Recent graduate Ryan Johnson ’11 was the inaugural Huaqiao Fellow during the 2012-2013 academic year, enrolling in a master’s-level Chinese immersion program at the University in Xiamen, China. Johnson’s fellowship was renewed for 2013–2014; he will be joined by Poonam Narewatt ’13, who begins her Huaqiao Fellowship in September. Johnson and Narewatt are working to achieve fluency in Chinese as they prepare for international careers in business and politics.
Whittier College’s partnership with Huaqiao University is wideranging. During the 2013–14 school year, Whittier will host Zhang Na,
a vising scholar in residence from Huaqiao who will provide Chinese language instruction at Broadoaks School and in the Department of Modern Languages. Zhang will also teach a Saturday Chinese Language and Culture course open to community members in the local area.
