On Double Ten National Day (October 10), the Director of the TKU Graduate Institute of American Studies, Dr. Lucia Hsiao-chuan Chen, led six international TKU students to the National Day Reception at the elegant Taipei Guest House. The students are from Latin America and are part of a pioneering new academic program known as the online Executive Master’s Program in Asian Studies.

While at the annual reception, the six students got to chat and have their photos taken with distinguished guests, such as the President of Taiwan, Mr. Ma Ying-Jeou; the President of the Marshall Islands, Mr. Christopher Loyak; and the Premier of the Republic of China, Mr. Sean Chen.

The students arrived in Taiwan on the 7th October and stayed for seven days. During their visit, they attended various classes, including “Diverse Asian Cultures”, “Modern Chinese History”, and “Cross-Strait Relations”. Dr. Lucia Chen explained that during the classes, the students were particularly intrigued by the historical development of Chinese characters, jade culture, and the Analects of Confucius.

One of the Master’s Students is Federico La Mont, the Vice President of the Radio Host Association in Mexico. Federico noted that through undertaking the Executive Master’s program, he has been able to explore the relationship between Latin American and Asian cultures. This, in turn, has influenced his future ambitions. He now hopes to use “soft diplomacy” to bring the two regions even closer.

On October 12, the TKU Graduate Institute of the Americas also held a banquet at the Hotel Regalees, Tamsui. Guests included Antonio Yeh De Guey (former Consulate General of the ROC) and Dr. Lucia Chen.