For the eighth year in a row, the Center for Asian Business sent students to South Korea as part of the John P. Daly, S.J. Scholarships for Cultural Immersion Study in Korea. LMU undergraduate students Ashley Hudson, Caleb Nyberg, Kyle Peerless and Chris Wonder spent two weeks over the summer learning about Korean history and experiencing the culture firsthand. The scholarships, which began in 2006, have helped send 22 students to Korea to date.
In only two weeks, the students explored the beautiful cities of Seoul, Jeonju and Busan, and had the opportunity to visit the War Memorial of Korea, Gyeongbok Palace, Insadong, the DMZ, Hwaseong Fortress and the Korean Folk Village.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to experience Korea thanks to the John P. Daly Scholarship,” said Nyberg, a senior marketing major. “I have long had an interest in the country, its amazing culture and success, and I am so glad I was able to experience it for myself. Our guides helped us become more familiar with Korea, its history and the lives of its people. The experience definitely opened my mind to an area of the world I had never visited and I am sure that it will greatly affect my future and international ambitions.”
The scholarships are named in honor of the late Fr. John P. Daly, S.J., former director of the Center for Asian Business at LMU. He worked in Korea as a young Jesuit from 1961 to 1981 to help develop Sogang University in Seoul, Korea where he served as president for 12 years. Fr. Daly’s lifelong goal has always been to promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of culture and history between Asians and Americans. Korea, especially, is still largely unknown by Americans. Sogang faculty, alumni and other friends have contributed to the endowment as a way to foster the study of Korean culture and history to promote understanding by mainstream Americans.
“I recommend this opportunity to any LMU student looking to broaden their horizons as it has made me much more aware of both Korea and the Asian continent’s place on the global landscape,” said Peerless, a junior mechanical engineering major.
John P. Daly Scholarships are awarded each year to students on the basis of their essays, their GPAs and their interviews by the Selection Committee. For students interested in next summer’s immersion study, applications will be available in spring 2014.
