Damai Siallagan, ArtSci ’24, is moving away from the traditional classroom.
Siallagan received the Pathy Foundation Fellowship, a year-long post-grad program creating sustainable impact in communities. Recipients of the fellowship receive up to $40,000 to help fund their chosen initiative, as well as living and travel expenses.
His fellowship will take place in Indonesia, the country his father grew up in. His initiative is centered around aiding local Indigenous communities in Lake Toba, Indonesia. He will use digital landscaping to increase tourism in the area and work with local entrepreneurs, offering training on market research, and providing them with on their products.
The initiative builds off his undergraduate thesis which explored the relationship between tourism and neo-colonialism. For Siallagan, analyzing the relationship between tourism and neo-colonialism is vital in understanding the experiences of the Toba Batak, the Indigenous peoples living in the Lake Toba region.
Siallagan’s thesis critiques the way in which tourists view the countries they are visiting. Their gaze is problematic because it often uses stereotypical and exotic images that were historically used to dehumanize Indigenous peoples and justify colonial rule, Siallagan said.
Rather than simply talking about inequity, Siallagan wants to use the knowledge he garnered during his undergraduate degree to address the root cause of the issues impacting marginalized groups.
“It feels almost superficial, unless you’re engaging that knowledge and your understanding of it with the people who are impacted by it,” Siallagan said in an interview with The Journal.
Siallagan is using the fellowship as an opportunity to learn more about his Indonesian heritage. “I wanted to connect with that side of myself,” Siallagan said.
Siallagan’s interest in equity work was reinforced at Queen’s where he majored in History and Global Development Studies. at Queen’s. Working at The Yellow House Student Center for Equity and Inclusion, a community space that provides programming and resources for equity-deserving groups, was a highlight of Siallagan’s time at Queen’s.
“It helped me apply my interest in issues of race and colonialism in a way that can make an impact on the community I’m involved with,” Siallagan said.
During his time at the Yellow House, Siallagan started dialogue channels between various equity-seeking groups on campus to coordinate inclusive initiatives and events. His time at the Yellow House only furthered his ion for community engagement.
Siallagan is eager to begin his fellowship. He knows it will be worthwhile.
“There’s never a case where that kind of engagement is going to be a waste of time,” Siallagan said.
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