“I truly recommend SEAFLI — the program is an incredible and well-designed, albeit challenging, experience! The faculty are encouraging and genuinely care about you as a person as well as your language advancements. And Madison is a lovely city during the summer.”
-SEAFLI 2024 Student
SEAFLI Alumni: Where Are They Now?
Name: Michael (He/His)
Year of program: 2018
Were you a Boren Scholar or Fellow? Fellow
What was your major/field of study? Geology/Homeland Security dual masters
(*survey completed in October 2021*)
Where are you now? Describe your career/study path since completing the RFLI program. Emergency Management Specialist, Individual and Community Preparedness Division, National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA
How did your education and experience in the RFLI program enhance or change your career path?
The service benefit from the Boren directly led to my current career with the Federal Government. I applied for my position through the NSEP platform following my return to the US.
What advice would you give to prospective RFLI participants?
Spend as much time as possible ‘in the language’ and always push your vocabulary to it’s limits. It’s much better to try and miss the mark and learn than to not speak at all. Make small talk, read, do hobbies, think, and dream in your Boren language!
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Name:
Camille
Year of program:
2019
Were you a Boren Scholar or Fellow?
Scholar
What was your major/field of study?
Economics
(*survey completed in January 2021*)
Where are you now? Describe your career/study path since completing the RFLI program.
I am currently interning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Southeast Asia Program in Washington, D.C. while finishing my final year at Georgetown University. For this program in particular, proficiency in a Southeast Asian language is preferred, so my Indonesian is a tremendous help for my daily research and tasks.
How did your education and experience in the RFLI program enhance or change your career path?
While I was in the IFLI program, I was able to become ACTFL Advanced/ILR 2+, which gave me the confidence to speak Indonesian at a professional level. Instead of taking more Indonesian language and cultural classes as my focus for the following semester, I interned at the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), a think tank in Jakarta that focused on internationalism and foreign policy. Although I had applied for IFLI with the intention of focusing on environmental sustainability, I later found that geopolitics and high-level intellectual discourse about diplomacy and economic statecraft was something I wanted to explore more! I loved my experience in IFLI, especially since it empowered me to work in Indonesian in the workplace.
What advice would you give to prospective RFLI participants?
Go out of your comfort zone! I had to make a conscious effort to reach out to friends and organizations in the university so I can practice my formal and colloquial Indonesian. Even though I felt like I had done a lot of work in the classroom, going to the workplace also made me realize how much slang or pop culture references I did not know. It’s easy to spend a lot of time with your cohort, but I encourage you to spend more time with your host families and language partners if you can make it a priority.
2018 SEAFLI Boren Scholar
On a Boren Scholarship, Betty Nen studied Indonesian at SEAFLI in 2018. Check out her short film below that highlights her experiences at SEAFLI!
2019 SEAFLI Boren Scholar
SEAFLI alumni, Lisey (Elisebeth) Doty, participated in the Indonesian language competitions, sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Washington DC and the Consortium for the Teaching of Indonesian (COTI), on December 10 & 12, 2020.
She decidedly won four awards!!
1. First place in the Academic Paper competition
2. First place in the Poetry Writing and Reading competition
3. Winner of the Audience Favorite Award for both categories above
Watch Lisey’s interview on the SEA Morning Show highlighting Bahasa Indonesia, discussing her time with SEAFLI, and stating why she believes it’s important to learn this critical language!
Important Links
Comments from SEAFLI Alumni
“My experience with SEAFLI-Indonesian at UW Madison allowed me to become more proficient in the culture and language before going abroad. I also became close with my cohort, making it easier for me to have a strong support network in Indonesia!”
“The linguistics gains made over these eight weeks [are] truly remarkable. I was not sure learning Thai was possible for me, and now I feel well prepared for my time abroad.”
“I think the Indonesian professors are some of the most amazing, supportive, and encouraging people I have ever met. I feel like I’ve learned so much and I am so fortunate to have had [them] as my professors.”
“Give the activities your all. You’ll inspire others to do the same.”
“Do your homework, enjoy Madison, and try your best to have fun in class! It will make the summer very enjoyable and feel less like going back to schools for two months.”
“I loved my IFLI class and cohort. My Language Partner allowed me to learn how to converse with individuals my age about relevant topics.”
“Though no one expected these circumstances, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my last 8 weeks of virtual-IFLI. I really enjoyed forming new friendships and observing my rapid language improvement thanks to help from our patient, kind instructors and my awesome language partner. ”
“This program was one of the best things I’ve done. I feel that my instructors and language partners pushed me out of my comfort zone to truly learn the basics of the language and improve my skills. I feel that the immersive experience next year will be even better, especially since the remote version was still very enjoyable. I am very excited to continue my Indonesian studies, as I really love how beautiful this language is, along with the culture. I met some great people who are just as interested and passionate, which has really encouraged me to keep studying. I feel that this program has helped me realize that my efforts in language learning are worth it, due to the progress I’ve made.”
Want to share your experience with SEAFLI and be featured on our ‘Student Voices’ page? Email us at: seafli@lpo.wisc.edu