An atmosphere of support at the University of North Georgia (UNG) has propelled Dillon Evans to a number of impressive accomplishments, many of which can be tied to the Chinese Language Flagship.
The alumnus of UNG's Corps of Cadets wraped up a semester abroad at the Republic of China Military Academy in Taiwan in June 2019, when he received a summer block of instruction through the International Chinese Language Program at National Taiwan University.
Evans also attended the Flagship Chinese Institute at Indiana University in summer 2018. In fall 2018 he and two other Flagship students from UNG finished in fourth place in the National Business Language Case Competition at Brigham Young University (BYU).
These are the kind of experiences that drew Evans to UNG.
"I realized I wanted to become a cadet at UNG when I discovered how many international opportunities the school's programs offered," Evans said. "That, paired with the leadership training I could not possibly have predicted would have as big an impact as it has had on me, made UNG an obvious first choice."
One of the best parts of the Chinese Language Flagship is its comprehensive approach.
"Whether it is a summer course, regular semester, or study broad, every course I have taken has been extremely intensive. I can confidently say Chinese Flagship has made my college experience an unforgettable ride," Evans said. "There is so much support offered by my classmates, tutors, professors, and the Chinese Flagship Program administrators, and they help me every step of the way in learning my second language."
Evans is a recipient of the University of North Georgia Military Scholarship. The state offers 42 of these scholarships each year to Georgia high school seniors who commit to attend UNG and commission as officers in the Georgia Army National Guard after graduation. The four-year scholarship pays for room, meals, tuition, books, uniforms, and fees.
While the Corps of Cadets has been instrumental in Evans' time at UNG, he has shown leadership in other areas. He served as president of the UNG Debate Team on UNG's Dahlonega Campus and a mentor in the Honors Program. Evans is also proud of his service work with fraternity Pi Kappa Phi, but he is particularly proud of helping the debate group.
"We hosted our first international debate event in fall 2018," Evans said. "The iDebate Rwanda national debate team paid us a visit for public debate on foreign aid, and we drew an overcrowded room of almost 90 people in Young Hall, which amazed me."
Evans hopes to become a cybersecurity officer when he commissions in the Georgia Army National Guard and work in the intelligence branch of a federal agency. One day, he hopes to put his language education to use by teaching others.
"My biggest hope is to find a language learning method which fits individualized instruction and to be able to use it effectively as a future educator," Evans said.
He is grateful for his foundation at UNG.
"Developing leadership and organizational skills is impossible without an entire village," Evans said. "And it is very helpful for UNG to always provide that village with a feeling of family."
