Pre-departure Orientation for Recipients of Scholarships to Study in Taiwan Held in Los Angeles

Taiwan is a modern, democratic society whose university system is gaining global recognition, and Taipei is one of Asia’s leading higher education hubs. Its outstanding universities offer instruction in Chinese or English for a wide variety of programs, and Taiwan has long been an ideal destination to study Mandarin. As well as providing a target language immersion environment, Taiwan boasts 56 Chinese language centers devoted to Chinese study and teachers experienced in instructing non-native speakers. The centers are easily accessible, located throughout Taiwan, and perfect for students who also want to explore Taiwanese society.
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China established the Taiwan Scholarship Program and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program to encourage outstanding students to pursue academic degrees or learn Mandarin in Taiwan, thereby enhancing educational links. At the same time, they can deepen their understanding of Taiwan's academic environment, culture, history, and people, and help create enduring friendships between Taiwan and the global community. The application period for these two scholarships is from February 1 till March 31 each year.
In 2018, the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles received applications from people in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii and awarded one Taiwan Scholarship and 28 Huayu Enrichment Scholarships.
The lucky recipients were invited to attend a pre-departure orientation on July 12.
Rebecca Lan, director of the Education Division, congratulated them all and introduced four former scholarship recipients: Alyssa Johnson, the current president of the Taiwan Alumni Association, Jaime Ocon, Christie Ford, and Sierra Chu, who shared all kinds of practical details, and answered questions, about living and studying in Taiwan.
Jaime Ocon, now an undergraduate student of diplomacy at National Chengchi University, talked about his wonderful experiences in Taiwan and his ambition to become a diplomat. Jaime studied Chinese at National Taiwan University in 2016 on a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, practicing Chinese in the city along with his fellow students from all over the world, and truly felt what it meant to be a global citizen. This led him to begin a Bachelor of Diplomacy degree at National Cheng Chi University in 2017. He said “I can’t thank the Ministry of Education and the wonderful team at TECO in Los Angeles enough for this incredible opportunity and I strongly feel that Taiwan is the place to go to learn Chinese and pursue a degree.”
Abraham W.S. Chu, the Director General of TECO in LA encouraged this year’s scholarship recipients to take advantage of all opportunities to learn Chinese in Taiwan and immerse themselves in its cultural diversity. He emphasized the beauty of traditional characters, and their unbroken links with Chinese culture and their very long history, and he then presented certificates to the recipients on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The attendees had a great time talking and exchanging opinions and the recipients were all enthusiastically looking forward to their individual journeys to Taiwan.

Photo:2018 Taiwan and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Pre-Departure Orientation.