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English major Camber Mathews ’25 earned a highly esteemed and selective Princeton in Asia Fellowship to teach English to young learners between ages 7 and 17 at the Vientiane College in Vientiane, Laos, for one year.

Each year only about 50 students earn coveted spots in the Princeton in Asia (PiA) program, the goal of which is to foster mutual appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the United States and Asia. Fellowship students build lasting relationships through transformative, immersive fellowships ranging from education and public health to environmental sustainability, arts, and economic development.

Since 1898, the PiA program has placed over 3,400 recent graduates in immersive fellowships and internships in over 30 countries and regions throughout Asia. Hailing from diverse academic and professional paths and bringing global perspectives from institutions across the U.S. and beyond, PiA Fellows receive a paid placement with a host organization in Asia—complete with a living stipend, visa support, health and safety resources, cultural guidance from in-country advisors, access to language grants, and lifelong connection to the PiA alumni network and mentorship community.

From day one at Rollins, Mathews immersed herself in experiential learning activities that aligned with her passions, actively participating in Rollins’ Emerging Leaders Institute, four community service Immersion experiences, and several global field studies focusing on everything from South African and Viking literature and culture to Ancient Egypt.

Mathews credits her advisor, English professor Emily Russell, for being foundational to both her academic and personal success throughout her time at Rollins. Channeling Mathews’ interest in generative AI, the two co-authored the book chapter “Partnering with AI to Make Thinking Visible,” forthcoming in From Both Sides of the Desk: Faculty/Student Perceptions of Best Teaching Practices.

“Dr. Russell taught innovative courses that allowed me to experiment and engage in different kinds of intellectual labor,” says Mathews. “While she gave me a platform to academically thrive and be constantly challenged, she also profoundly changed the way I see myself and the world around me. Her unwavering kindness and support helped me through some of the best and hardest moments in college. As an exceptional advisor whose door was always open, she was consistently there to help work through my questions and concerns, and I will be forever grateful for her mentorship.”

But perhaps most importantly, Mathews had the opportunity to teach English language and professional development courses with the Himalayan Youth Foundation in Kathmandu, Nepal.

“The practical skills and leadership experience I gained from my varied experiences at Rollins led to my hiring as the first non-Nepali English language and writing teacher at a Kathmandu boarding home for disadvantaged Himalayan youth,” shares Mathews. “This experience taught me that effective cross-cultural exchange requires more than just classroom instruction; it demands full immersion in daily challenges and collaborative problem-solving.”

Her summers in Nepal crystallized her desire to work at the intersection of women’s global health care and education, which led to a competitive Global Livingston Institute travel grant to serve as a community health intern for a nonprofit in Uganda and later contributing to social impact work with the Callas Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. She studied abroad in Amsterdam and traveled throughout Morocco for a semester studying international perspectives on sexuality and gender, culminating in her thesis.

“I entered Rollins with the goal of maximizing international immersive learning opportunities,” says Mathews. “Thanks to meticulous planning, hard work, and generous scholarship support, I’ve built an impressive resume of global learning and leadership experiences. The exceptional mentorship I received from dedicated Rollins faculty and staff, including Jessica Jurado Arroyo from the Center for Career & Life Planning and Giselda Beaudin from the Office of International Programs, proved invaluable, as they secured crucial summer internship scholarship funding and provided ongoing guidance, affording me the opportunity to complement each on-site internship with specialized professional development coursework.”

Mathews currently plans to pursue a master’s in public health and remains open to how her PiA experience may define and determine her future career paths.

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