College senior Nick Thompson was named one of 18 Luce Scholars nationwide this month. He will now have the opportunity to spend a year working in Asia.
The Luce Scholars Award is given to students from various disciplines who have limited exposure to Asian studies. After the selection process, award recipients are placed in an Asian country based on his or her interests, professional experience and qualifications.
Thompson, a double major in biology and music, will learn where he is placed in April or May of this year. He is the University’s sixth Luce Scholar since 1999, according to Director of National Scholarships and Fellowships Dee McGraw, who also noted that applicants can apply up to the age of 29.
Thompson said he applied for the award after he became interested in Asian studies through his study abroad experience in Dharamsala, India, where he learned about Tibetan holistic medicinal techniques.
“I just wanted more of Asia and experience in traditional eastern medicine and get more exposure to Asia in general,” Thompson said.
The Luce Scholars Award aims to strengthen the bond and increase collaboration between the U.S. and Asia, according to McGraw.
To be chosen as an awardee, Thompson had to undergo an arduous review process that took about six months, he said.
Emory, as one of the 75 participating institutions, nominated Thompson and two other students for the award. Eligible students include college seniors or graduate and professional school students.
“They want people who are welcome to new experience and diversity,” McGraw said. “They want people who are highly motivated and have a record of accomplishment and leadership.”
After candidates are interviewed for the scholarship, 45 finalists are selected. Each candidate then appears in front of one of three selection committees, each of which interviews 15 candidates. The final Luce Scholars are typically announced in mid-February.
“It was amazing,” Thompson said, in reference to when he was first notified of his award earlier this month. “I was flying back from the interviews, and they left a message for me hinting at it.”
The Luce Scholars’ website states that it focuses on experience rather than academics in choosing recipients. Thompson is the principle cellist for the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and is heavily involved in Emory’s Chess Club.
“[Thompson] lets unfamiliar experiences move him; he lets himself be challenged by them,” McGraw said.
Thompson said he has an interest in working in eastern medicine in Cambodia, Laos or Mongolia.
He said he plans to learn the native language of the country in which he is placed as well as a traditional eastern instrument as a part of an ensemble.
“I feel really fortunate to be going on this program next year,” Thompson said. “It’s an honor to be selected and to be able to take part in such a unique experience.”
Henry Luce founded The Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 in honor of his parents, who were Christian missionaries in China.
– Contact Rupsha Basu at
rupsha.basu@emory.edu
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