CONWAY, Ark. (May 2, 2017) – Hendrix College alumna Elana
Harrison ’13 was recently awarded the German
Chancellor’s Fellowship from the Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation.
Harrison, an international relations major and German minor,
will move to Germany this summer for intensive language instruction and to take
a course on social, political, economic and cultural life in Germany, before
beginning her research project in November.
The German economy’s strength and country’s progressive
environmental policies makes Germany a fascinating case study, Harrison said.
“I am interested in the ways in which companies have begun to
minimize their environmental impact through better supply chain management and
product design,” Harrison said. “The intent of this project is to see what
lessons can be drawn from Germany’s leadership in resource efficiency and waste
management.”
Germany is already a global leader in waste management,
recycling over 70 percent of waste produced on average, while Americans recycle
just 30 percent of their waste.
During the Fellowship year, Harrison will interview business
leaders at start-ups, corporations, and small and medium enterprises (referred
to as SMEs or the Mittelstand) to learn what best practices are being
implemented internally, where the regulatory gaps exist, and how German laws
are helping or impeding progress towards sustainability. She will be hosted by Returnity
Partners, a specialized professional service firm in Munich that delivers
targeted research, consulting, and investment projects identifying circular
economy business opportunities for clients.
After graduating from Hendrix, Harrison spent a year in
EnergyCorps (part of AmeriCorps) working with the Applied Sustainability Center
at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she taught city leaders
and members of the public throughout the state about energy efficiency and
renewable energy opportunities that they could implement at home.
She later worked for the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a
think tank and membership organization in Washington, D.C. She began as a
research associate, researching marine litter management practices and the coastal
restoration programs following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and was later
promoted to Assistant Director of Professional Education at ELI. In that role, she
created educational seminars on new and emerging legal issues in the
environmental field, including the impact of “Brexit” on environmental law and
the use of drones in environmental monitoring.
Personal and professional factors included Harrison’s decision
to apply for the fellowship.
“Growing up with a German mother in the United States, I have
been fascinated by German culture from an early age, despite the fact that my upbringing
was typically suburban American,” she said. “I have always wanted to live and
work in Germany and after working in the environmental field for a number of
years, was searching for new opportunities for professional development.”
“The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has an excellent
reputation for promoting academic cooperation between scholars around the world,”
she said. “I was excited by the opportunity to conduct research in a different
cultural context, as well as to get to know young professionals from Brazil,
India, China, and Russia. Plus, the chance to meet the German Chancellor and
other German political leaders was too good to pass up!”
“I want to better understand German culture – socially,
economically, and politically. Through the immersive learning opportunities, I
want improve my language skills to the point where I can communicate in German
on a professional level,” she said. “Since I have previously only worked in the
nonprofit field, I am also looking forward to gaining expertise in
sustainability while working with a private consulting firm.”
Following the program, Harrison intends to pursue a graduate
degree in business management, specializing in sustainability.
“I want to build a career that allows me to work at the
intersection of the public and private sectors, facilitating the spread of good
policies to tackle the most pressing environmental challenges of this era
(there are many!),” she said. “The German Chancellor Fellowship will provide me
with an opportunity to connect with thought leaders in the environmental field and
to build connections with an international community of researchers.”
The abundance of experiential learning opportunities at Hendrix
was great preparation for the fellowship application, Harrison thinks.
“My experience applying for Odyssey program grants served me
well when I was preparing my application for the German Chancellor Fellowship,”
she said. “During my time at Hendrix, I had the opportunity to study urban
planning in Portland, Oregon, and the role of gender quotas in Rwandan politics
using special project funding. I learned to draw connections among different
disciplines and to communicate cross-culturally – lessons I have carried with
me beyond my time at Hendrix. Also, the support and mentorship from former
professors and staff members at Hendrix has helped to prepare me for this next
adventure.”
About the
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German
Chancellor’s Fellowship
The program selects up to ten young professionals each from
the United States, the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China,
Brazil and India who have an international outlook and initial leadership
experience. It addresses prospective decision-makers, multipliers and thought
leaders from a broad range of professional fields such as politics, public
administration and business as well as society and culture.
The fellowship recipients spend a year in Germany networking
with other prospective leaders from abroad, who are also sponsored by the
Humboldt Foundation, and explore new solutions to the global issues of our
times.
During their stay in Germany, the German Chancellor Fellows
usually pursue research-based, self-developed projects in the areas mentioned
above at host institutions. They are supervised by hosts in Germany who they
select themselves and who have the necessary level of expertise to mentor the
respective research topics. The projects should not only be of social
significance, but should also have a long-term, publicly-visible impact. They
should also be conducive to advancing fellows’ career development.
During their stay in Germany, fellows will be able to expand
their specialist knowledge and gain new international experience whilst
enhancing their intercultural skills and thus enabling them to develop into
successful leaders.
About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway,
Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since
1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is
nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for
academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.