Alex G. Hanafi, a third-year Harvard Law School student, was among 19 young Americans named 1997-1998 Luce Scholars by The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc.

As a Luce Scholar, Hanafi will spend a year in Asia and receive an $18,000 stipend, in addition to funds for language study, travel, and housing.

Hanafi said he will probably be an intern at an environmental, non-governmental organization in Indonesia "working on issues of sustainable development law."

The Foundation helps the Scholars in finding internships in Asia. Hanafi said he was interested in studying "what [sustainable development law] means for developing countries."

Hanafi described the program as an "ambassadorial-type program" like a "Rhodes for Asia."

"[The Foundation] pays your salary and you work at an organization of your choosing," he said.

The selection committee looks for Americans who do not have a lot of experience in Asia but will likely be leaders in their profession in the future, according to Hanafi.

"The goal of the program is to prepare tomorrow's leaders to understand Asian cultures through the first-hand experience of their countries and customs and to address the imbalance of cultural exchange between the United States and our neighbors on the other side of the Pacific Ocean," Henry Luce III, chairperson and C.E.O. of the Luce Foundation said in a press release.

Part of the selection process included writing a "selection essay...describing your career goals, interests, and background," Hanafi said.

Applicants for the scholarship needed to have at least a Bachelor's degree and were required to be under 30 years old.

Applicants were nominated by 67 colleges and universities in the United States, according to the press release. Each school was allowed to nominate two students for the award, although schools that had a winner the previous year could nominate three, Hanafi said.

After being nominated by their schools, applicants were interviewed and the pool was narrowed from 138 to 45, Hanafi said.

The 45 finalists were then interviewed in New York City, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C., he said.

Hanafi said he believed the selection committee was looking for qualities including "leadership, maturity, and flexibility."

The Luce Foundation established in 1936 by the late Henry R. Luce, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc. started the Scholars program in 1974