An ambassador abroad
September 9, 2024
“I think if you want to improve your language skills, studying abroad is definitely the way to go,” said Harkleroad, who has studied Mandarin since middle school. (courtesy of Mason Harkleroad)
Carolina senior Mason Harkleroad experienced a year of living and learning in Taipei, Taiwan, as a Phillips Ambassador and Boren Award recipient.
Even before Mason Harkleroad knew she would become a Tar Heel, she was sure she wanted to spend part of her college experience abroad.
Harkleroad, a senior from Charlotte, originally imagined spending that time in Singapore. But once she connected with UNC Study Abroad advisers, she realized Taiwan was a better fit for her language skills.
“I started taking Chinese in middle school and have continued learning the language in the classroom and through self-study,” said Harkleroad, who has majors in global studies and economics and a minor in Chinese. “Global studies combined my passion for the language and culture with my other academic interests.”
She was named a 2023 Phillips Ambassador, a scholarship that supports Tar Heels studying in Asia. She also received a Boren Award, a federally sponsored scholarship that supports students learning “less commonly taught languages,” to continue her Mandarin studies.
To make the most of the opportunity, Harkleroad decided to spend her entire junior year away from Chapel Hill. She was excited “to truly integrate into the new environment and learn about the culture” around her, she said.
She enrolled at National Taiwan University in Taipei where she took Mandarin language courses as well as economics and political science classes taught in English.
“The course content was so interesting as I was in Taiwan learning about Taiwan culture, society and politics,” she said. Topics included the types of democracies in East Asia, relations and history of the United States, Taiwan and China, and women’s issues.
Both in and out of the classroom, Harkleroad felt a noticeable improvement in her already strong language skills.
“My daily 7/11 coffee run, soccer practice at school, taking the train to a new city — all these situations brought so much language practice,” she said, adding that learning and practicing the writing system in Taiwan, which uses traditional Chinese characters, was another opportunity for growth.
“I think if you want to improve your language skills, studying abroad is definitely the way to go.”
Over the course of the year, one aspect of Harkleroad’s time in Taipei stood out above the others: the people.
“Not only is Taiwan a gorgeous island with beautiful landscapes, but the people are also so kind and welcoming,” she said. “I stayed with a host family for my first month, and that experience really cemented that for me. Even after I moved to my apartment, my host mom always made sure I was doing well and invited me to family gatherings.”
Harkleroad’s classmates, soccer teammates and friends added to that welcoming feeling, she said. And, back at Carolina, she is able to stay connected with her program through the support of her Phillips Ambassador cohort.
Along with pre- and post-departure retreats, the Phillips Ambassadors program encourages Give Back projects, which share experiences from the ambassadors’ time abroad with the Carolina community and beyond.
For her Give Back project, Harkleroad hopes to return to her middle school in Charlotte — where she began her Mandarin studies — to share how it was a catalyst in her passion for learning the language. She also hopes to encourage more Tar Heels to consider UNC’s “amazing opportunities to study abroad in Asia.”
“I think there is so much to learn even after you get back from your study abroad program,” she said. “The Phillips Ambassador program really challenges you to continue to learn from your own and others’ experiences.”
Along with her time in Taiwan, Harkleroad also spent six weeks the summer after her first year studying in Barcelona, Spain. But for her senior year, she is back in Chapel Hill enjoying some of her favorite Carolina experiences, like playing club field hockey (she won the fall national championship with the team in 2022) and reconnecting with her sorority sisters at Pi Beta Phi.
When she looks back at her time at Carolina, memories from both Chapel Hill and around the globe helped make her Tar Heel experience “so amazing.” Now, she is hoping to support other students in creating those memories, too.
“I have loved these experiences so much,” she said, “that I am working at the UNC Study Abroad Office as peer adviser to help other Tar Heels find the perfect program for them.”
By Jess Abel, College of Arts and Sciences
