Dear Contributors and Program Participants,
The Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship Fund is now in its twenty-seventh year, and with the addition of the nine students this year who were able to go abroad, 98 University of California students have benefited from your generous contributions. They have pursued international study at universities in Austria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, and Sweden. For up-to-date information and details on how to contribute at any time, see the Fund website at https://www.bortonscholarship.org/.
We continue our long partnership with Chris’ alma mater UCSD (we awarded 4 scholarships to UCSD students in 2023) but are excited by the greater diversity of the candidate pool achieved through our partnership with the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) as we grow the number of scholarships we seek to award. 2023 was our second year partnering with UCEAP to offer scholarships for full-year study abroad to students across the entire University of California system. The Board of Directors continues to be very pleased with the results. This partnership allows us to have a standard application and common administration of the scholarship across the entire UC system. In 2023, we awarded scholarships to students from UC campuses at Berkeley, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Irvine, and San Diego. Our scholarship application can be found on the UCEAP website and is listed here.
2023 Scholarship Recipients:
Callan Brakeman is a Linguistics major at the UC Santa Barbara. She is originally from Pasadena, CA, and is attending the University of Oslo in Norway. Callan began learning Norwegian on a whim when she was 14 years old and has dreamed of living in Norway ever since. This love for the Norwegian language inspired her to study Linguistics at UCSB, where she eventually added a Slavic emphasis and a minor in Russian. Callan writes, “I’m very interested in Norwegian culture and the linguistics of Scandinavian languages, so I’m beyond excited to take part in this study abroad program. I hope to further my studies in Linguistics, and hopefully achieve fluency in Norwegian after living in Norway for an entire year.” Callan lives in a student village and has made great friends with several other international students, with whom she has traveled to Bergen and Budapest. “My favorite experience here so far has been seeing the seasons change,” Callan writes. “Growing up in Los Angeles, that’s not something I am very used to. The fall colors are beautiful and today it properly snowed for the first time!”
Drew Shinozaki is a third-year English major at UC Berkeley studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Drew is thrilled to immerse herself in Japan while pursuing a deeper knowledge of the field of literary translation. She hopes to closely study how cross-cultural academia affects the perception of specific literary texts. With her understanding of Western society and values, she is excited to witness first-hand how easily interpretations of literature can differ due to culture, mindset, and untranslatable nuances only truly understood in their original languages. Drew is passionate about creative writing and psychological fiction and plans to improve her understanding of Japanese while also gaining a more complex awareness of how to realistically write East-Asian narrators in her short stories. At Waseda, Drew has connected with fellow Borton Scholar Sophia Chang as well as family members she had never met before. Drew writes, “I met my family from Japan! It was a really touching experience to finally get the chance to meet my father’s side of the family. They are very kind, and I love them a lot. In Japan, young people have a coming-of-age celebration where they visit a shrine in kimono. However, since my 20th birthday has already passed, they plan to hold a coming-of-age celebration for me on my 21st birthday instead. I am very grateful and honored to have that experience next year.”
Piya Rao is a Sociology major at the UC Santa Barbara studying abroad at the University of Bologna in Italy. She has always loved languages and after studying Spanish and Latin in high school, she wanted to challenge herself with Italian. Longer term, she plans on a career where she engages daily with new populations from various walks of life, either in education or nonprofit work. Piya writes, “By throwing myself into a foreign environment where I quickly have to adapt to a new way of life and culture, I will be continuously preparing myself for my future work.” In Bologna, Piya shares a flat with students from France, Germany, Hungary, and Finland with whom she enjoys exchanging stories about each of their cultures. In addition, she writes, “I started babysitting three times a week for a 10-year-old Bolognese girl and it has been a great experience! It gives me a window into how Italian families live and provides an escape from the bustle of classes and the city.”
Katia Griffin is a third-year Chemical Engineering student at UC San Diego studying at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She grew up in Penn Valley, a rural town northwest of Lake Tahoe. Her parents volunteered for the Peace Corps in Russia before she was born, and, after her mother passed away, Katia wanted to continue her legacy of international work. During high school, she participated in a foreign exchange to South Australia for five months. She also journeyed to Croatia for a marine conservation excursion in 2021, where she was able to collect trash from the seafloor and make international friends. She is hoping to get involved in climate research while abroad in the Netherlands to further her goal of becoming a climate scientist. In Utrecht, Katia is living with ten roommates from all over the world: three other Americans, as well as Spanish, Turkish, Canadian, Irish, German, English, and French. She writes, “It has been so interesting to hear about each other’s culture, bond over being in a foreign place, and cook together.” Katia writes beautifully about her experiences abroad on her blog.
Junehee Son is a double major in Education Sciences and Political Science at UC Irvine studying at Seoul National University in South Korea. She has been dreaming of studying abroad since high school. Growing up as a missionary kid, she had the opportunity to live in many countries overseas which shaped her identity and has given her purpose in life. She aspires to start her career in education and ultimately work with UNICEF to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children in some of the world’s toughest places. Junehee looks forward to being exposed to the unique cultures, practices, and values that eventually initiated the Korean Wave through a top-quality school system that will introduce her to non-American, “uniquely Korean” views. She writes from Seoul, “I had the privilege of experiencing Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, which spans three days and stands as one of Korea's major holidays. The delectable traditional foods I savored during the Chuseok celebration left me truly astounded. It would be a formidable task to pick a favorite among all the delicious dishes, but if I were pressed to choose, it would be Songpyeon: a traditional Korean rice cake, resembling a half-moon, with an array of fillings such as red bean paste, toasted sesame seeds, and chestnuts.”
Kyle Lin is a Computer Science major at UC Riverside who is studying at International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan. In 2017, Kyle participated in his city’s cultural exchange program with Toyokawa, a one-week homestay in a Japanese student’s home, which he says was one of the best weeks in his life. Even though he had never been to Japan before and didn’t speak Japanese, he felt a sense of belonging and acceptance from day one. Though he’d been exposed to other languages before, something about the Japanese phonemes and the shape of the hiragana and katakana resonated with him. At the end of the week, he left Japan with a spark of interest in its culture and language. Since then, he started learning Japanese and joined Japanese cultural clubs to learn about Japanese history, traditions, and pop culture. He is now eager to spend a full academic year in Japan to be able to truly immerse himself in and learn from the culture and customs, form deep relationships, and hopefully become fluent in the language. He was able to connect with and get advice from outgoing Borton scholar Akito Yatsugi.
Megan Hsu is an International Business major with a minor in Finance at UC San Diego studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan at Keio University. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Megan also frequently traveled to Taiwan and Japan, fostering her interest to study and work in a global setting where she can deepen her knowledge of foreign customs and lifestyles. Megan has worked as an international trade intern, and through this internship, solidified her passion for international business and helping businesses expand overseas. She strongly believes that the experiences she will gain through studying abroad will deepen her cultural awareness and understanding of global business. Since the age of three, Megan has been in contact with the Japanese language and culture. This upbringing has influenced her goal of working in Japan in the field of international business. One of Megan's hobbies is photography, and she hopes to document her journey as she travels around Japan, makes new friends, and experiences everything that Keio University has to offer. At Keio, Megan has joined the photography and aikido clubs. She writes of her early experience: “Overall, I am enjoying myself in Japan because each day is always so eventful and fun. The food is amazing, and the transportation is extremely convenient! However, there are some things that I am still struggling with. I've noticed that the classes here are much less structured than at UCSD. For example, the syllabus is extremely vague and assignment grades are never released.”
Danicka Leeds is a Human Developmental Sciences major at UC San Diego with a double minor in Spanish Linguistics and Psychology who will be studying abroad at the University of Chile. She plans to stay at a local family home upon arrival. Danicka writes of the opportunity to study abroad: “I want to gain insight into another culture and be entirely immersed in a different way of life to gain appreciation for another way of living and apply the values I’ve learned to my own life. I want to be able to redefine the narrative that travel is only possible if you’re rich and to show that a girl like me whose family comes from a line of homelessness can be able to make these dreams a reality. I want to be able to learn medical terminology in Spanish so that I can connect with Spanish-speaking patients without the use of a translator to show that I care for them and that I want to know them.” She plans to work as a phlebotomist in Chile to gain more medical terminology in Spanish and gain hospital experience.
Sophia Chang is a Biological Anthropology Major at UC San Diego studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Sophia was awarded a Borton Scholarship for 2021-22. Covid prevented her from being able to go to Japan. She tried again, unsuccessfully, the following year. Next, she took a gap year during which she became a fantastic pastry chef. Last year she re-enrolled at UCSD and applied to Waseda University where she arrived in September! Growing up in Taiwan, she experienced various aspects of Japanese culture and fell in love with Japan when she visited a few years ago. As an anthropology major, Sophia strives to learn and understand human relations and traditions within a certain location. In this case, she is interested in how Japanese culture and history have shaped Japan’s image in the modern world. She is also excited to practice Japanese which she has been learning since the beginning of freshman year. She has ice skated since she was seven years old, was an active member of the Ice-Skating Club at UCSD, and hopes that she can continue to pursue her skating career even in Japan. She looks forward to traveling to different cities throughout the changing seasons and exploring the local specialties that Japan has to offer. She believes that living in Japan will provide her with new and unique experiences that cannot be understood through a book alone. At Waseda, Sophia has made lots of friends at her dorm including exchange students from different parts of the world. She writes, “It is so interesting getting to hear their stories and learn more about their countries and cultures.” She has particularly enjoyed local festivals and shared the following vlog documenting one such event: Waseda Festival Vlog.
Updates on 2022-23 Borton Scholarship Recipients:
Valeria Gonzales Perez (Italy, 2022-23) has returned to UC San Diego and is working on a team project creating a medical empathetic chatbot about menopause in which doctors, patients, or the general public may ask about possible treatment for mitigating menopause symptoms and may learn about potential medications suitable for a patient's specific symptoms. Her team completed the regional NSF I-Corps Program and received a research grant. She writes, “Participating in this project which has a public health perspective on menopause has really opened up my mind to the many opportunities that exist in the field of med-tech and of the possibilities of educating through the use of technology.” She is also sharing her experience with students considering going abroad and is planning to make a “How to Study Abroad in Padova” guide. Valeria writes, “Thank you so much for supporting my dream of studying abroad – every time that I think about my year in Italy, a radiant joy and gratefulness surrounds me.”
Akito Yasugi (Japan, 2022-23) has returned to UC San Diego to finish his final year. His year in Japan has encouraged him to study abroad again before graduating. He writes: “I am going to Taiwan for one semester! I am very excited to embark, once again, on a new journey abroad and look forward to the many opportunities that await.”
Brianna Angulo (France, 2022-23) recommends a full year abroad to other students. Studying abroad, she writes, “offers unparalleled personal and academic growth, broadens horizons, and fosters cross-cultural understanding. While a semester-long program can be transformative, I strongly recommend a full year abroad. A longer duration allows for deeper immersion in the local culture, an opportunity to travel extensively, and establish meaningful connections.” Her year abroad has reinforced and refined her career plans. She writes, “Witnessing the power of effective communication and cultural understanding, I am now more determined than ever to pursue a career in diplomacy, where I can bridge gaps and foster collaboration on a global scale.”
Tzipporah Moehringer (Spain, 2022-23) has transferred from UC Santa Barbara to UC Los Angeles. She writes that attending three universities in three years has shaped her resilience and confidence, and she looks forward to continuing her education as a Spanish major on the pre-dental track. She writes, “I will continue to implement the Spanish-speaking skills I worked so hard to improve over my year abroad, and I feel like I have a far better view of my goals for the future after returning from Spain. My dream to pursue a career in dentistry remains steadfast, and I aspire to provide dental care for underserved Spanish-speaking communities after graduation. I hope to be able to return to Spain someday soon; I know that a piece of my heart will always remain in Madrid.”
Milan Au (South Korea, 2022-23) is continuing his UCEAP studies on another year-long program at Peking University (PKU) in China for 2023-24. He writes,“While I miss the UCR campus dearly, I am certain that my goals can be furthered abroad, namely: improving my Chinese and understanding of China. This is my first time in China, so I got the opportunity to visit relatives I have never met, explore the culture (that I have been learning about within textbooks since high school), and immerse myself in Chinese.” At PKU, Milan organizes events for the Association of Sino-US Exchange, where they share different cultures to forge new friendships between local and international students. He writes that “being abroad has intrigued me with the idea of a career in East Asian Pacific Affairs, specifically in International Trade.”
Ashley Lopez (South Korea, 2022-23) reflected on the challenges of studying abroad and how they accelerate self-knowledge. She writes, “I traveled to South Korea before my study abroad exchange program, resulting in my thinking only about the positives and the unforgettable moments I would make during the year. Because of this, I was a little naive and did not think I would face any big challenges. I knew the language, I lived here for three months before, and I had learned a lot of social and cultural rules to assimilate myself well. However, that was not the case. Living here for three months versus a year is completely different and makes you learn who you are.”
Duy Nguyen (South Korea, 2022-23) returned from South Korea with an appreciation for the profound ways his time abroad changed him. He writes, “Each experience has left an indelible impact on my worldview, shaping me into a more empathetic, open-minded, and culturally aware individual. As I reflect on my time in South Korea, I am reminded of the beauty and significance of embracing diverse cultures and traditions. South Korea will forever hold a special place in my heart as the backdrop for my personal transformation.”
Ragini Krishnaswami (South Korea, 2022-23) returned from South Korea with a growing sense of independence and adaptability. She writes, “I learned that I was capable of taking care of myself. Also, that I was more independent than I thought. Before this trip, I had underestimated myself. This experience staying in a completely different country, which had a totally different culture and lifestyle from what I was used to, taught me that I was capable of adapting to a whole new environment.”
Updates on past Borton Scholars:
Daniela Mendoza (Italy, 2021-22) graduated from UCSD in December of last year and has begun a graduate program in International Marketing and Brand Management at Lund University in Sweden. She writes, “I feel so incredibly grateful to be here and although my program is quite rigorous, I know I will have grown so much from where I began and further develop what I want my future career to be. I had never been to Sweden before, but it truly is just as beautiful as they say. Lund is a charming town and a hub for international students as well. I have met such incredible people from all walks of life, and I can't wait to build even more connections.”
Rebecca Brambila (Italy, 2021-22) graduated from UCSD in the Spring and got a job as a flight attendant with United Airlines. She is now an Italian-speaking flight attendant based in Denver, CO. Rebecca writes, “I am very excited and happy to be able to get paid to travel the world. Life has been very exciting, and I can't imagine where I would be today if I hadn't decided to study abroad in Italy two years ago.”
Tammy Mok (Japan, 2019-20) is living in Seattle and works for Meta. She has enjoyed exploring the outdoors through cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, backpacking, and enjoying the surrounding mountain views. Tammy has also slowly been learning French, with the goal of being somewhat conversational next year. She writes, “It definitely holds a different set of challenges than Japanese but has been enjoyable regardless.”
Alex Slone (Czech Republic, 2018-19) spent his first three years out of UC San Diego at a large educational technology company called Coursera before taking a year to travel and live in Southeast Asia. He writes, “The first half of the year was spent traveling and in the second half I was living in Thailand and teaching myself how to code and exploring business ideas.”
Gio Castillo (Spain, 2017-18) is working for the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Veterans' Affairs as a Neuroscience Research Associate. The research is focused on how post-traumatic stress influences brain and behavior. He writes that “the broadened perspective I gained from living abroad has developed into a really important soft skill I use on the job. Meeting so many people from around the world gave me a special appreciation of the understanding that everyone has their own unique context, or background story. This understanding translates into my approach for the clinical interviews I administer when we fly our veteran participants in from around the country to participate in our research.”
Megan Bright (Germany, 2015-16) is finishing her first year at Legal Services of Northern California as a staff attorney. She works with low-income individuals and seniors obtaining and maintaining housing and access to public benefits. She writes, “The best parts of my work are my colleagues and my clients. The global perspective that study abroad provided impacts my work every day.”
Shelby Newallis (Italy, 2014-15) is a 5th-grade teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She got married in July 2023, and she and her husband took their honeymoon in Italy. She writes, “It was amazing to be back where I studied abroad! Last, but not least, my husband and I just bought a house in Lakewood. We are looking forward to our next chapter as a married couple!”
Sunny Young (the Netherlands, 2014-15) is living abroad in Melbourne, Australia working as a speech therapist. She writes, “I arrived here about 4 months ago, in the dead of winter, from Hawaii, so it was a rough adjustment but now that it's getting warmer and I'm getting settled, it's been a lot of fun living in a new country. Melbourne has a very European feel to it with its trams, trains, and little shops and cafes. I anticipate being here for the next two years, and then I'll see where life takes me next!”
Debbie Leung (Denmark, 2010-11) continues to work in transportation on projects that help increase mobility options other than driving. Her exposure to making transportation connections more seamless was first inspired by living in Copenhagen and being able to seamlessly travel from home to school via bike, train, and walking (having grown up in the infamous traffic capital of the world, Los Angeles, this was especially eye-opening). She also enjoyed seeing and visiting with part of her host family on a trip to South Carolina last year.
Kipp Trieu (France, 2008-09) continues to work in education as Assistant Head of Lower School at an independent school in the Bay Area. He recently defended his PhD dissertation, entitled “Toward a Praxis of Culturally Proactive Family-School-Community Partnerships: Implications on Teacher Education and Development in Independent Schools." He writes, “Global citizenship, which is what we all were gifted and what we earned from being Borton Scholars, is more important than ever to young people and schools. We must reshape this ideal from buzzword to way of thinking. As I reflect on this, I fully recognize that my personal capacity for being able to add my push to moving this mountain comes from being a Borton Scholar. It’s humbling to be part of the nearly 100 scholarship recipients, and it’s inspiring to know that the program continues to help shape the education and career paths of globally minded young people.”
Nicola Hil (France, 2007-08) moved back to the Washington, D.C. area with her husband Amaury and one-year-old son Milo earlier this year after spending two years in Morocco. She loves her job as a research specialist at the Department of State where she analyzes travel fraud trends with a focus on the Sub-Saharan African region.
Joachim Lyon (China, 2004-05) is living in San Francisco and working in the tech industry (Intuit, LegalZoom) mostly as a field researcher studying small business owners. He writes, “My days most recently have been filled with a lot of long-distance endurance cycling around the Bay Area, as well as going to House Music dance festivals and shows — so if any scholars want some recommendations on either, let me know! In terms of travel, I finally checked off a bucket list item and went to Japan for two weeks this past summer, spending time in Tokyo and Osaka, and hiking a chunk of the Kumano Kodo trail with my younger brother and friends.”
Jonathan Wang (Japan, 2003-04) is living in Singapore and working for TikTok. A few years back, he chose a business school program based on its reputation for international diversity. He writes, “Since joining TikTok, I've picked up basic Mandarin, then hired and grown teams across the United States, China, Singapore, London, and Canada.” Jonathan relocated to Singapore, where his best friends from business school reside. He writes, “The best things in my life occurred thanks to my decisions to opt into circumstances affording global exposure. I believe that my propensity toward seeking such exposure blossomed thanks to the great time I had studying abroad back in 2003, thanks to programs like the Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship.”
Ellen Holloway (Spain, 2001-02) transitioned from representing kids in foster care to a job with the California Department of Social Services. She now works in the Community Care Licensing Division helping ensure DSS meets its obligations to youth in foster care, adults with disabilities, and seniors. She also volunteers with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) using her legal skills to support Israel and combat rising antisemitism worldwide. She writes, “I still speak Spanish every opportunity I get.”
Shige Itoh (Japan, 2000-01) continues to practice law in Irvine, running the corporate law practice group at his law firm, Rutan & Tucker. He has been involved with the International Bar Association for the past decade and is the current Vice Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee. The Association recently completed its annual conference in Paris, and Shige had the opportunity to meet and connect with international colleagues. He writes, “These connections are crucial to my work, as I represent clients across the world in cross-border legal transactions. My study abroad experience continues to have an impact on my worldview and interest in meeting and creating new connections with people around the world. My wife and I have a 13-year-old daughter, and she is now looking towards studying abroad in college!”
Austin Leininger (Scotland, 1998-99) and his family moved back to the Denver Area, where he is the rector of a parish in Arvada, and also continues to teach online for the Seminary in Berkeley, and both online and in person for Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver. He is working on editing the manuscript that he has used academically for his courses for the past six years in hopes of getting it published. He writes, “I think of my time in Scotland often and fondly. It’s been six years since my last trip, and I’m hoping the next trip can include the kids and Jane!”
Thanks to all of you who enable us to support the efforts of these remarkable young people to become world citizens and in doing so honor and remember Chris,
