Yuji Kono ’25 Awarded Shansi Fellowship

What will you be doing, thanks to the Shansi Fellowship?

I will spend the next two years teaching English at Shanxi Agricultural University in Taigu, China. I will leave for China in August, and I will spend the summer studying Mandarin before I leave.

How does the Shansi Fellowship align with your career goals and areas of study at Oberlin?

At first, it might not seem like the Shansi position in China lines up with what I’ve studied at Oberlin. I applied for a lot of fellowships in German-speaking countries as well as Japan, with German and Japanese being the two languages I chose. However, I feel being able to work in and explore China for two years fit very well as a next step after what I have studied at Oberlin. Something I realized from my academic work, especially in the history department, is that I love transnational approaches to history. Being able to have a grasp of both Chinese and Japanese will help me broaden perspectives on the two countries and East Asia (I have an East Asian Studies minor), and apply a transnational lens to a country/region which I have spent a bit of time studying at Oberlin.

Do you have a faculty mentor? If so, what’s the best advice they have given you?

I have several faculty members which I would consider my mentor. One piece of advice that I got from Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies Emer O’Dwyer is, “Be attentive to your interests.” While I got this advice in the context of thinking about future paths after graduation, I actually think this phrase is great advice to anyone in college overall.

You were the recipient of several awards, but decided to accept this fellowship. Why?

I was the recipient of a Fulbright-Germany award as well as a USTA Austria award in Vienna. There are a few reasons why I picked Shansi. First, I felt that the kind of support and strong alumni networks which Shansi provides is really unique and something I can’t get with the other Fellowships. I think that two years of being able to gain strong Chinese language skills is something which I can combine in interesting ways with my Oberlin background studying Japan. Two years as opposed to one year is certainly a bit daunting, but I think I will grow much more than I would with one year in a Western European country.

What advice would you like to give incoming students?

I think I would give three simple pieces of advice to incoming students. First and foremost, talk to professors! Go to office hours or talk to professors after class. Even if there isn’t anything you don’t understand, talk to professors just to get to know them and learn about what they do or who they are. Second, apply to things. You’ll probably get lots of opportunities if you keep an eye on your email or look at posters. If you’re on the fence about whether or not you have what it takes to be the one selected, just apply. Most of the time, you have nothing to lose. Finally, learn a language. This is more subjective, but I think I’ve gotten so much out of learning a language at Oberlin, and I think it broadens your perspective in a way that is applicable to almost all other classes and life in general.

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