Naomi Tsai '19 has been awarded a highly competitive AIF Clinton Fellowship for Service in India. Tsai, who graduated from Colorado College in May with a degree in organismal biology and ecology and a minor in environmental issues, is one of only 20 fellows selected for the 2019-20 year.
The AIF Clinton Fellowship for Service in India is an immersive, 10-month volunteer service program that matches both U.S. and Indian fellows with various development organizations in India. Fellows work on sustainable and scalable projects in the fields of education, public health, and livelihoods.
Tsai will work with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, in the field of education. She will design educational material and activities for youth and adults to learn about India's ecosystems and to promote the conservation of endangered species in their natural habitats.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Portland, Oregon, Tsai worked for the Office of Sustainability while at CC, overseeing various green certification programs and serving on the Campus Sustainability Council. She also worked as a lab technician in the Geographic Information Systems lab and as a resident advisor.
She completed more than 300 service hours through the Community Engaged Scholars program, was a backcountry trip leader for the Outdoor Recreation Committee, and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She conducted a Venture Grant research project, "Coral Reefs in a Changing Climate: A Study of Symbiotic Zooanthellae Algae" and presented the results at the 2018 Keller Family Venture Grant program.
The AIF Clinton Fellowship creates a community of socially engaged, global citizens dedicated to positive change. Alumni traditionally have applied their leadership in the areas of international development, education, social entrepreneurship, technology, business, academia, journalism, public health, human rights, and others. Together they represent a collective force for sustaining a long-term agenda dedicated towards change in India, the United States, and beyond.