From WACLV Student Scholar to U.S.–Indonesia Fellow: Mia Tschan’s Citizen-Diplomacy Journey

2 days ago

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A WACLV-connected student scholar carried Southern Nevada’s commitment to global learning from Washington, D.C., to Indonesia in 2026. Mia Tschan, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas Honors College student, was first selected through the World Affairs Councils of America’s competitive Student Scholars program, where she represented the World Affairs Council of Las Vegas among 25 undergraduate participants.

From Las Vegas to Indonesia

The U.S.-Indonesia Society then selected Tschan as one of 12 Summer Studies Fellows for 2026. The program ran from June 2 through August 7 in Yogyakarta and Jakarta, combining intensive language study with cultural immersion and direct engagement with Indonesian institutions and communities.

USINDO’s fellowship announcement describes Tschan as a second-year UNLV Honors College student majoring in political science, with minors in Brookings public policy and global entrepreneurship. Her campus work has included student journalism, research with Brookings Mountain West and the Lincy Institute, and service through the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

Learning the language from the ground up

In an August 12 reflection written in Indonesian, Tschan described completing 104 hours of language instruction at Sanata Dharma University, alongside tutoring and cultural classes. After four weeks of study, she delivered a six-minute Indonesian-language exam presentation—an achievement she contrasted with arriving without even basic greetings.

Her account also describes learning through a homestay, site visits, experiential classrooms, and conversations with people across Yogyakarta. She wrote that she planned to continue studying Indonesian through classes offered by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington.

Why the journey matters

The arc from a WACLV-affiliated national scholar program to an immersive international fellowship is a clear example of how global education compounds. A conference introduces institutions and career paths; language study and home-based exchange turn that curiosity into relationships, humility, and practical cross-cultural skill.

For WACLV, the story is also local: Southern Nevada students are not only studying international affairs—they are participating in the people-to-people work that sustains international understanding.