BSOS Senior Secures Princeton in Latin America Fellowship

As a senior government and politics major with dual minors in law and society and Spanish language and cultures, Rachel Pak has quite a diverse background in understanding the injustices that some cultures face.

Upon her graduation this month, Pak will be putting her undergraduate knowledge to good use working as a communications coordinator for Pueblo a Pueblo in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, made possible by her recent acquisition of the Princeton in Latin America (PiLA) Fellowship program.

“My main motivation for applying to the PiLA Fellowship was my interest in immigration, gender development and nonprofit work in Latin America,” Pak explained. “My dream job is to do nonprofit work to effectively serve marginalized communities, especially by extending vital resources like education and legal and social services to women and girls.”

Though she is still trying to figure out the exact position that will fulfill her many interests, Pak has had experience volunteering and interning in the Yucatan peninsula as well as working for multiple Washington D.C. nonprofits such as Restoration Ministries, the Tahirih Justice Center and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney Office.

Combined with her study abroad experience at the Universidad de San Andres in Argentina last spring, being a graduate of the Honors Humanities Program, a Phillip Merrill Presidential Scholar and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honors society, Pak knew that the PiLA fellowship was an opportunity that she just couldn’t pass up.

“I think my BSOS education allowed me to understand how groups and communities can be marginalized by political and societal structures,” Pak said.

Given her prior experience in the public sector, Pak will fit right in at Pueblo a Pueblo, which seeks to improve the health, education and food security of Mayan coffee-farming communities in the area.

Pak will be leaving for Guatemala at the end of the summer and will be working to achieve her goals over the course of a year.

“My hope for this experience is that it will give me a more informed view of development, nonprofit work, and what professional role I would like to pursue in this field.”

Published on Wed, May 11, 2016 - 3:06PM