WKU News

Where could studying abroad take you? For Jesse Ferguson, a double major in Chinese and Asian studies from Lawrenceburg, KY, this answer is learning more about language and culture in Taiwan!

Before coming to WKU, Ferguson was unsure if his dream of studying abroad would become a reality. But after learning about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a scholarship offering funding for study abroad experiences for Pell Grant eligible students, Ferguson began to see study abroad as a real opportunity.

When I reached out over email, Ferguson wrote, “Studying abroad was always something I hoped for, but I didn't think I would actually get to between my class load and my financial situation. Gilman is going to make that hope a reality for me—it really feels like a reward for all my hard work.” 

The Mahurin Honors College (MHC) was another key player in this journey. Ferguson reflected, “Honors has really pushed me to really put as much effort as I can into everything I do here at WKU, and without Honors I wouldn't have the opportunities I do with the Chinese Flagship, so I'm really thankful.”

It was also through the MHC that Ferguson connected with the Office of Scholar Development (OSD) to gain extra support throughout the application process. “the OSD staff was super helpful! Having someone to give me firm deadlines helped me to avoid procrastinating and having solid feedback made me feel like I could actually write something good enough to get picked,” Ferguson wrote. 

This opportunity will give Ferguson the chance to engage deeper with his studies. Studying in Taiwan will help Ferguson gain tangible Chinese language experience. Ferguson explained, “Study Abroad is vital to my major. Getting real world experience talking to native speakers will really take my Chinese skills to the next level.” By studying abroad, Ferguson will gain language knowledge and global perspective that they can take to any post-grad experiences. 

If you are interested in studying abroad, Ferguson encouraged interested students to believe it is possible. “It really is in your best interest to pursue that. Don't let anything stop you from at least looking into it, there are options for every situation” Ferguson wrote. Ferguson challenged interested students to apply for opportunities like the Gilman scholarship regardless of the outcome. Ferguson explained, "There's really no drawback to applying, even if you get rejected it's good for your heart to face those sorts of challenges and recover from them.”

By choosing to chase opportunities that make studying abroad possible, Ferguson is transforming his Chinese language knowledge into real world experience and hopes that more students can do the same.