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Minnesota State University, Mankato
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MSU student receives esteemed scholarship Chengleng Xiong awrded opportunity to revisit roots. YUSEONG JEON Staff Writer Minnesota State University, Mankato student Chengleng Xiong, who is a sophomore in the social work department, is going to study in Chiang Mai, Thailand for six months, from Dec. 2014 through May 2015. Xiong is not only one of 800 American undergraduate students across the United States, but also the only student at MSU who received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Xiong will study with the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). The Gilman Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is awarded to undergraduate students in the U.S. who want to study or intern abroad. “I heard about the scholarship opportunity from the Kearney International Center and I applied for it,” Xiong said. Xiong was born in Saraburi, Thailand and came to the United States many years ago. “I am originally from Thailand. [Going back] was one of my dreams. I always wanted to
go back where I was from and find my roots,” Xiong said. According to Xiong, a social work major, he wants to help the Hmong population in Thailand to improve the quality of education and health care. “Hmong people are separated all around the world because we don’t have a country,” Xiong said. Hmong was created by the first immigrants from South East Asian countries as refugees to evade persecution during the Vietnam War. Most of the Hmong population remains in Thailand and Laos. “Hmong culture is changing, and I want to combine new traditions with original Hmong culture so that it can be more diverse,” Xiong said. “I want to travel around the world and have international experience so that I can help all the people who needs health care. Especially, I want to focus on helping younger youth and teach them how to outreach to people from different cultural background,” he continued. According to Xiong, he will have a workshop after he comes back to encourage people to study abroad and have new
mnsu.edu Chengleng Xiong, the MSU student honored with the scholarship. Xiong is the first student at MSU to receive the Gilman scholarship.
experiences. He also plans to go to graduate school in medical science and be a family doctor. “The more you get to see, the more you learn. I believe this chance would be a lifechanging experience for me,” he said. “I really hope that I can get connection and go back to my hometown in Thailand.
commons.wikimedia.org A sky view of the city Chiang Mai, Thailand, where Chengleng Xiong will be studying, thanks to the Gilman scholarship.
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I also want to do research project about Hmong people living there and how Hmong is different in Thailand and in America.” Xiong is a cultural coordinator in the Hmong Student Association on campus. His role in the HSA is to encourage people to join the club and bring different cultures to Hmong’s own cultures. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, according to its website, aims to diversify the types of students who study and intern abroad by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who are deterred from studying abroad due to financial constraints. The Gilman Scholarship is a study abroad award up to $5000. “The program aims to foster mutual understanding between the US and other cultures around the world,” said Ginny Walters, assistant director of Honors Program as well as the university fellowship coordina-
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tor at Minnesota State University, Mankato. “There are many students on campus who are able to receive awards such as this one, but students need to be aware of the awards and committed to the application process. Increasing awareness of these awards is one main focus of the Office of University Fellowships. Chengleng is extremely deserving of this award, and I’m confident he will learn a lot during his time in Thailand. I am excited to hear about his adventures when he returns to Mankato,” she said. For additional information, contact Ginny Walters by phone at 507-389-1262 or by email at giovanna.walters@mnsu.edu.
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