Nine Princeton undergraduates will intern and conduct research internationally this summer as the University's first Streicker Fellows.
The Streicker International Fellows Fund was established in 2015 to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to carry out substantive research or educational projects while immersed in a foreign culture. The fellows have designed their own projects or internships in conjunction with host organizations outside the United States. During their summer abroad, they will delve more deeply into their areas of study, expand their perspectives and improve their ability to speak another language.
The program, administered by the University's Office of International Programs, is made possible through a gift from John Streicker, a member of Princeton's Class of 1964 and chairman of the board of the New York City-based Sentinel Real Estate Corp., and his children: Margaret Streicker Porres, a member of the Class of 1997 and president of Newcastle Realty Services in New York; Michael Streicker, a member of the Class of 1999 and managing director of Sentinel Real Estate; and Elizabeth Streicker Albertini, a member of the Class of 2002 and a psychiatrist in New York.
A major in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, John Streicker had his own "life-changing" experience in Johannesburg, South Africa, as an undergraduate. "As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, the ability to straddle and understand different cultures and systems becomes increasingly important," he said. "It is my hope that this new program will be another tool for Princeton students as they live and compete in this changing environment."
Streicker's previous gifts to Princeton include Streicker Bridge, a 350-foot span over Washington Road near the south edge of campus, and Streicker Walk, which extends from Washington Road to Prospect House. He also has been a perennial leader of the University's Annual Giving efforts.
The Streicker Fellows are:
Douglas Bastidas
Douglas Bastidas, a member of the Class of 2017, of Little Rock, Arkansas. He is a Woodrow Wilson School major with a particular interest in the Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) program and in computer science. Bastidas will be a solar energy intern with Thrive Energy Technologies in Hyderabad, India. The company develops and deploys commercial solar LED-based products and contributes to a number of nonprofit initiatives that bring LED portable home lights to those in need.
Ryan Fulmer
Ryan Fulmer, a member of the Class of 2016, of Broomall, Pennsylvania. He is a Woodrow Wilson School major working toward a certificate in Near Eastern studies. Fulmer will be an intern with the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute in Qatar, where he will conduct primary field surveys and explore the region's culture.
Jacqueline Gufford
Jacqueline Gufford, a member of the Class of 2017, of East Brunswick, New Jersey. She is a Woodrow Wilson School major working toward a certificate in Italian language and culture. Gufford will be an intern in Florence, Italy, at the Medici Archive Project, which provides students and scholars around the world with research resources through an online catalog.
Hope Kean
Hope Kean, a member of the Class of 2018, of Potomac, Maryland. Kean, who plans to study neuroscience, will be an intern in a lab in the neuroscience department at Seoul National University in Korea. The lab focuses on the AMPA receptor, a modulator for synaptic plasticity, and the associated proteins that affect its expression.
Yun-Yun Li
Yun-Yun Li, a member of the Class of 2017, of Bethesda, Maryland. She is an ecology and evolutionary biology major working toward a certificate in environmental studies. As an intern with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) in Bangkok, Thailand, she will meet directors of grassroots organizations from throughout Southeast Asia. Her work for INEB will facilitate connections between these organizations and the wider INEB network, helping to connect them with international sources of support.
Sean Muleady
Sean Muleady, a member of the Class of 2017, of Fullerton, California. He is a physics major with particular interests in condensed matter physics and in French language and culture. Muleady will be doing quantum materials research at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, which has one of the leading condensed matter physics programs in Europe.
Varshini Narayanan
Varshini Narayanan, a member of the Class of 2016, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She is an anthropology major pursuing certificates in Spanish language and culture, musical performance, and translation and intercultural communication. Narayanan will be the customer reception and marketing and communications intern at Musea del Baile Flamenco in Seville, Spain. She will also conduct independent research related to her senior thesis in anthropology, which focuses on artistic cultural expression.
Lea Trusty
Lea Trusty, a member of the Class of 2016, of Saint Rose, Louisiana. A politics major working toward a certificate in Latin American studies, she will be the communications and outreach intern at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) in Mexico City. CDM empowers Mexico-based migrant workers to defend and protect their rights as they move between their home communities in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States.
Hannah Vester (Photos courtesy of the Office of International Programs)
Hannah Vester, a member of the Class of 2017, of Newton, Massachusetts. She is a politics major working toward a certificate in Near Eastern studies. She will be an intern with Shatil in Jerusalem, an organization that has been on the cutting edge of building civil society and actively promoting democracy, tolerance and social justice in Israel for 30 years.
