The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia hosted an orientation in July for one of the new recipients of Taiwan Scholarship for the 2020 academic year.
This year there are two Australian recipients selected to be awarded MOE Taiwan Scholarship. On 10 July, recipient Mr Kane Sinclair, who is based in Canberra, took the opportunity to meet with Dr Aaron Chen, the executive director of Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia.
Mr Sinclair has been accepted admission to study a Master’s Degree in International Affairs at the Wenzao Ursulin University of Language. His main goals are to gain a Master’s degree and also take the opportunity while studying in Taiwan to improve his Chinese reading and writing. He was particularly drawn to study in Taiwan, as Taiwan is a vibrant democracy that lauds freedom of speech which is essential for free and independent academic research and thinking.
Mr Sinclair worked for the Australian Public Service for 16 years. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2011 and a Masters of Public Administration in 2017. After which, he left the public service in 2018 to spend more time exploring his passions, in particular academic study.
In the conversation with Dr Chen, he recalled his interest in learning Chinese language grew from his teenage passion in Kung fu movies. Over the last several years, he has been learning Chinese, including studying overseas both in Mainland China and in Taiwan. His Chinese study in Taiwan has been at 4 different Chinese Language centres located in Tainan, Taichung and Kaohsiung.
Executive director Dr Aaron Chen outlined the guidelines of the Taiwan Scholarship, and gave Mr Sinclair information about the visa application process. Dr Chen wished Mr Sinclair well in his future academic studies, and hoped that the support provided by the Scholarship allows him to have greater focus on his studies. Mr Sinclair expressed his thanks and appreciation for being awarded the scholarship. He also expressed to Dr Chen that he was looking forward to his future study in Taiwan, and deepening his understanding of Taiwan’s history and culture.
2020 MOE Taiwan Scholarship orientation was held in Canberra on 10 July; Executive director Dr Aaron Chen and Recipient Mr Kane Sinclair.