Eli Fisher Awarded Shansi Fellowship in Indonesia

Eli Fisher ’16, a religion major, has been awarded a Shansi Fellowship to teach English in Indonesia.

“I chose to apply for a Shansi Fellowship because of the opportunity to teach, and I have really enjoyed the experiences I have had teaching in other countries,” he says. While in Indonesia, Fisher will be living in the city of Yogyakarta on the Island of Java and teaching at Gadjah Mada University. He will be teaching English and serving as a writing tutor for students writing their master’s theses, which must be written in English. He will also be taking classes at the university, including language courses of his own.

The West Hartford, Connecticut, native has enjoyed travelling in Asia previously, including trips to India, Nepal, and Thailand. He says the opportunity for more travel was another reason he chose to apply for the fellowship. However, he is also anticipating settling in one place for a while. “I am looking forward to becoming really familiar with one particular area, and being able to feel less like a tourist while being in another country. And from everything I have heard, Yogyakarta seems like an awesome place to spend two years,” he says.

While at Oberlin, he played for the men’s lacrosse team for three years, practiced tai chi with a local instructor, and organized concerts as a member of the Oberlin College Program Board. Over the past two years, he also hosted a radio show on WOBC and recently started fencing.

Fisher says his time at Oberlin gave him the confidence to live and teach in another country and prepared him for the challenges ahead. “During my time at Oberlin I have been exposed to many different styles of teaching and learning, which I believe will help me while working at the university,” he says, adding, “also, I’ve learned how to write a good email!”

Fisher will depart for Indonesia in mid-June.