Students

Jordan Archambault

Jordan Archambault is from the rural town of Ossian, Indiana, just south of Fort Wayne. She decided to join the Flagship because of her interest in world cultures and thought that becoming fluent in Chinese would help her with whatever path life takes her down. As a double major in Economics and EALC, Jordan plans on consulting for American companies doing business in China. She also enjoys playing the flute and piano, as well as taking care of her pet fish, Gou.

Nick Atkinson

Nick Atkinson is pursuing a double major in Chinese and International Studies. He joined Flagship because he wanted to be able to say he was fluent in Chinese and then watch people’s faces go “ooo” and “aaah,” but what he is really getting is a network of friends and faculty committed to learning. He wishes he could discuss future plans after college, but, after joining Flagship, he says the possibilities seem limitless!

Jakob Barbour

Jakob Barbour is a Chinese major from Lafayette, Indiana. After graduation he plans to attend Physician Assistant school. He joined Flagship because he enjoys learning about different languages and cultures, and he hopes to be able to learn about traditional Chinese medicine while doing his Capstone year. He hopes this will allow him to mix his knowledge of western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine to have a greater impact on those he is helping.

Jacob Beck

Jacob Beck is from Fortville, Indiana. Jacob visited Taiwan during the summer before college had started and developed a passion for the Chinese language and culture. His major is currently Chinese and he would like to go into a career that utilizes his Chinese. He also wishes to live in either China or Taiwan in the future and become immersed in the Chinese culture. His hobbies include studying Chinese, playing video games, and cooking.

Isabelle Bennett

Isabelle Bennett is from Fishers, Indiana. She is studying International Studies with a concentration in Human Rights and International Law and minoring in International Economics. She joined the flagship program because she loves learning languages and the intensity of the program. After graduating, she plans to attend law school. In her free time, you can find Isabelle reading, at a concert, or planning a trip somewhere.

Chloe Bodnarick

Chloe Bodnarick is an East Asian Language and Cultures major (Chinese) with a minor in media and is from Greencastle, Indiana. As someone who loves exploring other cultures and learning languages from around the world, she found the IU Chinese Flagship to be the perfect opportunity to develop a significant understanding of the Chinese language and to meet like-minded people. In her spare time, Chloe likes to draw and watch Chinese TV shows along with listening to popular Chinese music. After graduation, Chloe plans to use her Chinese skills working as an interpreter for a company in China or Taiwan.

Ellis Cain

Ellis Cain is majoring in Cognitive Science BS and Chinese. He joined the Flagship Program because of accelerated learning and study abroad opportunities. Ellis has made many friends through Flagship, especially during FCI. His hobbies include hiking, reading, and playing the piano.

Mitchell Casiano

Mitchell Casiano is from Richmond, Indiana majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Mandarin Chinese with the goal of attending medical school. He plans to become either a physician/surgeon or to go into pharmaceutical engineering. Mitchell has been fascinated by languages from a young age. He studied Japanese on and off since third grade and took Spanish in high school. High school started offering Chinese during his senior year, and while taking the course he fell in love with the Chinese language. When he discovered IU had a Chinese Flagship Program, he immediately applied and was overjoyed when accepted. His passion for Chinese has done nothing but grow since joining this elite program. Now Mitchell can have in-depth conversations with teachers and friends, and to think it’s only roughly two years since joining! With the help of Flagship, he plans to combine his love of medicine and Chinese, and to explore taking part in Doctors Without Borders in China. Aside from Flagship, Mitchell is a member of Phi Delta Epsilon IN Alpha Medical Fraternity. Additionally, he enjoys using Chinese to learn science, writing Chinese calligraphy, vlogging, watching movies, traveling and hanging out with his “Flagship family!”

Cameron Castleman

Cameron Castleman is from South Bend, Indiana. He joined flagship for the future career opportunities and especially for the purposes of improving his language skills with the resources the flagship program has to offer. After he graduates, he is considering work in translation or analysis. His hobbies include listening to music in different languages, hiking, and reading.

Meagan Cervantes

Meagan Cervantes is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She is studying Chinese and Psychology during her undergrad. She joined the Chinese Flagship because she wanted to better communicate with her family and believes that Chinese is one of the most useful languages in the world. After Meagan graduates, she wants to attend Physician Assistant graduate school to become a Physician Assistant. She enjoys traveling, hanging out with friends, and watching her favorite shows (Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, and The Office).

Aaron Corbett

Aaron Corbett is currently studying Finance and German, among other things. The Flagship Program allows him to completely shatter the mold of a typical business student and bring something completely different to a variety of situations he may be confronted with. His current work goal is to work in energy and infrastructure investment in emerging markets, particularly in Africa, but that may change. A large part of his decision to join Flagship was its potential to help grow and compliment his current linguistic skills, particularly the intersection of Finance, German and Chinese. Whether it be tutoring German to students of all ages or taking on a leadership role within the Chinese Business Association at Kelley, his hope is that these activities and his current academic pursuits will him to play an integral role within the Sino-European economic sector. Outside of the classroom, Aaron volunteers with the Council for International Education Exchange, working with high school students studying abroad in both the United States and internationally.

Christine DePenaloza

Christine DePenaloza is double majoring in Chinese and International Studies with a concentration in diplomacy, security, and governance. She decided to join Flagship because she knew it was a program that would provide her with the resources and opportunities to develop her Chinese language skills to a professional level. She’d like to someday work for the government so having exceptional language skills is a must. Aside from learning Chinese, Christine is a member of the Model United Nations at IU, and she loves coffee, Netflix, and traveling.

Kadiatou Diallo

Kadiatou Diallo, from Indianapolis, IN, is majoring in Informatics with a cognate in media. She joined the flagship program because she wanted to immerse herself in a different yet similar culture from her own. And having the opportunity to use this program to do so greatly benefits her in the future as she wants to travel around the world after graduation. Kadiatou’s hobbies include doing her hair, dancing, outdoor activities, and using her curiosity to make whatever she can think of.

Devon Diller

Devon Diller is from San Francisco, California. Devon has been studying Mandarin for the past seven years and chose to attend Indiana University for its fantastic language programs and resources. When she learned about the Flagship program she had to join! After graduation, Devon plans on working in a business-oriented career with a focus on international business. Devon looks forward to where that may be. Devon enjoys hanging out with her friends, cooking, watching movies, and running.

Miriam Edwards

Miriam Edwards is from a small town of Woodburn just outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is majoring in International Studies. She joined the Chinese Flagship program because she wanted to become fluent in Chinese and felt that the immersion aspect that the program offered would aid her in that. After graduation, she is looking at working in government foreign intelligence. Her hobbies include reading, watching Netflix, and traveling.

Rachel Fisher

Rachel Fisher is a Chinese and Media major from Baltimore, Maryland. She has studied Chinese abroad both in high school and on her gap year. When she found out about the Chinese Flagship program, it seemed perfect. With the promise of becoming extremely proficient and studying abroad (twice!) she knew Flagship was the way to go. After college, she hopes to live and work abroad. In her free time besides studying languages, Rachel can be found watching movies, listening to music, or playing guitar.

Isabella Fox

Carly Gaca

Carly Gaca is from Naperville, Illinois and is majoring in Mandarin Chinese and minoring in Business. She started learning Mandarin at a young age, but it wasn’t until high school where her interest in the language truly developed. Carly is adopted from China and through the Chinese Flagship Program is able to reconnect with her Chinese roots through the study abroad opportunities. Post-graduation, she wishes to pursue a career that can fully utilize her Mandarin language skills. Outside of school, she enjoys listening to music and watching the occasional Korean drama.

Elliot Gross

Elliot Gross is from a rural town in Indiana by the name of Roachdale. Prior to coming to IU, he had no background in Chinese language study. His interest in Chinese began as a child whenever his parents adopted his younger sister from China. Elliot developed a passion for language and culture study as he grew up and traveled both domestically and internationally. Upon graduation, he aspires to work for a company, organization, or government that allows him to travel often. Ideally, a portion of "retirement" would consist of being in the Peace Corps. Elliot enjoys reading, hiking, and playing basketball in his free time.

Nathan Hansen

Nathan Hansen is majoring in Management in the Kelley School of Business with a minor in, naturally, Chinese. Nathan was drawn to Flagship in hopes of augmenting his regular Chinese coursework, ensuring he can learn as much as he can in his time here. While he doesn’t yet know how he will use his education from IU, he knows that between business and Chinese, he is sure to find something he loves! His other passions include biking, music, and good coffee.

Micah Heebner

Micah Heebner is hoping to major in Business Management and Chinese. She joined the Chinese Flagship because she wanted to improve her Chinese abilities at the next level. Although she had grown up with the language, up until recently did she begin to have a drive to strengthen her skills and is now passionate in connecting back to her roots. Micah is still unsure of post-graduation plans but hopes to work within a business working with people and potentially use her Chinese as well. In her free time, she likes to exercise, listen to music, or go to cafes to do homework.

Ashton Hillenbrand

Ashton Hillenbrand is from Indianapolis, IN and is currently a marketing major through the Kelley School of Business. Ashton also plans to pursue a double major in Chinese with a co-major in International Business or Business Analytics. Ashton took Chinese in middle school and high school and her overall love of Chinese language, culture, and food (!!) lead her to joining the Flagship Program. Post-graduation Ashton hopes to work in a big city doing something hopefully super exciting. In her free time, Ashton watches way too much Chinese TV, swims, and hangs out with friends.

Hong Hinh

Hong Hinh is from Brownsburg, Indiana. She joined the Chinese Flagship to achieve proficiency in the Chinese language and to immerse herself in Chinese culture. After graduation, she plans to go to graduate school and become a licensed counselor. She enjoys listening to music, watching videos on YouTube, playing the clarinet, amongst many other things.

Toby Huter

Toby Huter is from Cedar Mountain, North Carolina - a small community in the Appalachian Mountains. Beginning with a passion for Korean, she joined the Chinese flagship to broaden her knowledge of Asia. As China is a hot spot for North Korean refugees, in her future she hopes to work to help people fleeing North Korea or help in the struggle for peace and unity Asia and the Korean peninsula. Her hobbies include running with the IU Run Club, reading, and studying languages.

Ethan Joss

Ethan Joss is from McLean, Virginia. In high school, Ethan participated in two summer Chinese STARTALK programs and NSLI-Y summer study abroad program in New Taipei City, Taiwan, so when he heard about the Chinese Flagship program at Indiana University it seemed like the perfect fit to continue his goal of becoming fluent in Chinese. Although Ethan doesn't know what he wants to do post-graduation yet, he is majoring in international studies and East Asian languages and cultures and hopes to pursue a career in those fields. Ethan loves hiking, biking, playing soccer, reading, and traveling.

Neeli Kasdorf

Neeli Kasdorf is currently a double major in International Studies and East Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus in Chinese and is minoring in Spanish. She enjoys reading, playing video games and scuba diving in her free time.

Krystal Kim

Krystal Kim is from Fishers, Indiana. She moved to United States 5 years ago. She’s majoring East Asian Language and Culture and will be minor in Business. The reason she wanted to join the Chinese Flagship Program is because she really likes Chinese culture and wants to learn more about China. During summer break she likes to travel around.

Emily Lavey

Emily Lavey is from Fishers, Indiana and is majoring in Chinese and International Law and Institutions. She is adopted from China and joined the program to reconnect with her culture. She also joined the Chinese Flagship Program to learn Chinese and for the study abroad program. Emily wants to work in a business type setting that allows her to travel the world. She loves to play guitar in her free time and rock climb.

Phillip Lin

Phillip Lin is from Overland Park, Kansas. He is currently studying Finance and Accounting in the Kelley School of Business. His past experiences abroad in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan have led him to pursue more opportunities to study abroad in the Flagship Program. He enjoys playing tennis and those who know him would describe his backhand with one word, power. Phillip hopes to work abroad in investment banking in Hong Kong or Beijing.

Delia Lynch

Delia Lynch is from Baltimore, Maryland. IU's renowned language program and the Chinese Flagship are what drew her to the school. Delia has never studied Chinese before IU but discovered a passion for languages through her study of French. She is obtaining a dual degree in East Asian Languages and Cultures BA and Informatics BS. Delia hopes to work in cybersecurity after graduation.

Ethan McAndrews

Ethan McAndrews is an International Studies major from Carmel, Indiana. Ethan joined the Chinese Flagship in 2017 to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and facilitate a healthy next generation of US-Sino relations. After graduation, Ethan hopes to work as a Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State. Outside of Indiana University, Ethan enjoys coffee, stand-up comedy, and spending time with his family.

Liam Moore

Liam Moore is from Naperville, Illinois. He has been learning Mandarin Chinese ever since his Freshman year at high school. Liam joined the Chinese Flagship program because he is passionate about learning the language and hopes to attain superior level proficiency by the time he graduates from Indiana University. He is currently undecided on his major but wishes to pursue a career that will utilize his Mandarin education. His hobbies include learning Mandarin, feeding squirrels, sky-gazing, running, and singing karaoke.

Raul Moreno

Raul Moreno is originally from Jalisco, Mexico where he spent the first months of his life. After a long moving process, he found himself (along with his family) in nearby Indianapolis, Indiana where he now resides. Raul joined the Chinese Flagship because he admires the method of immersion for language learning, and although he believes language acquisition is certainly possible without moving to a different country, there are certain cultural and social lessons that cannot be taught without experiencing them firsthand. Post-graduation Raul plans to enroll in grad school and pursue research opportunities in the field of astrophysics. In his spare time, Raul enjoys going on runs, playing volleyball, or just staring up at the sky on a cloudless night.

Etienne Najman

Nancy Ni

Nancy Ni is from Fishers, Indiana. She is currently studying Philosophy and Political Science and is also a part of the Liberal Arts Management Program (LAMP). She wanted to join Flagship after taking a gap year after graduating high school. During her gap year, she traveled to countries all across Europe and Asia and was inspired to learn languages as a way to connect with people. After capstone, she plans on pursuing graduate school for Political Philosophy. When she’s not crying into her Philosophy of the Mind textbook, she loves hosting her own radio show on WIUX, jump roping, traveling, baking, and singing love songs to her cat.

John Nolan

Brooke O’Connor

Brooke O’Connor is double majoring in International Studies (concentrating in diplomacy, security, and governance, and a regional concentration in East Asia) and East Asian Languages and Cultures (Accelerated Chinese). She was born in Jiangxi Province, China and adopted from Nanchang, Jiangxi; since the age of two, she has resided in Chicago. She joined the Chinese Flagship because she has long wanted to learn her native language and better understand her native culture, in addition to wanting to be able to use her Mandarin Chinese skills for professional career purposes.

Marria Peduto

Marria Peduto is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She joined the Chinese Flagship because learning Mandarin has always been one of her life’s goals and it is an incredibly useful language for whatever career field she pursues. She also studied in Chengdu, China as part of the U.S. State Department’s NSLI-Y program, only furthering her love of Mandarin. After graduating she hopes to either work as a Foreign Service Officer or work for a multinational company. Marria loves traveling, hiking, cooking, art, sports, and kayaking.

Austin Peters

Austin Peters, from Bargersville, Indiana, is studying finance. He attended the Princeton in Beijing Chinese language intensive through Flagship in addition to interning at a company in Shanghai in Summer 2017. Following graduation, he expects to pursue investment banking at a global bank in New York. After one or two years in New York, he plans to transfer to an office in China. Austin’s interest in Chinese culture and language is derived from a high school ex-girlfriend, whose grandparents only spoke Chinese. They would try to serve him huge amounts of food, so his girlfriend taught him simple phrases such as “No thank you! I am very full.” Aside from his business and Chinese skills, Austin prides himself on his extensive collection of WeChat stickers.

Britt Rogers

Britt Rogers is majoring in International Studies at the School of Global and International Studies. She enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. Although she graduated high school in Beijing, she grew up in many different states and countries such as Hawaii, Jamaica, and Colorado, to name a few. Britt joined the Chinese Flagship Program to pursue her passion for Chinese. Britt began studying Chinese in seventh grade when she lived in Guangzhou and has been learning it ever since. Britt also believes that the Chinese Flagship Program provides her with many incredible opportunities such as multiple studies abroad programs and extremely helpful one-on-one tutoring. After graduation, Britt hopes to work for the United States State Department and hopefully one day at a US embassy in China.

James Romano

James Romano is a sophomore from Columbia City, Indiana majoring in International Law and Chinese. He is also minoring in Spanish and obtaining a Certificate of Applied Research and Inquiry. James joined the Chinese Flagship program because he wanted to use his language skills in his future career. He is interested in attending law school to practice trade and compliance law in the future. He is also interested in possibly working for the UN. James is the president of his fraternity and is an editor for a social media news account.

Brennan Skirzenski

Brennan Skirzenski is from New Jersey. After taking Chinese in high school, Brennan wanted to strengthen his knowledge of Mandarin and explore is love for Chinese culture. Also studying business, Brennan hopes to utilize his Chinese in the ever-growing world of business, and politics beyond that. Post-graduation, Brennan plans on commissioning as an officer in the Army through the ROTC at IU. This is another opportunity where Brennan intends on using his language skills. Brennan loves to play basketball and flag football with is intramural team, as well as hiking, playing the trumpet, and of course, eating Chinese food!

Summer Snyder

Summer Snyder is double-majoring in International Studies and East Asian Languages & Cultures with a minor in Southeast Asian Studies. She is originally from Indiana but has also lived in Osaka, Japan, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She joined the Chinese Flagship Program with the ultimate goal of becoming trilingual (English, Japanese, and Chinese). In the future, Summer wants to pursue a career in diplomacy or research on the political economy of the Asia-Pacific. In her free time, Summer is highly involved on campus as the Vice President of Japanese Student Association, Student Ambassador of 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative, Undergraduate Research Fellow of the George Washington-Indiana University Institute for Korean Studies, and the Education Committee Chair of Liberty in North Korea at IU.

Will Strum

William Strum is from Southlake, Texas and is an International Law & Institutions and Chinese double major. He joined the flagship program because of his passion for Chinese culture and a desire to strengthen global ties through positive academic relations. After graduation Will plans to pursue a law degree from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University. After academics, he hopes to work for either the United Nations or the United States State Department. His hobbies include pinball machine restoration and writing poetry.

Drake Wang

Drake Wang is from Carmel, Indiana majoring in management and international business through the Kelley School of Business. His dad is originally from Taiwan and his grandparents still live there. Over the summer of his junior year in high school he got his first opportunity to travel to Taiwan and visit his grandparents. He absolutely fell in love with the culture and the language and developed a passion for Chinese. That passion eventually inspired him to join the Chinese Flagship to attain a higher level of Chinese and have the opportunity to study abroad in China and Taiwan. After graduating he hopes to continue using Chinese in business either working in Asia and/or the United States.

Linda You

Linda You is from Brownsburg, Indiana, and is majoring in International Studies and Chinese. She joined the Chinese Flagship in hopes of better understanding her native language and culture, and to one day become fluent in Chinese in order to effectively communicate with her family and friends. Furthermore, she ultimately hopes to fulfill her dream of studying abroad in China and also visit Fujian, the province where she and her grandma lived in for the first few years of her childhood. Though she has never used Chinese until she entered her freshman year of college, she has always had a deep desire and passion to learn and become fluent in the language, and she knew a program as excellent as the Chinese Flagship would help her to accomplish that; so far her journey in the program has been incredibly worthwhile and exciting! As Linda is still uncertain of her career path after post-graduation, she hopes she will most likely attend grad-school and excel in a profession that will allow her to utilize her Chinese, or perhaps spend some time traveling around the country while immersing herself in a variety of cultures and languages. Outside of studying Chinese, she enjoys music, art, fashion, Asian dramas, boba tea, and road trips.