America, the Land of Opportunity

To begin with, I was very fortunate to participate in the abovementioned program, that took place on Mar 14-Apr 18, 2018 hosted by the esteemed East-West Center. I will try not to be too technical on my writing because the full and precise information can be obtained from their dedicated websites;

I first heard about YSEALI when through the YSEALI Borneo Eco Warriors (July 2017) that I took part in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The program gathered 30 youth from Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak, to be part of environment mitigation movement. It is a fully sponsored program (flights, transfers, food and accommodation) organised by Green Brunei and Green Semporna (Sabah).

Thanks to Firdaus and his team, the participants of the program were automatically registered to the membership subscription of the YSEALI network. And so, this is how I found out about the YSEALI Spring Academic Fellowship a few months later.

In short, the fellowship is an intensive 5 weeks course in which young leaders in Southeast Asia will reside in the United States. The host institute will organise various learning experience, visits, activities and opportunities to enhance understanding on the selected themes from (1) Civic Engagement, (2) Environmental Issues, and (3) Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

I was the representative from Brunei, amongst 21 other ASEAN young leaders to the YSEALI Spring Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues. Since 2013, there has been 2 YSEALI Academic Fellowships per year which are in the Spring (Mar-Apr) and Fall (Oct-Nov) terms.

As written in my previous articles, we got to visit Hawai'i (Oahu), California (Yosemite, Oakland and San Francisco) and Washington D.C. and I am not sure if other themes have such privilege like ours where we got to experience a weekend stay with our host families in Hawai'i. We changed from living in a tropical, dorm to cold, glamping in the woods, a 70s motel, Hostelling International and this means several plane rides, changes from train to bus and taxis.

This program is perfect for youth aged 18-25 year old as everything is paid for, including more than enough allowances to cover for your expenses, cultural experiences and buying books. I never thought that I will be able to afford visiting the United States, particularly Hawai'i - everyone told me that it is so expensive to be there.

With the money that was given to us, I was able to get the expensive tickets to the NBA game Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelican in Oakland. I was able to buy souvenirs for my family and friends back home, as well as dined in restaurants whenever I can.

It is also ideal for youth who are seeking opportunity to develop themselves professionally and to network with other Southeast Asian friends. I highly recommend for you to apply to this program! (or to the Professional Fellowship if you are over 25, and Regional Workshop for a shorter term course).

You must demonstrate a strong interest for environmental conservation to participate in the program, though there are participants that major in other fields such as business, entrepreneurship, marketing that did the cut into the program. So don't worry too much, you won't lose anything when you send your application. Go for it!

The 21 other participants are some of the smartest, funniest and sweetest people I have ever met.

There were 4 rep from Indonesia; Nesha, Luci, Robby and Zalida, 3 from Malaysia; Fatin, Jason and Don, 3 from Philippines; Pam, MJ and Ey, 3 from Vietnam; Thanh, Tuan and Linh, 2 from Cambodia; Pheakdey and Nick, 2 from Myanmar; Ae and Koko, 2 from Thailand; Pugwan and Nap,
1 from Laos; Ling and lastly 1 from Singapore; Han.

The youngest is 18 years old and we have 2 participants who are 26 years old, but were 25 at the time of applying. I enjoyed the time where we got to discuss on current issues, ideas and opinions, and sharing of what happened in our respective countries and our cultures and backgrounds. The friendships developed over 5 weeks will last a lifetime for sure.

One of the craziest times was like a team-building activity in disguise. This was when the 8 of us went to hike the Moanalua mountain ridge - and got lost! We went straight ahead instead of taking the small, subtle marked route towards the Stairway to Heaven.

The hike was tough, and the ridge was so steep that we had to grab on roots and climbed sideways. At one point, there was nothing to grab on and we had to dig onto the soft ridge and make some holes to get our footings in. And someone had to push you up (or use a branch as a stick to pull you up). I was miserable and terrible on this day but it was fun when we got to bath in the one of the 17 streams at the foot of the ridge. Memories!

So anyway back to the YSEALI application - it was simple, as long as you provide all that is asked for and prepare yourself during the interview. First I submitted my application form (see sample of Personal Statement below) then not too long wait about a month later I got an email saying I was shortlisted and need to come to the US Embassy for an interview.

I was in Thailand at the time so they did a Skype interview instead (just audio) which was less nerve-wracking than being in front of the panels themselves right? After that, about a few days later they sent another email saying I need to write 100 words paragraph of what I wish to do upon the completion of the program. Special thanks to my friend, Melissa who helped me Americanized my 100 words paragraph and amped it up to the next level.

'' I plan to start a social enterprise called “LAUT (Looking After our Underwater Treasures)” with the objective of building the capacity of Bruneian youth to understand and advocate for marine resource management by harnessing the power of social media. My previous experience volunteering in various conservation NGOs in Southeast Asia and the UK has inspired me to be proactive when developing marine conservation activities. I envision an organization that will be able to generate its own income by selling eco-friendly products, implementing a volunteer-tourism program and by leveraging CSR partnerships. LAUT strongly believes that youth are the key to behavior change. ''

They liked my answer and told me that I am the principal candidate to the program. I made it!

LOADS of other forms to fill after that, mainly regarding your visa, allowances and release of liability (the Americans love this form so much that we had to sign our life away when we first arrived in East-West Center, Hawai'i too. lol). Other things flooded my mailbox later such as pre-arrival assignments, briefing, survey and information on travel and living arrangement.

Here are my official statements that I filled in the program's debrief form:

1. Why did you choose this program?

The YSEALI Academic Fellowship is a prestigious learning experience that involves a chance to travel in the United States to interact with Americans and to understand how environmental issues are dealt with. Other than the incentive of the program being fully funded, it also offers the chance for young green leaders in Southeast Asia to work together and networking.

2. Why did you choose the USA?

There is plenty of case studies from the U.S. that I learned about in school and from TV and movies. The American influence and power is the most apparent in the modern world and I believe that the program I have completed has helped me to further my knowledge and applied some practical skills.

3. What did you learn?

One of the best part of the learning process is that it was tailored to be very interactive and eye opening. I learned various ideas on how to approach environmental issues and to make informed decisions. Traveling in the U.S has taught me better on the American history, culture and the people. Aspects such as leadership and confidence are enhanced when given a chance to work together in a team with individuals from different backgrounds. I have published some of my reflections during the trip in my blog: moanamina.strikingly.com

4. What is your #1 takeaway from your program?

The traditional viewpoint and romanticizing of conservation and nature, is no longer applicable in the anthropocene. We can not take human out of nature, as human is a part of nature.

The selection process only took about 1 month and the embassy is very efficient during the whole process.

Oct 15, 2017

Submitted application via email to the embassy

Nov 3, 2017

Shortlisted notification to attend an interview at the embassy

Nov 8, 2017

Interview day

Nov 10, 2017

Requested to write a 100 words for community project that I envision/plan upon the completion of the YSEALI Academic Fellowship Program.

Nov 12, 2017

Submitted the 100 words proposal

Nov 17, 2017

Selected as the principal candidate, and so passport is requested for visa application process and other formalities.

This program has impacted my life greatly and helped to develop myself personally and professionally. I hope this article will be useful for you and inspire you to participate in the similar fellowship or anything relevant. Do let me know if you have any questions I will be more than happy to respond!

Personal Statement:

Tell us about yourself and your goals including the following: Your background and/ or interests that make you competitive for this particular program (please be as specific as possible). What will you contribute to the group? How do you expect this experience to affect your future academic and professional career? How will it affect you personally? Please structure your essay in paragraphs and limit your response to 250 words, or approximately half a page, single spaced.

Over the past few years, I have endeavored in numerous exciting experiences to fulfill my passion towards the environment, particularly the ocean. I was first involved with marine conservation in early 2014 as I dedicated six months for the Coral Propagation Programme organized by the Society for Community Outreach and Training, Brunei. As an Environment Officer and a scuba diving instructor at Poni Divers, Brunei (since 2014) I have the insights on the local ocean conservation efforts and organised activities to several local schools.

I had previous internships with an environmental consultant company, DHI Water & Environment (2015) and Fisheries Department, within the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (2016), in which they have given me a better outlook on the local marine environmental management and policies. I have also participated in a number of environmental conservation projects regionally, such as in the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand.

And so, I hope that by participating in the prestigious YSEALI Academic Fellowship Programme, I can anticipate working together with individuals from internationally-diverse backgrounds and broaden my horizon on environmental issues. The United States has been the forerunner in ground-breaking green technology and energy resources in which I can acquire various knowledge and skills to be applied for my country’s sustainable development use.

As a young leader, I am driven to engage directly to mitigate risks, protect the environment and restore marine habitat. With the ever increasing rate of environmental degradation and coastal development, more action will need to be taken to protect the precious maritime areas. (254 words)