Fulbright Award
Honore Johnson ’16 has been selected for a 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. Student Award.
She will study in Taiwan at National Chengchi University and work toward a master’s degree in international studies.
Her area of research will be comparative labor standards in global supply chains with a focus on Taiwanese-managed production.
“I chose this program because of my interest in Taiwan and the program's focus on conflict resolution,” Johnson said. “I transferred to ILR, in part, to pursue my interest in how people resolve conflicts.”
Meeting Dr. Peter Yane-hao Chen, an international negotiations expert who visited ILR and the Scheinman Institute as a professional Fulbright grant recipient from Taiwan last year, broadened her interests in the discipline, Johnson said.
“Peter’s area of focus inspired me to take my knowledge of conflict resolution and labor abroad and consider intercultural negotiation and global conflict resolution.”
After transferring from the College of Charleston, Johnson immersed herself in ILR and its outreach projects.
“I connected early on with a student working on Bargaining for Better Schools, a multi-year research project run out of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, and have had a fantastic experience working on the project since.”
During her work, Johnson has been able to meet alums with careers in alternative dispute resolution, which ties into her interest in mediation and negotiation.
“One of the opportunities I had was attending the Scheinman Institute Board meeting in New York City as a student representative,” Johnson said.
“Being able to meet with leaders in the field of conflict resolution and learn more about their skill further attracted me to this field.”
Johnson took part in one of the Scheinman Institute’s mock arbitration scrimmages against Rutgers University in which the Cornell team acted as one side in the dispute and interacted with the other team and a neutral arbitrator through video conference. The Big Red team included Cornell Law School and ILR students.
“It was an interesting experience,” she said. “These sorts of mock arbitrations are fun, but also provide a platform to learn alongside peers in the field of conflict resolution.”
“Conflict resolution is such a hands-on area of study, so getting the opportunity to practice really supported my classroom learning.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English teaching assistant programs. During their grant periods, “Fulbrighters” meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country.
The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction in the classroom, field, and home and in routine tasks so that grantees gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things and the way they think.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.
Passing the torch to current and future ILR students, Johnson recommends they venture outside of day-to-day projects and studying, and work to reap the rewards of what activities outside of the classroom can offer.
“As an ILRie, I find my studies revolve around human dynamics, the allocation of resources, teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution and intercultural understanding. But, making a sustainable and positive change means learning to make strategic long-term choices and understanding the big picture.”
She has found many similarities between her study in ILR and the Cornell Outdoor Education community.
“As someone who is curious about these topics, Odyssey was a perfect introduction to my time at ILR,” she said, referring to Outdoor Odyssey, a student-run pre-orientation program for admitted students.
Acknowledging that Cornell is a large place, showing up early and getting connected through such programs allows students to learn about the campus and forge relationships with peers, Johnson said.
“There is a lot to navigate here, and having time to reflect on your learning outside your immediate area is critical to applying the material and growing as a person.”
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