Jacob Albergo
Credentials: Chinese FLAS; Undergraduate Student, Chinese and Political Sciences

The FLAS Award allowed me to study Chinese language in Beijing at Peking University, helping me to greatly enhance my Chinese speaking, writing, and listening skills in the period of one semester. I was able to give a speech at the foreign students’ University-wide speech competition and ended up being a finalist! It was such a cool experience.
Know that the application is worth it. It definitely seemed like a lot of work at the time, but my teachers encouraged me to apply and I ended up receiving the award. There’s never harm in applying—there’s a decent chance you’ll get it.
The FLAS award I received gave me relevant experience to both of my majors, Chinese and Political Science, leading to me working at Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office in DC as a foreign policy-focused intern after my Beijing program. I graduate in May and am looking forward to using the Chinese skills I gained abroad in whatever career path I take, whether it’s diplomatic or politics-related.