Taiwanese cadets and full-time members of the UNG Corps of Cadets Pei-Yun Tsai, Chen-Chih Yuan, Li-Hung Chang, and Yung-Han Chou are enrolled as four-year degree-seeking students.
Article By: Denise Ray
For the first time, the University of North Georgia (UNG) has four full-time Taiwanese cadets enrolled and seeking a college degree as full-time members of the Corps of Cadets.
Li-Hung Chang, a senior from New Taipei, Taiwan, is anticipating a May 2023 graduation with a degree in criminal justice with a forensics concentration. He began his experience with Freshmen Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week in 2019 and has been training and studying alongside his American counterparts for the last three years.
"I have had a wonderful experience here at UNG," Chang said. "FROG Week, Cadet Basic Leadership Course (CBLC) and the Leadership Development Program are unforgettable memories for me. I will cherish them and share them with my peers in Taiwan."
Yung-Han Chou is a junior from Taoyuan City, Taiwan, pursuing a degree in information systems and a minor in computer science. He graduated from a military high school and was interested in UNG because he would be able to really focus on his studies.
Chou said his first impressions of UNG students, faculty and staff were very positive.
Hosting the Taiwanese cadets allows us an opportunity to see the world through each other's eyes and develop a deeper understanding of each other's cultures and societies.
Wesley Pirkle
UNG director of Global Military Programs
"Aidan Crawford helped me a lot," Chou said of his FROG buddy, now roommate. "He helped me with things I did not understand when I arrived here. Things like culture, life choices, having fun, and being active and motivation is how he influenced me," Chou said.
Chen-Chih Yuan, a sophomore from Taipei, Taiwan, pursuing a degree in mathematics, said he was surprised to see so many civilians and to have unstructured time.
"When I came to UNG as a freshman, I was amazed at the opportunities and degrees offered to students," Yuan said. "The most valuable things are the friendships I have made here in the Corps of Cadets."
Yuan was also part of the Russian Club last year.
Freshman Pei-Yun Tsai is from Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. She is the first Taiwanese female cadet at UNG and is pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Tsai said learning about UNG's great professors, plentiful resources and beautiful scenery helped her choose UNG.
"Two of my favorite things about UNG so far are all the kind people and the helpful resources that students can use, such as advising and tutoring," Tsai said.
The four are required to serve in the Taiwan army for 14 years and can then embark on civilian careers.
"We are in a world that is best understood when we engage globally, but develop relationships locally," Wesley Pirkle, UNG director of Global Military Programs, said. "Hosting the Taiwanese cadets allows us an opportunity to see the world through each other's eyes and develop a deeper understanding of each other's cultures and societies."
UNG will also send six of its cadets to exchanges with Taiwan in the spring. These partnerships are important because 18% of the world (1.6 billion people) speak Chinese as their primary language. That is more than the next three languages (Spanish with 460 million, English with 379 million, and Hindi with 341 million) combined, Pirkle said.
The three upperclassmen are doing well academically, Terry Baumann, assistant director of Global Military Programs, said.
"They're academically superior," Baumann said. "Their GPAs are 3.7 and above when English is not their first language. I'm very proud of that fact. It's very impressive."
Six additional Taiwanese cadets are also attending UNG for a semester as part of the Military Semester Exchange Program this fall. They are:
