Introducing PiA’s Newest Fellows in Laos!
Three new PiA Fellows have started their fellowships in Laos, and we are thrilled to introduce them to you! Maya Bian and Esther Nguyen have begun their posts at Population Services International (PSI) and Tingting Sun has begun her post at Vientiane College (VC). All three Fellows will be living and working in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
PiA sent Fellows to Laos for the first time in 1998, with the inaugural post at the National Tourism Authority of Lao P.D.R. Since then, 103 Fellows and summer interns have served at 17 different host organizations. Past Fellows have enjoyed diverse and immersive cross-cultural experiences, from working to reduce the risk of unexploded ordnance accidents to coordinating a film festival and managing the national rugby federation. Read on to learn more about our three Laos-based Fellows and their host organizations, and click on the photos of Maya and Esther to watch their video greetings!
Maya Bian
Maya graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2020 with a degree in Global Health Equity. She also completed her Master’s degree in China Studies: Law and Society at Peking University in 2022.
Maya is a creative, dependable, and thoughtful student, researcher, and community member. Her undergraduate and graduate research focused on healthcare and eldercare in China, and she has been recognized as an emerging global scholar in Social Science by the Global Undergraduate Awards. Maya believes in the power of health education, previously working at a non-profit where she engaged with local residents on issues of reproductive health and the public health challenges posed by COVID-19. As a Research and Funding Fellow at Special Olympics International, Maya assisted in translating research on inclusive education to policymakers and the general public. Through these experiences, Maya has not only developed technical analysis and writing skills but also a love for learning about diverse cultures, peoples, and places. Maya is fluent in Mandarin and she is passionate about cultivating community and a sense of belonging among her peers. She looks forward to engaging with Laos communities through innovative approaches to public health at PSI!
Esther Nguyễn
Esther graduated from the University of Washington in 2020 with a degree in Public Health, Food systems, Nutrition, & Health and a Minor in Entrepreneurship.
Esther is an individual whose passions include public health/nutrition, relationships, and learning. She revolves her life around her core values of intentionality, empathy, curiosity, and connection. As a service-oriented individual, she uses these core values daily in her professional and personal life. Through Esther’s experiences with research at the University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and other various local and international NGOs, she has become particularly aware of the systemic issues and inequities that are present in the fields of academia and philanthropy. She hopes to continue to make a positive impact in regard to these issues, both at PSI and throughout her career. Esther is familiar with the environment, challenges, and pace of NGOs and is ecstatic to step into a setting where she can be curious, grow, learn, and apply her knowledge and experience to an NGO located in her father’s home country!
Population Services International - Vientiane, Laos
Since 1999, PSI Laos has been working in the Lao PDR to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and malaria; find new cases of TB; treat diabetes; prevent unintended pregnancies; reduce undernutrition; strengthen capacity to respond to future public health emergencies; and improve overall reproductive health and sanitation for the people of Laos. PSI’s approach is to treat its beneficiaries like consumers, putting more care and control in the consumer’s hands. PSI Laos has hosted PiA Fellows since 2001 and these Fellows have held a variety of responsibilities including producing monthly newsletters and an annual report, developing technical and financial proposals to fund existing or new health programs, writing narrative and financial project reports for donors.
Do you have fond memories of time spent in Thailand? Share a memory from your experiences with the PiA family by posting to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #PiA1898!
Tingting Sun
Tingting Sun graduated from Princeton University in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience and a Minor in Quantitative and Computational Biology.
Tingting is a quick learner, dedicated, and easy going. She is conversational in Chinese and an intermediate French speaker. Tingting most recently worked as a Business Development Associate at a healthcare company, a role that requires the ability to communicate fluidly in different contexts with physicians, administrators, patients, and business contacts. In college, she tutored both individual students and small groups in multiple science and math disciplines. Tingting has lived in Accra (Ghana), New Delhi (India), and Jakarta (Indonesia), and has spent time with family in China. Outside of work, Tingting loves sports (especially badminton and volleyball), animals, and nature. She looks forward to applying her experiences and skills to the challenges of teaching English at Vientiane College as well as immersing herself in the inviting Lao community.
Vientiane College - Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane College (VC) is an Australian owned, Lao registered business established in 1994, which has played a significant role in English language education, training, and development in Laos. VC has a multicultural staff of between 35-50 expat teachers and a lively student body of up to 1500 six-to-sixty-year-olds every term. VC teachers strive to help all students achieve their personal and professional goals and to aid them in laying the groundwork that will allow them to contribute to the progress of their nation. VC has hosted PiA Fellows since 2001 in English teaching roles.
Please join us in welcoming Maya, Esther, and Tingting to PiA!
Do you have fond memories of time spent in Laos? Share a memory from your experiences with the PiA family by posting to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #PiA1898!