JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole is offering a unique travel fellowship opportunity for the second year. The Luke Stalker Global Fellowship is made possible by the generosity of the Stalker family and is extended to young adults age 17 to 26.
The fellowship honors the memory of Luke, who attended Journeys School here in Jackson. He passed away in 2013 while studying international affairs at Colgate University. It hopefully supports Luke’s belief that pursuing cross-cultural connections can help to create a better, more peaceful world.
Bridging cultures, making an impact
Mainstream tourism often involves the use of bellhops, maître d’s, or a concierge. But a whole world awaits beyond room service. Immersion travel is fast-becoming a thing as travelers are opting for longer stays that allow them to drill deep and tap a more authentic cultural experience.
Building off that, the Luke Stalker Fellowship is looking for two new recipients for this year. If your dream is to travel abroad in order to learn more and share more intentionally, then this might be for you. Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish?
The Community Foundation is taking applications for college-age students (you don’t have to be in college) looking for the opportunity of a lifetime to explore a deep, intercultural exchange. It could be ideal for a high school grad looking to take a gap year, or a young professional in search of a fresh start.
Sloane Gordon, 20, and William Gale, 26, used funds from the fellowship last year to travel. Both told Buckrail it was a life-changing experience.
Sloane
Sloane used $4,000 in fellowship money to head to Chiang Mai, Thailand where she interned with CityLife—the largest English language magazine in Chiang Mai, which covers local cultural and civic events and special interest pieces.
Sloane was a seasoned traveler already before she headed to the Far East. She had been to Panama and France, and had traveled solo as well. Still, grandfather balked at the notion of her heading to Thailand alone for two months.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Sloan said. “My parents had instilled a confidence in traveling and savviness in me from a young age, and they supported my plan.”
Sloane said she researched her trip extensively on the Internet before departing but still wasn’t prepared for how easily she would form friendships, for instance.
“It’s tricky as a tourist with a limited amount of time to explore the hidden spots a place has to offer, and I found those spots and the unexpected conversations I was able to engage in revealed the most about Thai culture. While language remained a barrier, nonetheless, I learned so much from my Thai coworkers and friends about just how different growing up in Thailand would be, as opposed to the Western world,” Sloane said. “Yes, I still went to the frequently publicized ‘tourist spots’, but I also saw parts of the city that I think few foreigners ever venture out to. That opportunity provided me with a much less sensationalized view of the country and grounded me in the realities of everyday life in Thailand.”
William
William was awarded $6,000 in fellowship monies, which he used to fund a trip to Young Bafana Soccer Academy in Cape Town, South Africa.
William’s first experience with international travel was being stopped at customs with about a hundred soccer balls. He was told by officials that he could not bring the equipment into the country.
“After 24 hours of travel, I was being told by customs I could not bring equipment with me. They thought I was going to sell it or something even though I had signed letters and paperwork in order,” William said. “They were going to confiscate it. I ended up paying myself to get it through. I guess that’s how it works. Things are a little different over there.”
William teaches and coaches soccer here in Jackson. Over there, the sport was the same—soccer is soccer anywhere in the world—but there were a few things William could never be prepared for.
“I was amazed at how independent most of these kids are,” William said. “This one boy, he doesn’t have a home. He just bounces around from place to place. He’s 13. For him, and many of the kids in the program, the meal we served after practice was probably the only food they got all day. They would line up for peanut butter sandwiches or fruit after each training session. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
To William, South Africa seemed to him a place still very much segregated even post-apartheid. “It’s still a very divided place, racially. Whites still don’t trust blacks for the most part. It is very much a place of the haves and have nots,” he said.
