AAUW International Fellowship Recipient, Kari Fuentes from Chile, Shares Her Journey of Pursuing an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design, The New School, USA

My name is Kari Fuentes, and I’m a Chilean-born designer based in New York City. In 2024, I graduated from the MFA in Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design.

My insatiable curiosity has always had a way of taking over my life. I’ve always loved learning, so I knew I would continue on the path of graduate education; I just didn’t know how or when. What I did know was that it would happen.

I’ve always been drawn to the spaces in between: the overlaps between disciplines, ideas, and ways of knowing. That curiosity led me to double major in Creative Writing and Philosophy of the Arts as an undergraduate. My craft has taken many forms alongside my career, filmmaking, dramaturgy, photography, writing, art direction, and community-engaged projects, but they have all revolved around a long-standing fascination with memory systems. By the end of my degree, that fascination led me to also minor in Neuroscience.

At one point in that journey, my grandmother, with whom I was living at the time, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. That moment profoundly shaped both my life and my work. I became an informal caregiver, and through that experience, I began to see my creative practice through the lens of systems: biological, social, emotional, and cultural. I realized that my real gift wasn’t just making things; it was how I think.

Over time, I translated that way of thinking into strategies and methodologies. That’s when I found a way to create impact and began working as a consultant, helping organizations navigate complexity through design, research, and systems thinking.

Because of the nature of my work, I eventually began searching for a container, a space where I could sharpen what I was already doing instinctively and expand the tools behind it. The MFA in Transdisciplinary Design felt immediately right up my alley.

AAUW International Fellowship Details

During the application process, as I was also figuring out how to fund this new chapter, I applied to the AAUW International Fellowship. I was incredibly grateful to be awarded the fellowship, which supported my first year of study with about $20,000.

Were You Offered any Other Scholarships?

In addition to the AAUW International Fellowship, I was also offered and accepted the IEI Fellowship and a Merit Scholarship from The New School that played an important role in making my graduate education possible.

Educational Background

GPA is measured very differently in Chile, and while my academic record translated above the minimum requirement here, the comparison can be tricky. In our educational system, particularly in creative and interdisciplinary fields, the emphasis is often placed more on process than on outcome, and lower GPAs are not uncommon or necessarily reflective of a student’s abilities.

What truly shaped my success was not my GPA alone, but my capacity for critical and strategic thinking. I was well prepared to conduct extensive research, understand the broader social and cultural context, and design an application that clearly responded to the values, concerns, and expectations of the scholarship committees. I approached the process with care, ensuring that the potential impact of my studies reflected the responsibility and value of the investment being made in me.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to The New School?

How Did You Find Information About Scholarships and The New School?

I believe that the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. So before I even began the application process, I took time to sit with myself and ask: How do I want to show up in this? What is my why? Who do I want to be while going through it? I wrote my answers down, and they became a kind of compass. From there, I broke the process into steps, pressed play, and followed through.

I also knew the process could feel overwhelming, especially when it isn’t always clear where to begin. I started by brainstorming the ideas, fields, and possible career paths that genuinely interested me. From there, I researched programs that resonated with those directions. I ended up applying to nine universities, which I organized into three groups: three programs I felt confident about, three that were my top choices, and three highly competitive or research-driven programs that truly inspired me.

Did You Take Any Standardized? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

Most of the universities I applied to were in Europe, so the IELTS felt like the right choice. At the time, I was working full-time, and I knew I needed to be decisive. I paid for the test and booked a date right away so I would feel the pressure to follow through.

I reached out to my network, people who had already taken the exam, and gathered practice materials and sample tests. For a full month, I woke up every day to study and prepare. I trusted the work I had put in, and I trusted the process. It showed.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Scholarship?

First, I reached out to people who had gone through similar application processes and learned from their experiences, especially their mistakes. I did the work: researching, iterating, and creating one strong master draft that I then adapted for each scholarship, without overthinking it. I gave myself enough time, gathered all the required paperwork, and secured recommendation letters early (which, honestly, was the most complicated part, since it meant a lot of follow-ups).

I planned ahead, kept applying until I felt I had covered as many options as possible, and prepared myself for rejection, knowing that eventually, one would work out.

How is (was) Your Experience at The New School?

One of my biggest learnings was to really look at the people behind each institution, who would be teaching me, and who might become my classmates. Talking to people matters. A graduate program is a major investment of time, energy, and future opportunity.

My program was two years long, and when I joined, there was no going back; I was fully committed to finishing it. It wasn’t without challenges, especially when it came to clarity and imagining future paths, but that commitment carried me through.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I believe my application stood out because it was deeply intentional. I took the time to understand not only what I wanted to study, but also why it mattered, both for me and for the communities and systems I hope to serve. I approached the process the same way I approach my work: with research, reflection, and care.

Rather than presenting a polished but generic story, I shared a coherent narrative about my journey, from creative practice to systems thinking, from caregiving to design, and from curiosity to impact. I also made sure my application clearly connected my past experiences, my present questions, and the future I am working toward. I think that clarity of purpose, combined with thoughtful preparation, is what truly made my application stand out.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

If I were going through the process again, I would trust myself sooner. I applied to many programs because I wasn’t fully sure I would be accepted, and in the end, I was admitted to all of them. Looking back, a more focused approach would have served me just as well.

I would also be less hesitant to ask for help and to reach out to people along the way. This process doesn’t have to be done alone, and having more conversations, guidance, and perspective would have made it feel both lighter and more connected.

 What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Treat the application as a design process. Start with your why. Spend time understanding what truly drives you, what you care about, and the kind of impact you want to create. Let that guide everything else.

Do the research. Learn what the scholarship values, who it supports, and what kinds of futures it wants to invest in. Then design your application so it clearly reflects that alignment, without losing your own voice.

Give yourself time, ask for help, and don’t be afraid to iterate. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be honest. And most importantly, trust that your story, your way of thinking, and your lived experience are not things you need to hide; they are exactly what make your application worth reading.