Hae Jin Son, 2017 Rosenthall Fellow, descusses her experience do far and why she was drawn to the fellowship.

"My name is Hae Jin Son, and I am a rising senior majoring in international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs. This summer I was selected to receive the Marcia Rosenthall Fellowship Award. The Rosenthall Fellowship is a yearly fellowship awarded to former WLP students that provides a summer internship at the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District in conjunction with an independent research project. As the Rosenthall Fellow of 2017, I am working as the public realm intern and working with Professor Hovander to research the impact and value of a Business Improvement District within the community it serves.

For my first blog post about the Marcia Rosenthall Fellowship, I would like to talk about why I was attracted to the fellowship and the process for submitting an application.

I first developed an interest in city development while interning in Seoul, South Korea during the 2016 fall semester. I was fascinated by how the Cheong Gye Cheon, a stream running through the Korean business district, brought distinct groups of people together. The Cheong Gye Cheon Restoration Project started in 2002 to preserve historical relics and design a new sewer system for wastewater and rainfall. It was designed in a way that revitalized the Seoul’s Central Business District. It is now a famous area where office workers rest during their lunch break, tourists gather for photo-ops, and street musicians perform.

After I came back to GW to begin the spring semester of 2017, I received an email from Professor Buckley, director of the WLP program, about the fellowship opportunity. The fellowship sounded like an excellent way to investigate the impacts of planned communities through understanding how a business district operated.

Most people when they learn about my fellowship are curious about the application process. I wanted to use this first blog as a way to outline the many steps I went through.

1. Scheduled a meeting with the director of the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research

I met with Mr. Paul Hoyt-O’Connor for a short meeting. He gave me advice on how to prepare and tailor my application.  

2. Interviewed a previous fellow

I reached out to Lauren Farello, the WLP alumna and recipient of the Rosenthall Fellow for the summer of 2014. I found her contact from the WLP website. She gave me a detailed overview of her fellowship experience.

3. Secured an advisor

I reached out to Professor Hovander, my economics professor while at WLP (Globalization, Economics and Business cohort, 2014-2015). I asked if she would be my adviser for the research part of the fellowship, and she said yes!

4. Requested a recommendation letter

I visited Professor Donovan who taught my University Writing course (Women and Literature: Jane Austen) during the 2015 spring semester and asked her to write me a letter of support for the application. She was happy to write the letter and submit it to the selection committee within a day!

5. Wrote an application essay and revised with comments

I wrote a one-page essay for the Fellowship application about why I am interested in the internship. I’m fortunate that I have great friends at GW who were willing to provide feedback and encouragement!

6. Submitted my application  

On the extended due date on March 23rd, I dropped off my application at the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research.

7. Made it to the final round

Three weeks after I dropped off the application, I got an email saying that I made it through the first round and am a finalist for the fellowship!

8. Interviewed

On April 18th, I interviewed with Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District.

9. Congratulations!

On April 23rd, I received a Congratulations! email from Professor Buckley announcing that I am the Rosenthall Fellow for summer 2017. Later that day my mentor, Li Zheng, sent me another Congratulations email and told me that her mentor, Memphis Holland, founded the Fellowship Award. What a small world! It was in the middle of stressful final exam week. I was so happy and excited for the opportunity that I took the Vex right after to visit the Mount Vernon campus where I started my time in GW with WLP program.

To close the post, I want to thank everyone who encouraged and supported me throughout the application process. This is a great opportunity for those who want to explore the field of city development, local activism, and community service. For my next post I will write about projects I’m working on at my internship!"

-Hae Jin Son