About

The International Citizen Leaders Fellowship provides year-long mentorship and training to a select group of international students who want to design and implement an original project to improve the international student experience at UVA.

The Fellowship is a joint collaboration between the International Studies Office and the Contemplative Sciences Center’s Student Flourishing Initiative. The concept of flourishing is used to help students envision the forms of engagement they would like to see on Grounds to enhance the well-being of the greater international student community, or some subset within it. Through a series of reflective activities, periodic “coaching calls” and a one-credit short course in the spring, fellows learn a combination of contemplative practices and ethnographic methods to create change within themselves and the communities they care about. 

Fellows emerge having cultivated their own style of citizen leadership, one that enables them to lead their own lives in ways that are more actively engaged and values-driven, while making it possible for others to do the same.

Meet our International Citizen Leaders Fellows

2024-25 International Citizen Leaders Fellows

International Citizen Leader Fellows in the News

Belonging and Community for International Students

Global Student Spotlight: Hang Nguyen

Global Student Spotlight: Adi Raghavan

African Wedding Experience at UVA

New Cohort of International Student Citizen Leader Fellows

Timeline

• Summer 2024: Students can apply now until September 5. Participants will be selected on the strength of their motivation and the clarity of their vision for improving the wellbeing of the international student community at UVA.
• Fall 2024: Fellows begin the project planning and implementation process and engage in a self-paced, asynchronous series of guided activities (roughly one hour per week) which provide an introduction to the foundational concepts (leadership, contemplation, ethnography) at the heart of this fellowship. Fellows will gather five times in person to build rapport and exchange ideas.
• Spring 2025: Fellows will enroll in a ONE CREDIT SHORT COURSE. The course meets for 8 weeks. Time and day will be determined based on fellows’ schedules after enrollment. The course introduces students to a set of research-based skills, including leadership and public speaking, which will help them move forward with their community-building projects and everyday forms of engagement.  
• After Program Completion: After completing this year-long program fellows are encouraged to continue working on their community engagement projects. To this end, fellows will have continued access to “coaching calls” with ISO and CSC advisors. Fellows will also be invited to serve as mentors to subsequent cohorts of Citizen Leader Fellows. Through their continued involvement, fellows will contribute to the development of a network of engaged citizen leaders rooted within, and extending beyond, the international student community at UVA.

Eligibility Requirements

Undergraduate and graduate students who identify as international student students and are not in their final year of study.

Fellows Expectations and Commitments

• Attend virtual mentoring sessions with a faculty advisor beginning in the Fall
• Participate in the self-paced, asynchronous training in the fall (roughly one hour per week on your own time)
• Create a project timeline in September
• Adhere to project timeline deadlines and expectations set by you and an advisor
• Complete one-credit short course in spring 
• Present project outcomes to the public in May

Why Become a Citizen Leaders Fellow?

The Citizen Leaders Fellowship provides the resources, support, and professional networks to pursue leadership goals you might not otherwise have opportunity to achieve in your academic, professional, or extra-curricular endeavors at UVA.  Here are some of the benefits to pursuing this competitive, professional fellowship:

1. Gain Professional Experience

You will gain professional skills that give you an edge in future job applications and interviews, including:

• Accountability and Strong Work Ethic
• Project Management
• Professional Experience with Credential
• Improved Oral and Written Communication
• Research/Investigative Skills

2. Develop Leadership Skills

You will gain valuable leadership skills benefiting your personal, academic, and future professional life in the areas of:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Teamwork
• Confidence

3. Make a difference in your community

Become an agent of positive change in the international student community at UVA and beyond by:

• Strengthening empathy  
• Feeling sense of purpose and connection
• Having a positive impact on other’s lives
• Discovering meaning and purpose in global identities