麻豆视频

Chinese and international affairs student to study in Taiwan with the help of a fully funded program from the U.S. Department of State

When Lindsey Quint, an undergraduate student at the 麻豆视频 studying international affairs and Chinese, decided to enroll in a beginning Chinese course in sixth grade, she had no idea just how much it would become a part of her life.听

But the work that followed that decision was anything but easy.听

鈥淚 remember hating it in middle school. It was so hard and I always felt like I was never as good as everyone else, but it was never something I felt like I could give up. I had dedicated so much time and energy to it and it slowly became a part of my identity.鈥�

And her tenacity paid off nicely this March, when she was awarded the , a fully funded听program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, that allows American students to learn languages critical to national security听and听economic prosperity.

As part of the scholarship, Quint will attend the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan this summer. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to improving my language skills and experiencing Chinese culture firsthand,鈥� she said.

The process to win the Critical Language Scholarship, though, has been anything but easy. 鈥淭he first time I applied, I was waitlisted. I remember thinking, 鈥榃hat's the point? I dedicated so much time and energy to this language, and it didn't feel like it mattered.鈥欌��

Quint said she spent hours on the application scouring over every written response with her mom.听

鈥淚nstead of giving up, I just decided, 鈥榃ell, if they think I'm not ready for this program, then I鈥檓 not.鈥� In order to be a better applicant next time, I decided I was going to grow as much as I could for the next time I applied. I challenged myself through harder courses and took on additional internships as well.鈥澨�

Quint said studying Chinese has boosted her perseverance.听

鈥淲hen something hard comes their way, I think people鈥檚 first instinct is to avoid it. Chinese has taught me to embrace difficult things 鈥� it forced me to embrace struggles.鈥澨�

Quint said watching Chinese dramas helped her learn the language. 鈥淚鈥檇 highly recommend watching them for language improvement. It was something I mentioned in my Critical Language Scholarship application. While they鈥檙e dramatized and not super reflective of reality, you learn a lot about the Chinese language in a conversational setting. I would recommend Here to Heart on Netflix, I loved it.鈥澨�

After her time in Taiwan this summer, Quint plans to attend the University of Michigan for a master's degree in international and regional studies with a Chinese specialization.听

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to study blame rhetoric between the United States and China,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just completed an honors thesis that addresses how the United States uses blame rhetoric towards China to address U.S. economic shortcomings. I鈥檓 hoping to continue researching how historical legacies influence present-day foreign policy between China and the United States.鈥�

Quint plans to earn a PhD and teach at a university. But before that, she would like to work as a foreign policy analyst for the Congressional Research Service.听