Exploring Identity and Research Pathways Through CELA

Katelyn Liu ’26 has used opportunities through the Center for Engaged Liberal Arts (CELA) to clarify her academic interests and solidify her long-term career goals. Supported by consistent mentorship and resources, her journey highlights the power of undergraduate research.

Liu began her time at Oberlin exploring Asian and Asian American experiences, which guided her first two winter term projects. She later applied to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), proposing research centering around Asian and Asian American asexualities. The fellowship provides selected students with two years of mentored research experience in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. 

As a Mellon Mays Fellow, Liu participated in the Oberlin Summer Research Institute (OSRI), where she spent the summer on campus working intensively on her project. “OSRI’s programming guided me as I undertook research for the first time,” she says. “By the end of the program, I felt a significant growth in my writing and presentation skills.”

With support from Oberlin’s Study Away office, Liu spent her spring 2025 semester in Amsterdam. There, she expanded her research by conducting interviews with asexual East Asian Dutch people. “Something that shocked me during my time abroad was the unique ways in which East Asian Dutch people were marginalized as perceived foreigners to a much greater extent than in the U.S.,” she says.

Liu also utilized funding from Career Exploration and Development’s Internship+ program, which allowed her to participate in the University of Chicago’s Summer Research Training Program. Additional support from the Jerome Davis Research Award helped fund her compensation and other expenses.

After Oberlin, Liu hopes to pursue a PhD in sociology to continue her research and teach at a university. “CELA’s support and resources have greatly guided me and shaped my undergraduate trajectory,” she says. “Without CELA’s guidance, I would have never realized that I wanted to pursue a career in academia.”

Liu is a nominee for the CELA Award, recognizing outstanding engagement and achievement in connecting academic pursuits with experiential learning.