Sixteen undergraduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were selected as Phillips Ambassadors for Summer and Fall 2022 study abroad programs in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. One Ph.D. student was also selected as the 2022 Graduate Phillips Ambassador. The students were honored at a reception in April featuring Kaiser Kuo as the keynote speaker.

The Phillips Ambassadors Program is a program of UNC’s Carolina Asia Center, in association with the Study Abroad Office. Phillips Ambassadors are selected twice a year and each receives a $6,000 scholarship. Selection is based on strong communication skills, intellectual curiosity and engagement, academic achievement, evidence of generous service to the campus and wider community, and a previous record of leadership.

Twenty-five percent of the scholarships are reserved for qualified undergraduate business majors and minors at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Up to two scholarships each year are available to qualified Duke University undergraduates.

Phillips Ambassadors choose from more than 70 academic programs in Asia that are approved by the College of Arts & Sciences and Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Scholarship recipients enroll in a three-credit hour global studies course designed

uniquely for them. Led by UNC’s Earl N. Phillips Jr. Distinguished Professor of International Studies, Dr. Michael Tsin, the course challenges students to explore their study abroad locale in significant detail and seek understanding of the region in a global context.

A distinguishing feature of the program is an emphasis on what is called a “Give Back,” or sharing of one’s study abroad experience in Asia with the Carolina community and the student’s hometown. In accepting the scholarship, students agree to fulfill a Give Back related to their study abroad experience. Give Backs include endeavors such as published articles, presentations, art exhibitions, and group projects focused on Asia.

The Phillips Ambassadors Program is made possible through a gift from Carolina alumnus

Earl N. “Phil” Phillips Jr., an entrepreneur and former U.S. ambassador, and his family.

“Our goal with this gift has been to encourage more students to spend their study abroad experiences focused on Asia — an increasingly vital region of the future,” said Phillips, who splits his time between High Point and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The first group of Phillips Ambassadors studied abroad in Asia in the summer of 2007. By the end of 2022, more than 400 Carolina undergraduates will have studied abroad in Asia as Phillips Ambassadors. Applications for spring 2023 study abroad programs and scholarships open on August 1 and are due on September 10.

The new Phillips Ambassadors are listed below alphabetically by North Carolina county, followed by out-of-state and international recipients.

NORTH CAROLINA AMBASSADORS

Buncombe

 Michael Byrd of Weaverville is studying through National University of Singapore. He is an environmental science major.

Guilford

 Byron Smith II of Greensboro is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. He is an information and library science major.

Lydia Thomas of Greensboro is studying through Singapore Management University. She is a business administration major.

Mecklenburg

 Nadezhda Bogomolova of Charlotte is studying through Singapore Management University. She is a business administration major.

Sarah Martin of Charlotte is studying through International Christian University in Japan. She is a history and global studies double major.

New Hanover

 Denislav Kasaivanov of Wilmington is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. He is a nutrition major.

Orange

 Vivian Deng of Chapel Hill is interning in Singapore through Kenan-Flagler Global Programs. She is a computer science major.

Surry

 Teresa Vazquez of Dobson is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. She is an English and comparative literature and political science double major.

Wake

 Hannah Stroot of Wake Forest is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. She is an economics and public policy double major.

OUT-OF-STATE AND INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS

 Lizabeth Bamgboye of Hamden, Connecticut, is studying through CET Taiwan. She is a political science and global studies double major.

Will Burnham of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, is studying through National University of Singapore. He is a geography and biology double major.

Lauren McClane of Reston, Virginia, is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. She is a global studies and media and journalism double major.

Risa Murase of Tokyo, Japan is a Ph.D. student in sociology serving as the 2022 Graduate Phillips Ambassador. She is conducting summer research in Japan and assisting with the Phillips Ambassadors course.

Maximilian Nabokow of Hann. Münden, Germany, is studying through National University of Singapore. He is a computer science major.

Torin O’Brien of Washington, District of Columbia, is studying through National University of Singapore. She is a biology and Asian studies double major.

Rashika Rahman of Germantown, Maryland, is studying through Yonsei University in South Korea. She is a health policy and management major.

Jasper Schutt of Larkspur, California, is studying through CET Taiwan. He is a cultural studies and global studies double major.