Stories

Rachel Chung ’23 will head from her hometown of Cupertino to teach English in Taiwan where she hopes to integrate her passion for dance and music ( with English language studies.

Pre-professionally trained in both ballet and contemporary dance, Chung hopes to lead dance sessions in her English lessons as a way of introducing American pop culture, including hip-hop, to her students. “To me, music and dance are not just forms of self-expression and creativity, but powerful vehicles for cultural preservation and exploration of other cultures as well as one's own,” she said.

Chung, who is a double major in finance and political science, with a minor in international studies, has been inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society. She is also a member of the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, and in 2022, was awarded the Charles J. Dirksen Prize, bestowed on the junior in the Leavey School of Business with the highest cumulative grade point average.

Vice president of SCU’s Language Learning Club, Chung is also a modern languages and literatures student ambassador, a peer educator for Arabic and finance, and a member of the SCU Hipnotik dance crew. She also plays the erhu, a Chinese violin.

“My desire to explore my Chinese heritage and better grasp my mixed identity is what inspired me to pursue this opportunity,” said Chung, who is of Cantonese, Italian, and French descent. “What I have come to realize is that race and ethnicity are not so black and white and that my very own identity is continuously being formed and defined by countless daily interactions with others.” 

After completing her Fulbright year, Chung plans to pursue a master's degree in international relations. She would like to research Chinese diasporic communities throughout Europe, and the impacts they have on European politics and economy. 

About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. For further information please visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/.