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Two Pepperdine Students Awarded Scholarships to Study Overseas

Two Seaver College freshmen studying international business administration have been awarded highly competitive and prestigious scholarships to study abroad in Shanghai, China, during the 2011-12 school year. Nelson Khantikone has received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and Dujon Smith has received a Boren Award for International Study.  

“I am glad to see our students apply to nationally competitive fellowships,” says assistant dean of special academic programs Dana Dudley. “They are great opportunities and very competitive, so it is good to see our students succeed.”

Throughout his two-month study abroad experience, Khantikone, who is of partial Chinese descent, hopes to immerse himself in the culture, language, and customs of the country. “I also want to get a feel for whether working in China in the future would be right for me,” he adds, of his hopes to establish relationships with other Americans overseas who share a common dream of running successful international businesses.

After traveling to South Korea for a youth exchange program and studying abroad in Vietnam as a high school student, Smith desired to return to an Asian country to further his familiarity and fascination with the unique culture. “I wanted to step outside the box and do something different,” he says, of his unconventional choice. “China was the place I knew I would never get to go again.” After graduation, Smith hopes to apply his international experience to pursuing a career in national security in line with the Boren program’s requirement of yearlong work in the federal government.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the international Academic Opportunity Act of 2000.

The NSEP Boren scholarships offer opportunities for students to study regions of the world that are critical to U.S. interests, including Africa; Asia; Central and Eastern Europe; Eurasia; Latin America; and the Middle East. The NSEP's interest in national security encompasses all challenges related to global society—sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease, hunger, population growth, migration, and economic competitiveness.

For more information, please visit the Seaver College Graduate Fellowships Web site.