CLS and NSLI-Y Cross-Program Mentoring Project

Paula Zhang (Korean 2017), a 2017 ADF receipient, carried out a virtual mentorship program from November 2017 to March 2018 pairing alumni of both NSLI-Y and CLS with alumni of NSLI-Y looking to apply for CLS, culminating in an event in New York City on March 13, 2018 featuring a Diplomat-in-Residence, a Peace Corps Recruiter, and a Fulbright alum. Her goal was for NSLI-Y alumni to have someone to guide them through the ins and outs of the CLS application process and on-program experience who understood where they are as alumni of NSLI-Y looking to expand on their linguistic knowledge and State Department exchange experience. Her in-person event, ‘Building On Your State Exchange’ was held at NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development. The event was open to CLS and other U.S. Department of State Exchange program alumni to hear from outstanding alumnae of other U.S. Department of State program. Speakers include Usha Pitts (Diplomat-in-Residence and a career Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State), Shannon McBride (Former Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda) and Katie Bakarich (Fulbright Germany alumna and the President of the Greater New York chapter of the Fulbright Association). Many alumni from different programs such as NSLI-Y, CLS, Gilman, Fulbright, Boren, and CBYX participated in this event.