UCF Student Prepares for Chinese Adventure

A University of Central Florida student just received a $17,200 scholarship to study abroad in China for all of his sophomore year.

Department of Political Science student Philip Balikowski will be spending fall of 2017 and spring of 2018 studying at Southwest Minzu University in Chengdu, China through the Boren Scholarship Program. His particular curriculum is through the University Studies Abroad Consortium. The USAC provides academically credible courses in many locations around the world, with two partner schools in China.

The international and global studies major is excited to immerse himself in a completely new culture.

“Diversity really helps me grow as a person,” he said.

The scholarship is an initiative of the federal National Security Education Program. Balikowski eventually wants to work for the United States government, either within the intelligence field or Foreign Service.  He felt that the program would be a perfect fit. He found out about it through an email sent out to members of The Burnett Honors College.

Balikowski is going to take classes in Mandarin Chinese and in Chinese society. He saw the importance of learning more about the country and decided to take his first Mandarin Chinese course last fall. Now he will be spending one year of his college career there, learning from people who speak it every day.