Graduate students from around the world, representing over 40 countries, 30 US states, and 90 academic disciplines, come together at the East-West Center to live, learn, and work in the residence halls. They engage in student-led programs that foster cross-cultural and interdisciplinary problem-solving. EWC resident scholars are passionate and skilled leaders, committed to driving innovation, public service, and positive change in the Asia-Pacific region.

Students have been at the heart of the EWC since its founding in 1960, and this continues as the center prepares for its 22nd International Graduate Student Conference (IGSC), one of the most widely recognized gatherings of graduate students from around the world presenting on issues related to the Asia-Pacific region. Imaculata Primadona Susi Kurniasanti, an EWC Graduate Degree Fellow is one of the co-Chairs of the planning team working to make this IGSC the first in-person conference since 2020. Imaculata was a presenter during the 7th annual conference in 2008 and hopes that this year’s participants will have a similarly impactful experience that she had fourteen years ago. “When I attended, I felt welcomed. I got so much support for my work. I received such valuable input from others, which would go on to become my thesis, and would then later on turn into my full-time work in Indonesia”.

In addition to her role as a co-chair, Imaculata has also been actively involved with the Food Security Task Force, a newly formed group working to provide both short-term and long-term initiatives and support for students living in the EWC community. “As international students, especially in our first year coming here, we already face many challenges…and food should not have to be an additional challenge. If we are concerned about food, then how will we be able to fully focus and concentrate on our studies?” The task force has been finding ways to make food more affordable and accessible to students, with innovative initiatives such as working with local farmers to create a “farm-to-dorm” affordable produce program as well as fully utilizing existing on-campus resources such as the EWC community garden.

Imaculata is currently in her second year as a Graduate Degree Fellow pursuing her PhD in Social Work. She has dedicated her career to working on behalf of marginalized women and children in Indonesia and believes that the connections that she is making at EWC are “powerful’, especially in her line of work as a human rights advocate. “Being a GDF student has given me a door to connect with so many people, and those have been the best moments for me. I have access to people with so much knowledge and expertise that I never would have thought possible.”

The East-West Center offers scholarships for graduate study as well as affiliation programs for service-minded students with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region to join our international graduate student community. Ima is supported by multiple scholarships including the R-Adhikarya "Niche" Award (RANA), Amy Agbayani Fellowship, the Ashok Kumar Malhotra SEVA (Compassionate Service) Award, the Eddie and Elaine Flores Endowed Scholarship, and the Dennis Zvinakis Award.