Annisah Smith

“Being awarded the Critical Language Scholarship was a special moment for me as it allowed me to finally learn Bahasa Indonesia in a formal setting and connect with my Indonesian family.”

Annisah Smith participated in CLS Indonesian in 2015 and 2016 in Malang, Indonesia. She grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and spoke a mix of informal Indonesian and Malay at home, while attending an international school.

“As a heritage speaker, growing up speaking the language at home, it was difficult to transition to learning the language formally in a classroom. Even though it was a challenge, I knew being able to read and write Bahasa Indonesia was necessary if I ever wanted to live and work in Indonesia. This proved beneficial when I began interning at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 2017 and was was tasked to write formal letters and documents.”

Each time I look back on my summers with the CLS Program I can’t help but feel gratitude for the chance to learn my mother’s language and culture and build a career that continues to bring me closer to my second home.

From the connections she made from her research in Malaysia, Annisah will be starting a new job in Singapore at Stewardship Asia Center, whose mission is to promote stewardship and governance across Asia by working with corporations to foster responsible wealth creation for the long-term.