Alumni Spotlight: Eden Halpert

As a child, Eden loved visiting the pandas at the National Zoo. As she got older, Eden still held an adoration for them, aspiring to work in panda conservation and eco-diplomacy. She knew that understanding Chinese would be valuable in her future career, so she enrolled in Chinese classes as soon as her school began offering them. While her courses helped her language skills, Eden sought opportunities to study abroad in China, leading her to NSLI-Y. The immersive learning environment drew her to apply, excited to spend her summer in Southwestern China.​

Exploring Yunnan Province brought many fond memories to mind for Eden. As the province known for its rich diversity of China’s ethnic minorities and beautiful landscapes, Eden loved trying the cuisines and appreciating the various artwork. Eden’s favorite cuisine to eat with her host parents was Dai food. It is often served on a massive colorful platter and eaten using your hands. Eden also enjoyed learning the different styles of dance. She would dance with her host parents or at school with her classmates during her enrichment activities. Another favorite memory of hers was visiting the stone forest, which was a set of limestone rock formations. ​

The following summer, Eden worked at an archaeological field school in the Shaanxi Province for five weeks. During this time, she studied Chinese archeology and helped excavate a Neolithic settlement, focusing on the moat surrounding it. When she majored in Environmental Science and East Asian Languages and Cultures at Barnard College, Eden was eager to study abroad in China again. However, the pandemic foiled her plans, and she took courses in Chinese history, politics, art, and food to further her practice of the language and culture. After graduating in May 2023, Eden received a Fulbright Student Research Grant to study the soil chemistry of rice paddy fields in Vietnam, leveraging her experience with Chinese, a tonal language, to learn Vietnamese. After studying abroad several times, Eden feels that her cultural understanding, empathy, and language proficiency have grown tremendously. ​

Her study abroad journey began with NSLI-Y, which convinced Eden that her career would involve environmental science and living abroad in Asia. The experience of living alongside a host family gave her a more personal understanding of daily life and the cultural practices that accompany it. This gave her the confidence to live and learn abroad, motivating her to pursue the archaeological field school in China and a Fulbright grant in Vietnam. Eden explains how being a part of her host parents’ community still frames her approach to research today.​

Although her inspiration to learn Chinese began with pandas at a zoo, this interest later grew into a passion for opportunities that challenged her to think across disciplines. She advises others to seek out opportunities that combine their interests in both academic and professional pursuits. When Eden studied the water and nutrient management of rice paddies at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, she realized how this research was a seamless blend of her interests in environmental science and language learning. Eden encourages everyone to pursue their passions and discover creative ways of applying them in their future careers. ​