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Training & Exchanges
YSEALI Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues Fall 2023 Cohort YSEALI Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues Fall 2023 Cohort
Aug 23, 2023 - Sep 27, 2023

The Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues at the East-West Center is a five-week experiential academic program with lectures, panels, seminar discussions, competitions, debates, and site visits. The Fall 2023 fellows lived and studied at the East-West Center and University of Hawai’i, before traveling to the University of California Berkeley, and concluded with programming in Washington, DC.

The 21 selected fellows explored the topics of climate change, renewable energy, ocean protection, illegal and unreported fishing, pollution, public health and safety, emergency and disaster management, land use, sustainable development, conservation, ecotourism, sustainable agricultural practices, food security, and water access management and treatment. The ultimate goal was for participants to explore climate change and environmental issues in the context of a globalized society, and draw comparisons between the United States and the participants’ home countries.

The Fall 2023 Cohort members are:

Muhammad Riyanulaiman Effendy bin Mohammad Yazid, Brunei

Zoe Sidina Bunnath, Cambodia

Muhdaril Ahda, Indonesia

Afnan Saud Hanifuddin, Indonesia

I Made Cahya Narayana, Indonesia

Sandra Sukma Maharani, Indonesia

Thipsavanh Souliyavong, Laos

Jiun Ting Saw, Malaysia

Nur Syafiqah Binti Zulkeflee, Malaysia

Myat Theingi Winn, Myanmar

Khaing Thazin The, Myanmar

Jaybel Cabanal, Philippines

Mark Joseph Pescador Laceste, Philippines

Niels Gabriel Serafica Nable, Philippines

Jing Ru Woh, Singapore

Chatchai Karuna, Thailand

Wanida Suwannasit, Thailand

Thanapat Wattanaserarat, Thailand

Josue Willian Alwyn, Timor-Leste

Thi Thuy Tien Dao, Vietnam

Hoang Phuc Ngo, Vietnam


The YSEALI Academic Fellowship is funded by the US Government and administered by the East-West Center and our implementation partner the University of Montana Mansfield Center. YSEALI  is a signature program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in order to strengthen leadership development across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), deepen engagement with young leaders on key regional and global challenges, and strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and Southeast Asia.

The Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellowship on Environmental Issues at the East-West Center is a five-week experiential academic program with lectures, panels, seminar discussions, competitions, debates, and site visits. The Fall 2023 fellows lived and studied at the East-West Center and University of Hawai’i, before traveling to the University of California Berkeley, and concluded with programming in Washington, DC.

The 21 selected fellows explored the topics of climate change, renewable energy, ocean protection, illegal and unreported fishing, pollution, public health and safety, emergency and disaster management, land use, sustainable development, conservation, ecotourism, sustainable agricultural practices, food security, and water access management and treatment. The ultimate goal was for participants to explore climate change and environmental issues in the context of a globalized society, and draw comparisons between the United States and the participants’ home countries.

The Fall 2023 Cohort members are:

Muhammad Riyanulaiman Effendy bin Mohammad Yazid, Brunei

Zoe Sidina Bunnath, Cambodia

Muhdaril Ahda, Indonesia

Afnan Saud Hanifuddin, Indonesia

I Made Cahya Narayana, Indonesia

Sandra Sukma Maharani, Indonesia

Thipsavanh Souliyavong, Laos

Jiun Ting Saw, Malaysia

Nur Syafiqah Binti Zulkeflee, Malaysia

Myat Theingi Winn, Myanmar

Khaing Thazin The, Myanmar

Jaybel Cabanal, Philippines

Mark Joseph Pescador Laceste, Philippines

Niels Gabriel Serafica Nable, Philippines

Jing Ru Woh, Singapore

Chatchai Karuna, Thailand

Wanida Suwannasit, Thailand

Thanapat Wattanaserarat, Thailand

Josue Willian Alwyn, Timor-Leste

Thi Thuy Tien Dao, Vietnam

Hoang Phuc Ngo, Vietnam


The YSEALI Academic Fellowship is funded by the US Government and administered by the East-West Center and our implementation partner the University of Montana Mansfield Center. YSEALI  is a signature program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in order to strengthen leadership development across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), deepen engagement with young leaders on key regional and global challenges, and strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and Southeast Asia.