Brian Hoover, a Linfield College senior from Newport, is studying abroad in China after receiving a scholarship from the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.
Hoover is spending the fall semester in Beijing, China, and attending Peking University. He is currently living in an apartment with three other American students and one Chinese professor.
“The biggest adjustment has been the difference between life in McMinnville and life in a city of 21 million people,” said Hoover. “The school has so many students that there are times when it’s impossible to even bike on the roads on campus, let alone drive.”
The goal of his trip is to improve his Mandarin as well as experience life from a new perspective.
“I have taken a language pledge,” said Hoover. “This means that I cannot speak a word of English on weekdays. This makes things incredibly difficult at times, but I am learning.”
At Linfield, Hoover is majoring in anthropology and is an active member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After graduation, he hopes to continue studying Chinese and is considering returning to China to pursue a career or additional education.
Hoover is one of more than 700 American undergraduate students from 341 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program funds over 125 study programs around the world for undergraduate students of limited financial means. Recipients of the award are chosen on a competitive basis.
