Patrick Thompson ’21, an International Engineering Program student studying Electrical Engineering and Chinese, received the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study in Tainan, Taiwan, at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU).
Funded by the U.S. State Department, this highly competitive scholarship covers participation in an intensive language study program abroad. Designed to equip American students with valuable language and intercultural skills, the program is offered in 14 less commonly taught languages which have been deemed critically important to the U.S. federal government. Languages offered include Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Persian, and Punjabi.
Unfortunately, the program has been cancelled due to travel concerns associated with COVID-19, but the URI Office of National Fellowships and Academic Opportunities would like to recognize this year’s award finalists, and celebrate them.
Patrick’s program consists of a fully-funded pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C., and an eight-week program in Tainan, Taiwan, at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). While in Taiwan, participants spend a minimum of twenty-hours a week in formal classroom instruction, further supplemented by excursions, and other unique cultural experiences. In addition, students live with local host families for the program duration, providing ample time to speak outside of the classroom, as well.
Patrick is passionate about learning Mandarin Chinese, and considers this program a fantastic opportunity to study abroad. He aims to become fluent in Mandarin, and recognizes the value of time spent abroad, completely immersed in the culture and language. In the future, he plans to find a job that incorporates both electrical engineering and travel to Eastern Asia. To that end, Patrick has a few ideas in mind. Most of the world’s electronics are manufactured in Shenzhen, China, and Patrick is highly interested in the semiconductor industry there. Beyond that, opportunities relating to new renewable energy technologies, and to China’s rapid urban development and the design of “smart” buildings, both interest Patrick, too.
Patrick is currently working full time at an engineering company helping to test vacuum chambers and thin-film deposition. He considers the position a valuable learning opportunity which only continues to inform his future ambitions abroad. The sky’s the limit for engineers that speak Mandarin, and Patrick believes that an opportunity like the CLS could open doors for years to come.
Patrick is one of two University of Rhode Island undergraduates this year who have been selected as finalists for the prestigious Critical Language Scholarship.