Talk about impact — what these students are learning is critical for America’s future!
Three students in Hunter’s Chinese Flagship Program have won David L. Boren Scholarships, which fund study abroad by U.S. undergraduate students in countries “critical to American interests.”
Amy Guo ’26, Kira Lai MHC ’26, and Johnson Xie ’27 will study Mandarin at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan, next year to complete their capstone projects for the flagship program, which enables students of all majors to achieve a superior Chinese-language proficiency.
Named for a former senator from Oklahoma, the Boren Scholarship, a U.S. State Department program, awards recipients $25,000 to support a year of intensive language study abroad.
The scholarships reflect Hunter’s commitment as an anchor institution to provide high-impact, life-changing study opportunities for its students. Inspired by the varied life experiences students bring to the classroom, Hunter’s faculty and staff invest deeply in student success. For more than 150 years, Hunter has been one of the nation’s most diverse higher education institutions and one of its most effective engines of social mobility.
Guo, an economics and Chinese language and literature major who moved to Queens from Taiwan as a child, grew up speaking English but wants to speak Mandarin to connect more deeply with her grandmother. Seeking a career in data analytics, international trade, or business, she hopes that having strong Chinese-language skills will create more opportunities and meaningful connections. As part of the flagship program, she attended an eight-week, immersive language program last summer at National Taiwan Normal University, which helped her skills greatly.
Lai, a Macaulay Honors student who also majors in economics and Chinese, hails from Port Washington on Long Island. Her mother is from Taiwan and father is from Vietnam. At home, her family primarily speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, but her extended family also speaks Hakka, Taiwanese, and Teochew. She plans to become a dentist and to work in healthcare policy reform.
“I am passionate about working with immigrant populations, especially the large and growing body of Chinese immigrants, so an advanced command of Chinese language and culture will undoubtedly be beneficial,” Lai said.
Xie was born in Brooklyn to Chinese immigrant parents who spoke Mandarin at home. He aspires to become a software developer and a translator.
“Chinese helps me connect with my family and from a local to the global community,” he said, noting that he has translated flyers and bill statements for his father, survey questions for community residents, and computer-science documents from English to Chinese and Chinese to English. This summer will be his first trip to Taiwan.
