President's Message
Aloha APLP Alumni and newest APLP cohort - I hope you are doing well wherever in the world you are reading this. APLP is quickly closing in on its 20th year and our new board is looking forward to continue building on the strong relationships that continue to blossom from the first seeds that started prior to even the first generation meeting in Hawaii back in 2001.
The new Alumni Board commenced the new two-year term in August 2019. Our board members currently reside on 5 continents including Australia (1), South America (1), Europe (2), Asia (7), and North America (7). The members of the board bring a wide variety of experiences, expertise from various industries, and great personality. We are looking forward in continuing the alumni initiatives that include The Navigator on a quarterly basis and the APLP Global Pau Hana as well.
Here is your new board for the 2019 - 2021 term:
- Blaine Baldwin (G5), President
- Scott Coates (G11), Vice-President
- Joyce Wong (G17), Secretary
- Ofeina Manual Barbarich (G13), Alumni Relations
- Cynthia Chang (G18), Chair - Communications
- Ing Phansavath (G2)
- Michele Fugiel Gartner (G3)
- Ritchie Amanita Asibal (G4)
- Cristina Veran (G7)
- Shawn Hall (G8)
- Azadeh Davari (G9)
- Joshua Monthei (G10)
- Dayaprasad G Kulkarni (G11)
- Michelle Taminato (G12)
- Sharanya Dilip (G14)
- Gaki Tshering (G15)
- Elizabeth Milo (G16)
- Ram Nathh Chandra Sekar Krishnamoorthy (G17)
- Christina Monroe (G4), APLP Staff Liaison
- Gretchen Alther (G12), APLP Staff Liaison
If anyone is interested in joining this Board we still have 3 at large positions we would like to fill and would also welcome a representative from G1 and G6 which both lack representation at this time. Please email me at burein44@hotmail.com if interested!
Mahalo for your support and being part of this worldwide alumni community!
Me ka aloha pumehana,
Blaine Baldwin
INDEX
I. APLP ANNOUNCEMENTS
II. APLP AROUND THE WORLD
(i) APLP G19 Launch in Chennai ~ Shreya Nagarajan Singh (G10), & APLP staff
(ii) Workshops on leadership with the SoCh and VOICE team ~ Anusha Bharadwaj, G13
(iii) Pan-Pacific Alumni Chapter for East West Center ~ Ofeina Manuel-Barbarich , G13
(iv) Collaborating for Cross-Cultural Service-Learning ~ Cynthia Chang, G18
III. APLP PERSONAL UPDATES
(i) Lingqi He (Kiko), G18
(ii) Shivan Fazil, G16
(iii) Christopher Zobrist, G16
(iv) Dr. Melody Agbisit, G17
IV. APLP CONNECTIONS
APLP ANNOUNCEMENTS
Application for the Asia Pacific Leadership Program 2020 is now OPEN!
The East-West Center is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the 2020 Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP)! Please forward this message to your contacts and colleagues to give them the opportunity of the APLP experience. Deadline to apply is November 15, 2019!
Summary and Basic Application Requirements
The Asia Pacific Leadership Program brings together people who want to co-create the future as self-reflective, resilient agents. Using experiential, place-based learning with a focus on equity, cohorts of leaders practice leadership strategies in nurturing environments.
For 20 years, we have been cultivating leaders who are motivated and capable of creating positive impact in the Asia Pacific region. Incoming fellows join a network of 653 APLP alumni from 45 countries across the globe.
The APLP is a signature program of the East-West Center. Each year, approximately 25 Fellows are selected to participate in the APLP and join a highly diverse, active community. Cohorts typically have representation from over 18 countries and from every type of academic and professional background (as examples: science, business, development, politics, government, civil society, medicine, religious orders, art, finance, academia or research). The age of participants ranges from mid 20s to mid-40s with an average of 32 years old. There are no citizenship, age, or ethnicity restrictions.
Program Dates
The APLP is broken down into three modules:
- Module One: Hawaii + U.S. Mainland
June 21 – August 14, 2020
August 15 – October 31, 2020
- Module Three: Online + Asia
November 1-6, 2020 (online preparation)
November 7-16, 2020 (Asia)
Information regarding the program and application instructions can be found on the APLP's website at: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/aplp. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact APLP staff at aplp@eastwestcenter.org.
APLP G19 Launch in Chennai
Shreya Nagarajan Singh (G10), & APLP staff
The Asia Pacific Leadership Program launched in Chennai this August was a monumental success. The city of Chennai is based in the southern India and is known to be the cultural, automobile and medical capital of the country. We have strong APLP alumni contingent based in the city - Shreya Nagarajan Singh (G10), Sharanya Dilip (G14), Phani Kumar (G15), Devi Jessy Mary (G16) and Ramnath Chandrasekar (G17).
 
The APLP team collaborated with the alumni, led by Shreya Nagarajan Singh to develop the 10-day APLP launch with different activities and experiences. G19 started the week with DISCOVER CHENNAI to explore the city and its various attractions. The other highlight of the week was an invitation to visit the Prince of Arcot at his Palace. Participants also visited Kanchipuram to witness the EWC alumni Kalpana Sankar and the outstanding work they do at their not-for-profit Hand in Hand. APLP staff and G19 were also exposed to various performing arts such as the traditional folk dance - Kattaikkuttu, Bharatnatyam and Carnatic Music.
 
The launch ended with an EWC alumni dinner and weekend symposium. The symposium featured presenters at the top of their fields from Chennai and positioned their projects /body of work being done in Chennai. APLP alumni from 6 different countries were also present and were a part of panel discussions and other platforms where they engaged with G19 and other EWC alumni.
Workshops on Leadership with the Soch and Voice Team
Anusha Bharadwaj, G13
 
On the 26th and 27th of August, 2019, SoCh for Social Change and VOICE 4 Girls’ team hosted two special guests from the East West Center (APLP Programme). Christina Monroe, the Leadership Programme’s Senior Manager and Gretchen Alther, Senior Leadership Development Specialist conducted workshops on leadership with the SoCh and VOICE team.
On the first day, Ms Monroe and Ms Alther were introduced to the staff and they discussed their journey over the years with the participant of some of the SILT Bootcamp participants (SoCh’s new programme). The SILT Bootcamp, an APLP inspired programme, is an in-person 6-month part-time programme for young women in their 20s who aspire to learn to become future change-makers in the development sector. Similar to APLP, the SILT Bootcamp is innovative, immersive and designed in three phases:
- Understanding Social Change
- Field Immersion
- Personalised Action Plan
On the second day, our guests conducted a thoughtful and impactful session where the SoCh and VOICE’s team reflected on their journey as individuals and as an organisation in order to weave our individual goals into our organisational success.
Pan-Pacific Alumni Chapter for East West Center
Ofeina Manuel-Barbarich , G13
 A chance to represent the APLP alumni board in my capacity as Vice President led to an opportunity for EWC Pacific alumni. Attending the EWC Association (EWCA) Conference in Seoul, 2018 was an amazing opportunity for me to advocate for a Pacific chapter ahead of the 60 years celebration in Honolulu, 2020.
Since Seoul, September 2018, a group of interested Pacific EWC alum and I established the first Pan-Pacific alumni chapter for EWCA. The EWCA board accepted our registration in July, to be recognised as a formal EWC chapter with members covering Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.
I hope to take the learning and experiences I’ve gained through APLP to support the growth of our Pan-Pacific Chapter as I truly believe that APLP is leading the way in terms of alumni network engagement.
If you wish to join the Pan-Pacific Chapter, please visit this EWCA Pan-Pacific Chapter link.
Collaborating for Cross-Cultural Service-Learning
Cynthia Chang, G18
Following my generation’s APLP, in January 2019, I returned to my role as Head (Office of Service-Learning & Community Engagement), Singapore University of Social Sciences. Part of my role includes overseeing partnerships for undergraduate service-learning programmes, both in Singapore and within Asia. Knowing that our 653 strong APLP alumni community is a vibrant community of changemakers, I’m reaching out to our ‘ohana here to seek connections with educational institutions, non-profit organisations, community agencies or social enterprises, particularly in the ASEAN, China and India region, to explore collaboration opportunities in cross-cultural learning for youth from our respective communities through service, credit-bearing courses, and/or community engaged work attachments/internships.
 Right-left) Cynthia Chang (G18) with Hitomi Yokote (G9) at the 7th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning, hosted by the Singapore University of Social Sciences from 19-21 June 2019.
Drop me a line at cynchang@gmail.com if you’d like to explore possibilities to inspire young people together!
APLP PERSONAL UPDATES
Personal updates
Lingqi He (Kiko), G18
 Lingqi He (Kiko), G18, started her new job as CSR Programme and Communication Officer at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing after coming back to China. During the new job, she works with Chinese government on sustainable infrastrure on Belt and Road, with UNGC, ILO and UN Women on decent work, labor right and gender equality, with Swedish Companies to promote their business in China under the frame of SDG.
She thanked APLP to expand her horizons on topics so as to quickly settle in the job and gladly to see two more friends kicking off their G19 journey in Chennai!
Personal updates
Shivan Fazil, G16
Aloha!
O n July 26 I attended my graduation ceremony after successfully completing my postgraduate degree MSc in Middle Eastern Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
This was only possible thanks to the generous Chevening Scholarship in 2017, a prestigious fellowship by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office awarded to candidates with proven leadership in their communities. It is worth to place on the record the training, skills and mentorship that I acquired during my leadership fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, which helped me to grow both personally and professionally and boosted my chances not only in securing the fellowship award but also in successfully pursuing my graduate studies in the UK for the second time.
I am forever grateful for the unique learning opportunity that I got to experience at the East-West Center, Mahalo!
Personal updates
Christopher Zobrist, G16
Dear Fellow APLP Alumni,
I just returned from a 10-day meditation retreat in Jomson, Nepal – what a beautiful and sacred area. The retreat was a fundraiser to help establish a boarding school to help preserve Tibetan language and culture. My teacher, Dan Brown, Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and a long-time meditation teacher lead the retreat with his wife Gretchen Nelson, and guidance from Geshe Sonam and a Tibetan Baan Tulku (reincarnated teacher) who is one of the last Tibetan cave and hermitage yogis in the world. It was a truly remarkable experience, with many high-profile entrepreneurs and activists in attendance. I hope to help bring these teachings into the mainstream where they can be of benefit to everyone in their daily lives.
If you’d like to connect with me about meditation or anything else, please send me an email, czobrist@berkeley.edu
With Blessings,
Chris (G16)
Personal updates
Dr. Melody Agbisit, G17
I wanted to share that I received my Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia on August 23, 2019.
With warm regards,
Dr. Melody Agbisit (G17)
 We'll publish the Navigator every quarter with the next edition scheduled for December 2019. A few weeks prior we’ll send a message inviting you to submit stories and news. Until then, stay connected, be productive, and have fun!
Remember, if you post any APLP material on social media, be sure to use the tag #APLP.
Remember, you can connect with the APLP alumni community socially on Facebook, LinkedIn, and you will occasionally receive messages via our Listserv. If you haven’t received any Listserv messages yet, send us your email address, name, generation of APLP you attended, and we’ll add you in. And you can always reach us at aplpalumni@gmail.com
MAHALO!
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