Mestenhauser Student Award

Sook Jin Ong, originally from Malaysia, is a master’s student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She completed her undergraduate education in Australia, where her own experience as an international student inspired her to work to improve the experiences of international students in the Humphrey School. Sook Jin became the first International Student Representative in the Humphrey School’s Public Affairs Student Association (PASA). She has been active in setting up a formal organization, the Humphrey International Students’ Association, to prepare international students to live and study abroad as well as to increase interactions between domestic and international students. She has also been integrally involved in initiatives to create opportunities in the Humphrey School community for honest dialogues about racial discrimination, stereotypes, and negative perceptions that impact the lives of international students.