Fifteen undergraduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and one Duke University undergraduate have been selected as Phillips Ambassadors for Summer and Fall 2015 study abroad programs in Asia.
Undergraduate scholarship recipients will study in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. One history doctoral candidate was awarded a Phillips Graduate Ambassador travel award for research in China this summer.
The Phillips Ambassadors Program is part of UNC’s Carolina Asia Center, in association with the Study Abroad office. Phillips Ambassadors are selected twice a year and receive $5,000 each. Selection is based on strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity and engagement, academic achievement, evidence of generous service to the campus and wider community, and a previous record of leadership.
Twenty-five percent of the scholarships are reserved for qualified undergraduate business majors and minors at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Up to two scholarships each year are available to qualified Duke University undergraduates.
Phillips Ambassadors choose from more than 50 UNC-approved academic programs in Asia that are approved by the College of Arts and Sciences and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Scholarship recipients enroll in a global studies course designed uniquely for them. Led by Carolina faculty, the course challenges students to explore their study abroad locale in significant detail and seek understanding of the region in a global context.
A distinguishing feature of the program is an emphasis on what is called a “Give Back,” or sharing of one’s study abroad experience in Asia with the Carolina community and a student’s hometown. In accepting the scholarship, students agree to fulfill a Give Back related to their study abroad experience. Give Backs include endeavors such as published articles, classroom presentations at a student’s hometown high school, photo and art exhibitions, musical performances and group projects focused on Asia.
The Phillips Ambassadors Program is made possible through a generous gift from Carolina alumnus Earl N. “Phil” Phillips, an entrepreneur and former U.S. ambassador, and his family.
“Our goal with this gift has been to encourage more students to spend their study abroad experiences focused on Asia — an increasingly vital region of the future,” said Phillips, who splits his time between High Point and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The first group of Phillips Ambassadors studied abroad in Asia in the summer of 2007. By the end of 2015, 239 Carolina undergraduates will have studied abroad in Asia as Phillips Ambassadors.
The new Phillips Ambassadors are listed below alphabetically by North Carolina county, followed by out-of-state recipients.
NORTH CAROLINA RECIPIENTS
Buncombe
Catherine Blalock of Asheville will study through the UNC Summer in India program. She is a political science and public policy double major with a public relations minor.
Craven
Christy Harris of New Bern will study through the UNC Summer in Japan program. She is a pre-nursing major.
Guilford
Sara Khan of Burlington will study through the UNC Summer in India program. She is a global studies and biology double major with a chemistry minor.
Mecklenburg
Jeremy Frye of Mint Hill will study through CET Beijing Summer Intensive Chinese Language program. He is a Chinese major with an Arabic and entrepreneurship double minor.
Connor Haines of Charlotte will study through UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a business administration major.
Allen Lawrence of Charlotte will study through the National University of Singapore Science program. He is a physics and mathematics double major.
Nash
William Jarvis of Rocky Mount will study through the UNC Entrepreneurship Summer in Shanghai program. He is an English major with an entrepreneurship minor.
Onslow
Isaiah Stackleather of Sneads Ferry will study through UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is a business administration and chemistry double major.
Orange
Ritam Chakraborty of Chapel Hill will study through the UNC Entrepreneurship Summer in Shanghai program. He is an undeclared major.
Eliza Filene of Carrboro will study through the UNC Entrepreneurship Summer in Shanghai program. She is a public policy major with an entrepreneurship minor.
Wake
Saima Akbar of Raleigh will study through the National University of Singapore Science Summer Lab Exchange. She is a psychology major.
Kelsey Britton of Cary will study through Waseda University in Tokyo. She is an Asian studies and public policy double major.
OUT-OF-STATE RECIPIENTS
Connecticut
Samantha Holmes of Ridgefield will study through the UNC Summer in India program. She is a public policy major at Duke University.
Illinois
Elizabeth Zwart of Deerfield will study through the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School: National University of Singapore program. She is a business administration major, with a philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) and education double minor
New Jersey
Ezra Baeli-Wang of Hillsborough will study through the CET Shanghai Summer program. He is a peace, war and defense major with a Chinese and creative writing double minor.
Pennsylvania
Ntiense Inyang of Dallastown will study at Yonsei University in South Korea. She is a global studies major with a chemistry and Korean double minor.
GRADUATE PHILLIPS AMBASSADOR
Clara Liang, a doctoral candidate in history, will conduct research in China this summer.
