April 18, 2018

Four students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health will study in Asia this year as Phillips Ambassadors.

Among the 16 undergraduates and one doctoral student from UNC who were selected as Phillips Ambassadors, the following exemplary scholars will represent the Gillings School.

William Keith Blanks Jr.

William Keith Blanks Jr.

Wei Chang

Wei Chang

Blythe King

Blythe King

Julie Nguyen

Julie Nguyen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Keith Blanks Jr. of Raleigh, a biostatistics and chemistry double major with a math minor, will study through the National University of Singapore Summer Research program. (Through a second role as a UNC Summer Study Abroad Fellow, he also will research oncology at the National Institute of Cancer in Singapore.)

Wei Chang of Nanjing, China, a doctoral student in health policy and management with a minor in economics, will conduct research in China this summer as a graduate ambassador.

Blythe King of Wrightsville Beach, an environmental health sciences major with a double minor in computer science and Chinese, will study through the CET Beijing Intensive Language summer program.

Julie Nguyen of Durham, a health policy and management major, will study through the CET Vietnam Development Studies summer program.

The Phillips Ambassadors Program is part of UNC’s Carolina Asia Center, in association with the Study Abroad Office in the College of Arts & Sciences. 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.

Once selected, Phillips Ambassadors choose from more than 50 academic programs in Asia that have been approved by the College of Arts & Sciences and UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Scholarship recipients enroll in a three-credit-hour 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.

Additionally, the program features an emphasis on what is called a “Give Back,” or sharing of one’s study abroad experience in Asia with both the Carolina community and the student’s hometown. In accepting the scholarship, students agree to fulfill a Give Back, which historically have included 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 gift from Carolina alumnus Earl N. “Phil” Phillips, an entrepreneur and former U.S. ambassador, and his family.

Learn more about the summer and fall 2018 Phillips Ambassadors.


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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu

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