UNG cadets Brandon Clark and Jaden Davidson are attending the Management College of the National Defense University, which is located in Taipei, Taiwan.
Article By: Agnes Hina
The University of North Georgia (UNG) continues to partner with military academies around the world to bring opportunities to UNG and international cadets.
This spring, five UNG cadets are studying in Taiwan.
"Taiwan has been one of UNG's oldest international partners and currently has three international cadets attending UNG for four years," retired Sgt. Maj. Terry Baumann, UNG assistant director of global military programs, said. "Last semester UNG hosted several cadets from Taiwan, and now they are hosting classmates from UNG at their respective institutions. It truly is a small world."
UNG cadets Brandon Clark and Jaden Davidson, freshmen from Dallas, Georgia, who are both pursuing degrees in cybersecurity, are attending the Management College of the National Defense University, which is located in the capital city of Taipei. Clark and Davidson are both minoring in Chinese.
"I have never been outside of the United States until now, so this is a totally new experience for me. Besides the architecture of the buildings, everything here is almost completely different," Clark said. "Talking to the locals also presents its own set of challenges as my Chinese speaking ability is not the best. However, the people here are very kind, accommodating, and patient when I try to speak with them."
Last semester UNG hosted several cadets from Taiwan, and now they are hosting classmates from UNG at their respective institutions. It truly is a small world.
Retired Sgt. Maj. Terry Baumann
UNG assistant director of global military programs
Their experience has highlighted many cultural differences apart from the initial communication barrier, as well.
Davidson said she experienced firsthand nuanced forms of respect: giving another individual an item with two hands as opposed to one, and the famed friendliness of the Taiwanese population.
"One cab driver even went as far as to not charge me and another exchange cadet for a short cab ride," she said.
UNG cadets Eve Harris and Cassidy Hofer are attending Fu Hsing Kang College, also located in the capital city of Taipei. Harris, a sophomore pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese language and literature, was born in China and adopted at the age of 10 by her mom. She hopes to use this excursion to prepare her for her future success.
"I want to go into military intelligence and hopefully put my language skills to use," Harris said. "As for after the military, I have always had aspirations to work with the FBI in their language department."
In addition to the aforementioned cadets, Maren Cooper is attending the Republic of China Military Academy located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Two semesters prior, she studied at Fu Hsing Kang College.
The Taiwanese cadets studying at UNG for four years are exploring vastly different fields. Li Hung Chang is a junior pursuing a degree in criminal justice, while Yung Han Chou is a sophomore pursuing a degree in information systems and Chin-Chih Yuan is a freshman pursuing a degree in history.
