As an indigenous Chamoru, Emily Wood is dedicated to indigenous rights and cultural and linguistic conservation. Her involvement in the Chamoru community and in language learning has left her with a desire to support other indigenous communities around the world, which she hopes to do as a Foreign Service Officer with USAID as a 2021 Payne Fellow. Emily earned her bachelor’s degree in International Studies and German from the University of Wyoming, where she took advantage of many opportunities to study abroad and learn languages, such as Bahasa Indonesia through the Critical Language Scholarship. For her senior honor’s thesis, she researched and wrote about the ethical implications of short-term international volunteer experiences, or voluntourism, and developed materials for her study abroad office to promote ethical programs and projects. After graduation, Emily joined the Peace Corps in Mozambique as a high school English teacher. Although she wasn’t able to complete her full service due to COVID-19, she is excited to continue learning about international development with GHD.