Thanksgiving Reception in Los Angeles Warms Taiwanese Students’ Hearts
The number of Taiwanese students going abroad to study has seen a decrease in recent years, but there are still more than 3,000 students from Taiwan studying in Southern California, Hawaii, Arizona, and New Mexico. 162 of these students have been awarded a government scholarship from the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. As well as its routine tasks associated with distributing scholarship payments, and financial support for Taiwan Students’ Associations to organize activities, the Education Division also arranges annual events such as a Spring Festival Reunion Party, a Basketball Tournament, and a Double Ten Softball Club game which all provide excellent opportunities for students from Taiwan studying in various fields to connect, and build friendships and supportive networks.
Looking back over 2014, the Education Division in LA also organized seven regional gatherings, with more than 300 students participating: a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration for students in southern California; an Easter party in Hawaii for students studying at the University of Hawaii, and those at Brigham Young University; a Dragon Festival gathering at the University of California San Diego; a Moon Festival reunion at UCLA, and two special dinner receptions in Phoenix and in Tuscan, for students and professors at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona respectively. The purpose of all these events is to bring overseas Taiwanese students together, encouraging them to share details of their experiences studying and living in the USA, and to strengthen their synergy and sense of identifying with Taiwan.