explore how these definitions differ across culture, countries, and language. Hosted by GEF Mentor Professor Honorine Rouiller. More information »
GEF Pan-Asia Supermarket Visit
Sunday, March 29 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm | Pan-Asia Supermarket
Visit the new Pan-Asia Supermarket in Antioch with GEF Mentor and Professor Chiara Sulprizio, and engage in a exploratory cultural experience and discussion. More information »
GEF Fellows Meet-Up
Sunday, April 5 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm | VCL Satellite
Catch up with GEF Fellows over brunch in the Satellite event space and receive important information on GEF programming. More information »
GEF Summer Sendoff
Wednesday, April 8 | 5:30 – 7:00 pm | Cammack Lecture Hall (Garland 064)
Our last group event of the semester! Enjoy international cuisine and live jazz music while catching up with your GEF colleagues. More information »
Dancing with the ‘Dores
Friday, April 10 | 6:30 – 9:00 pm | Sarratt Cinema
Vanderbilt students will perform various styles of Latin dance that they learned over the course of the semester and compete with other pairs to win Dancing with the ‘Dores. More information »
Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, April 11 | 9:30 am – 5:00 pm | Public Square Park
Enjoy Japanese culture through food, performance, and educational lectures — All free to the public! Other highlights include vendors and the Cherry Blossom Walk. More information »


































