Emily Corrigan, one of the 2021 Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship recipients

The Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship program is designed to attract outstanding individuals to pursue a university degree in Taiwan and experience unique Taiwan academic, culture, and people and then become bridges between Taiwan and their respective countries. 

The Education Division in Canada received a large number of Taiwan Scholarship applications in 2021 and three excellent candidates with completely different backgrounds were awarded a scholarship. All three will undertake a master’s degree program.

Emily Corrigan, the recipient pictured in the photos, has decided to do a master’s degree in the Department of Aquaculture at National Taiwan Ocean University. She wants to focus on understanding the impact of the changing climate on coral reproduction. In the later years of completing a bachelor’s degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology, Emily’s initial interest in aquatic sciences had become a passion and she assisted in research focusing on the reproductive endocrinology of fish. She began a Tropical Marine Biologist Internship at the Cape Eleuthera Institute in The Bahamas in 2019, where she became fully immersed in coral reef conservation and restoration. She subsequently became aware of the work of Dr. Ching-Fong Chang, a distinguished professor at National Taiwan Ocean University, where she’ll be studying. His lab focuses on coral reproductive physiology. 

The second recipient started learning Mandarin in university. Her Mandarin teacher was from Taipei and her class was taught traditional characters and introduced to Taiwanese culture. She subsequently decided to undertake a master’s degree in Russian Studies which is taught in Mandarin. She wants her thesis to focus on mining industry related geopolitics between Russia, Canada, and China. 

The Russian Studies program offers courses that will help her research, and at the same time it gives her the opportunity to be immersed in the Chinese language. Taiwan was her first choice as a study destination because she really likes the country and its people and appreciates the unique learning experience the Russian Studies program offers.   
The third recipient is currently a public school teacher who’s looking forward to beginning an international master’s degree program focusing on Learning and Instruction in the 2022 academic year. 

All three recipients expressed their eagerness to continue their higher education in Taiwan and their excitement about being able to explore Taiwan’s rich culture. They’re looking forward to becoming knowledge exchange bridges between Taiwan and Canada.