When Ashley Rivenbark ’14 first found out that she had received a William D. Weir Honors Fellowship in Asian Studies to spend a semester of intensive language study and cultural immersion in Beijing, China, she almost didn’t go because she was too afraid of the unknown.
Today she can’t imagine her life any other way.
“Looking back on the years that have passed, I can truly say that I have no regrets,” said Ashley, an Asian studies and Romance languages double major from Charlotte, N.C. “I came out of the fellowship with near fluency in Chinese, experience in the working world, with more open eyes to some of the issues facing Chinese society and what I can do to better understand them and work toward changing them. I developed a new vision for my life, a new path forward and a renewed hope in my abilities and independence.”
After graduating, Ashley received the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship, which gave her the opportunity to continue her Chinese language and cultural studies. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business management at the Wake Forest University School of Business, with plans to return to China.
The William D. Weir Honors Fellowship in Asian Studies
The William D. Weir Honors Fellowship in Asian Studies was established 10 years ago by Heather and Peter Boneparth. To date, 34 Weir Fellows have traveled to China for a semester of intensive language study and cultural immersion, followed by an eight-week summer internship in either Beijing or Shanghai in fields such as banking, law, journalism, public health and historic preservation. This spring, there will be three new Weir Fellows in China.
While serving as CEO of Jones Apparel Group, Peter Boneparth recognized that long-term, sustainable success between the U.S. and China would be predicated on many more U.S. citizens immersing themselves in the language and culture of China. The Boneparths established the Weir Fellowship to promote long-term understanding between the U.S. and China.
The Weir Fellowship was named in honor of Heather Boneparth’s late father, William Donald Weir. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served on a minesweeper during the Korean War, and spent much of his career at the Department of State’s Arms Control and Disarmament Agency engaged in strategic arms limitation.
Honors Carolina
The Weir Fellowship is one of a number of private funds that support Honors Carolina. The Arts and Sciences Foundation raises money to support Honors Carolina through course development awards, study abroad scholarships, summer research fellowships and more.
In recent years, the Foundation helped Honors Carolina raise more than $22 million in private gifts and state matching funds to endow 15 Honors Carolina professorships in the College of Arts & Sciences. Those additions to the faculty have enabled Honors Carolina to double the size of the program and strengthen its ability to recruit top undergraduate students from across the state and throughout the nation.
Honors Carolina makes a promise to students, “Come Here. Go Anywhere.” The Arts and Sciences Foundation plays an important role in helping Honors Carolina to deliver on that promise. Today, Honors Carolina serves more than 1,600 remarkable undergraduate students each year. The program offers more than 160 seminar-style courses taught on campus and abroad, provides extraordinary opportunities for students to conduct cutting-edge research alongside faculty mentors, opens the door for students to explore the world through study abroad programs and international fellowships, and prepares students to compete for prestigious scholarships.
