The good Cornellians can do: Savanna Lim ’20

Savanna Lim '20 applied for a Fulbright Award with guidance from Cornell’s Fulbright Program Advisor, David Holmberg. She believes that his suggestions helped her to craft a winning essay.

She relished her fellowship year in Alanya, Turkiye, where she worked as an English teaching assistant in 2021-2022.

“The freedom that Fulbright offers is daunting—you truly can do whatever you want in your spare time,” Savanna says. “I met folks from other countries at my local Turkish class, facilitated cultural exchange by hosting dinner parties, self-care nights, and American movie nights for my students at my apartment (we watched Fight Club; I made popcorn and hot dogs), and immersed myself in Turkish culture by traveling to new cities and trying new foods.”

Savanna knows that her Fulbright experience taught her invaluable lessons, like how to navigate unfamiliar situations, and how to forge connections across differences and language barriers. She wanted to encourage other students who might not have thought about applying for a Fulbright to apply.

“I hope that people from the South (she’s from Houston, Texas), especially Asian Americans from the South, students on financial aid, and ‘unconventional’ students feel empowered to apply,” Savanna says. “Fulbright is for everyone!”

In 2023, Savanna applied and was selected as one of 20 Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors, who travel across the U.S. to promote the program to potential applicants. Here, Savanna and fellow Fulbright Alumni Ambassador, Tremaine Smith table at Lehman College's study abroad fair, in the Bronx.

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