2017 Appel Fellows

"I want to write about my journey to discover 'my individual culture', as an ethnic North-Indian, raised in South India. I'll start by taking a gene-ancestry test and then trace back my roots through a journey across the Indian countryside. I'll take two trains—one in the North to visit the places my ancestors have descended from, and one across the South to see where the South Indian culture I’ve adopted stems from. I hope to compile these essays into a book by the end of 2020 to find harmony between my two cultures in one country, and in me."

"I am applying for the Appel Fellowship to pursue an independent writing project in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands with support from my faculty advisor and mentors from the nonprofits I currently work at. This writing project will build upon the work of a climate project I have created, Our Climate Story, and aims to capture storytelling traditions in the region and how storytelling builds resilience in communities in fights against climate change."

"I would like to work with Borneo Productions International, a Peabody-nominated documentary film company based out of Palangka Raya, central Kalimantan. I will be learning basic film editing skills . I will also have the opportunity to accompany their film crew when they are shooting in the field. I plan on compiling my experiences with two mediums: long-form, narrative journalism, and film."

"My project consists of a road trip through the Western United States visiting skateparks in major cities and small towns. At each skatepark I will interview or interact with people and learn about their experiences with the sport and its role in each community and write a piece connecting the common experiences of the people I meet and compile their experiences into a series of short stories capturing the overarching themes I encounter. I will also have a photographer with me for a visual element to the final writing project."

"With the sponsorship of the Appel Fellowship, I will write, design, and ultimately publish a series of children's books, where the main characters are elements of the periodic table. The characters’ personalities will reflect the chemical properties of the elements, and the fantasy style (focused on characterization) will allow children to engage with chemistry material without intimidation. I will attend the Oregon Coast Children’s Book Writers Workshop over a week in July, to further develop my skills to write effectively for children."

"As a Third-Culture Kid (TCK), I've spent more time in airports than most people I know. I've always thought of the airport as my home, and a place for me to say goodbye and greet new people. Alain de Botton's "A Week at the Airport" gave me an idea to travel to different airports and explore my TCK identity by interviewing people in airports about their lives, travels, and philosophies. I also plan on interviewing those waiting in airports for a visa (i.e. North Korean and Syrian refugees who are awaiting entry into South Korea) and etc."

"I have compiled a list of multiple historic locations across the United States that reflect both positive and negative aspects of American patriotism and culture. I want to take a few months to drive around the country to analyze these sights and see where they fit in the American story and how they affect modern society. I also hope to gain exposure to different beliefs and sub-cultures within the nation by interviewing people I meet on my journey."

"I intend to do a road trip through nine states (from California to Texas, then north to Kansas, then back west) attending comedy clubs and interviewing locals from these areas. I want to see how the cultural values and comedic preferences of these areas differ from my Southern Californian bubble and get an idea of where our differences truly lie. With this experience I hope to gain a better understanding of these often unmentioned tracts of America that dramatically shook up the liberal conscious that was prevalent before November 2016, as well better understand my fellow Americans."