“My experiences studying abroad in the Asia Pacific region have changed my outlook on life and what I desire to do with my future,” said Noah Edberg, 22. As one of nine winners from the Australian National University, Noah was awarded a nine months scholarship and he confidently chose Tainan as his study destination. In 2011 and 2012, Noah attended language courses in Taiwan, where he learned about Taiwanese society and made lifelong friends. His interest in boarder security led him to conduct research and to work along the Thailand Myanmar border with local government officials, NGOs, and security forces. He stated “Quite simply the nature of my degree in Asia Pacific security demands that I have a fluent grasp of the language in order for me to succeed in my field.”

As a young man working for the Department of Defence of Australia, Daniel Bourke, 28, developed a strong affinity for the Taiwanese people during a journey he made earlier this year. “I had the pleasure of traveling throughout Taiwan on a whirlwind two week tour, during which I fell in love the generous nature of the Taiwanese people, their delicious cuisine and the Taiwanese way of life.”. He is about to spend his nine month scholarship getting to know “the rich history, strong and robust democratic government and its dynamic modern economy.”