MHS graduate awarded Princeton in Asia fellowship

Submitted by Mundelein High School District 120

A 2011 graduate of Mundelein High School, Luke Cianciotto, recently graduated from Northwestern University with a double major in social policy and in international studies.

He was then awarded the highly selective Princeton in Asia fellowship and is teaching English at Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

"My mom's side of the family is from China, so Princeton in Asia seemed like the perfect opportunity to do this while also learning more about where my family is from," Cianciotto said.

"So far, it has been awesome. I really enjoy working and living here - it's a fantastic city with tons to do."

The new instructor explained that he teaches two different courses, Oral English and English Usage, both of which are taken by freshmen at HKSU. He teaches classes Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On his days off, Cianciotto likes to "explore the city's different neighborhoods, hike on its many trails both in the mountains and on the beaches, and skateboard at the skateparks throughout the city."

"Hong Kong has some of the best skateboarding spots in the world, so that was an added bonus," he said. "The food here is also really good, some of the world's best dim sum, specifically the shrimp dumplings."

Cianciotto will teach for a year with the option to continue for a second. He hopes to eventually return to the U.S. and continue school pursuing an advanced degree in climate change policy.

To promote cross-cultural understanding with Asia, Princeton in Asia awards 265 fellowships for talented U.S. graduates to do service in 21 countries across Asia. The nonprofit is affiliated with Princeton University and grants fellowships primarily for teaching, but also for work with nongovernmental organizations, media and business.

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