College junior Katherine Moronta spent this last summer in Argentina interning at a local nonprofit to help families with autistic children lead happier lives. Daniel Wang became a firsthand witness to Germany’s devotion to sustainability while working on an awareness and education project in Berlin. In Hong Kong, Malia Simon worked to solve global climate challenges while experiencing the culture that the city has to offer.

Thanks to the fully-funded Cultural Vistas Fellowship, 15 American college students had similar experiences interning in Buenos Aires, Berlin, and Hong Kong.

Cultural Vistas’ namesake fellowship program is a unique eight-week summer internship for American college students that removes cost as an obstacle to studying abroad and ensures a great learning and immersion experience. Fellows live in another country, immerse themselves in a foreign culture, gain professional experience at workplace internships, solve global challenges, and return as civic change leaders.

Our #CVFellows had the time of their lives last summer. Next summer, you could be one of them.

We are now recruiting for the 2020 Class of Cultural Vistas Fellows.

Apply now to be a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity to work and live abroad.

Wondering how to make it happen? Here are some insider tips for a once in a lifetime opportunity to work overseas, expand your professional skill set, and tap into a global network.

• Align your goals with the fellowship’s goals

The Cultural Vistas Fellowship is designed for young civic change leaders and college students passionate about solving global development challenges but at the same time there is also no one type of Cultural Vistas Fellow. Most successful applicants understand this and outline their past experiences accordingly. Know yourself and highlight your social change and development experiences in the application. Since you will be a citizen diplomat representing the United States abroad, it is important to showcase your strengths in the application. At the same time, there is no specific strength or experience that we’re looking for. We want to hear what makes you, you!

• Don’t hesitate to ask for help

It is quite possible that this is your first professional fellowship application, and that is absolutely okay. It’s always great to ask for help. Reach out to professors (you’ll need them for recommendations too), seek assistance from university services, and speak to peers who have applied to similar programs in the past. This will help in organizing your resume and drafting your essay questions. Explain to them why you feel deserving of the fellowship and translate those ideas into your essay questions. Remember to have them proofread your application materials as well.

• Research and reflect!

A great way to impress the selection committee is to research preferred placement opportunities before the interview. Try to understand their mission, work, and culture to link that with your career goals. As you show how you can benefit the host organization, it’s also wise to show how they can contribute to your growth. Tie their mission with your future career goals to stress on how beneficial this will be for you in the long term. It also helps to highlight your commitment to return to the United States as a young leader in your field and contribute to development in the U.S. Think of this fellowship as an investment in your future, and let your application reflect your anticipated return.

Contact us if you have any specific questions, and look out for upcoming Cultural Vistas Fellowship webinars over the coming weeks that will help you throughout the application process. Best of luck! We look forward to reading your application!

Cultural Vistas is now recruiting for its 2020 class of Cultural Vistas Fellows. Join our webinar for more information!