An opportunity of a lifetime

Two Faculty of Arts and Science students have been accepted to the Cansbridge Fellowship – Olivia Xu (Department of Computer Science) and Samantha Lin (Department of Global Development Studies). The unique Fellowship program is made up of three parts - the Silicon Valley Experience, the Asia Summer Internship, and the Cansbridge Network.

Both Xu and Lin, who join 93 other Fellow from Queen’s University, met with Dean Barbara Crow to discuss the Fellowship and talk to the Dean about what their future holds.

As part of the Cansbridge program, all new Fellows are hosted in Silicon Valley for one week where they will participate in company visits, fireside chats, and a pitch competition. The week concludes with the Cansbridge Fellowship Conference (CFC) which brings together alumni, guests, and sponsors.

The next part of the Fellowship includes an internship in Asia where Fellows are granted a $10,000 scholarship, enabling them to experience a self-organized internship in Asia.

“Cansbridge was a great opportunity for me, it was exactly what I was looking for,” Samantha says. “I really wanted to meet people who were ambitious and had a dream of what a better world could look like. I wanted that community around me to push me to the next level of how I can make my work become reality. Everyone person I talk to, I get a different idea of possible solutions to problems in the world. It’s inspiring.”

Olivia decided to apply for the Cansbridge Fellowship after meeting several current Fellows at a recent conference she attended. 

“I want to be in this community where I can be intellectually challenged, that’s a community I look forward to being a part of,” she says. “By stepping outside of my comfort zone, I have a chance to meet a variety of people from different disciplines which provides so many learning opportunities for me. It’s a positive community and everyone is helping each other out. We are a big family.”

Dean Crow pointed out how competitive the Fellowship is becoming, and says she is proud of both Olivia and Samantha for being accepted.

Olivia says FAS and Queen’s prepared her to apply by providing her with networking skills and unique extracurricular activities. “I’m in an AI Club and my managing director is a past Cansbridge Fellow. He shared a lot of his stories and I found that really helped encourage me. It’s such a great learning opportunity to be in this community.”

Samantha says that FAS and Queen’s has pushed her to explore a lot of options and given her a wider view of the world which, in turn, led her to apply for the Cansbridge Fellowship.

Dean Crow also talked with the students about their upcoming summer internships. Both Samantha and Olivia had plans in mind but were still confirming where they would be working. They both will be spending the summer in Asia and plan to return to campus in the fall.

“We need your talent and your perspectives to make this world a better place to be,” Dean Crow added.

To learn more about the Fellowship, visit the Cansbridge website. 

To learn more about Experiential Learning with the Faculty of Arts and Science, visit the webpage.