LEXINGTON, Ky. – Social Work has taken Angelita Lazaro many places but most recently, the Master of Social Work (MSW) student at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) made the journey to Thailand, receiving the NextGen Service Fellowship from the Institute of International Education (IIE).
IIE, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and Outrider Foundation, announced the launch of the new fellowship to equip the next generation of public service leaders with professional experience in international development careers. The NextGen Service offered 52 American undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to support communities overseas, where they worked with organizations focused on fields including education, public health, agriculture, the environment and economic development.
Lazaro was one of eight UK students that were selected to receive funding from the program to complete service projects around the globe and she was placed Mae Sot, Thailand, working on a child abuse prevention and awareness program.
“My experience in Thailand was eye-opening. I learned resilience, acceptance, and perspective, lessons I’ll carry with me forever,” Lazaro shared. “I’d say to anyone—if you can go to Thailand, do it. And if you can volunteer while you’re there, even better.”
The NextGen Service Fellowship funds students’ travel and provides a stipend and placement costs at nonprofit and community-based organizations throughout Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean this summer.
The selection of fellows and oversight of their participation is fully managed by IIE. Upon returning from their international placements, each fellow will share a reflective report outlining how the experience shaped their professional development and contributed to the communities they served.
Graduating with her MSW in December 2026, Lazaro chose social work because of her upbringing, often paying for her school clothes by collecting aluminum cans. Now, she has been working in the social work field for 22 years, working in treatment facilities, as well as working for the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Line and the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, among other positions.
“My experience growing up taught me to give myself and others grace,” Lazaro said. “I try to meet people where they are, knowing everyone is doing the best they can in any given moment.”
That perspective is one she brought to Thailand during her four-week fellowship this summer. Lazaro shared the most rewarding part of her time spent was connecting with the families in Mae Sot and helping to deliver food and supplies, as well as her work with the child abuse and prevention program.
“It was an enlightening experience that I would recommend to all students. I learned a lot about Buddhism, the culture, and myself,” Lazaro said.
