Global Educator

As she entered her senior year at LMU, Irvine, California native Iliana Chen had a decision to make. Continue her education by pursuing her master's degree, an option available to her due to her enrollment in LMU's 4+1 education studies program; gain practical experience by putting her Elementary Education degree and teaching credential to work in a classroom here in the United States; or find a way to prioritize her dedication to service and love of travel. She began applying to fellowships around the world to see if she could put it all together- travel, teaching, and service.

With the assistance of LMU's Office of National & International Fellowships, she applied for teaching fellowships around the world, with Fulbright as her top choice. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the country's largest exchange program, offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program awards roughly 2,000 grants annually, and in the 2024-25 cohort, Iliana was one of three LMU students selected as finalists. "When I heard that I became a finalist for Fulbright, that outweighed the other fellowships for me."

Fast forward to May 2024, and Iliana was officially a Fulbright scholar slated to teach English to children in Uruguay. When she needed to fill the eight months between graduation and the beginning of her Fulbright experience, there was an obvious answer: Bali.

Travel. Iliana's journey to Bali started at the student involvement fair. She recalls an enthusiastic student at the fair shouting from behind her table, "Do you want to come to Bali? Do you like teaching?" Iliana heard this student and thought to herself, "Yes, I do!" She joined BALI Club and laid the foundation for many subsequent trips. The persuasive student at the involvement fair was Kaitlynn, an Entrepreneurship major, who graduated ahead of Iliana and started the nonprofit Suwandi Foundation with Lily, a friend and LMU Sociology alumna. Iliana was happy to spend the summer after her graduation in Bali working with the Suwandi Foundation in their mission to facilitate meaningful teaching experiences for student teachers and the community they serve. 

Teaching. When reflecting on her many rewarding experiences at LMU, Iliana is quick to mention several mentors, such as Dr. Bernadette Musetti, her advisor when she entered LMU as an Elementary Education major. Dr. Musetti taught Iliana's First Year Seminar along with her Senior Capstone course. In between, Dr. Musetti guided and mentored Iliana along with fostering her interest in the environment and encouraging her double major in Education Science and Environmental Studies. She hopes to continue these interests in the future, possibly in eco-literacy or outdoor education at the elementary school level.

Service. Iliana also found mentorship outside of her academic pursuits by way of the LMU Pam Rector Center for Service and Action (CSA). She was a member of Creare, an LMU service organization dedicated to working with children, and extended her world travels when she discovered Alternative Breaks, including trips to Cuba, Appalachia, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador, and De Colores trips to Tijuana. 

"Going on my first Alternative Breaks trip changed my life," Iliana said. "That was the first time I had ever learned about social justice; what service was, and all of those bigger concepts that CSA promotes. The Jesuit mission and values. It really did change the way I view the world and the way I interact in the world." 

Rounding out her LMU experience was a job at the William H. Hannon Library. There, she quickly formed relationships with her boss, Ray Andrade, and with co-workers in the Outreach & Engagement department. Iliana kept her job at the library for four years. "I enjoyed my job at the library, it was like my little home on campus.

As for what advice Iliana has for future lions?

"Find an adult mentor on campus that resonates with you. I would not be where I am now if I was not connected with Dr. Musetti my first day at LMU; or if I wasn't connected with Ray my second week at LMU because of my job. I think having mentors early on who really had my back and wanted me to succeed definitely changed my outcome at LMU. I just felt like there was always someone supporting me."