CapU student awarded Premier’s International Scholarship to study in Germany
Disbelief was the first thought that hit Sara Nguyen when the news arrived by email.
The CapU student in the IDEA School of Design was grateful to learn she was one of 48 students in British Columbia awarded the Premier’s International Scholarship for studies abroad. Nguyen will spend this term studying at Hochschule Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Applied Science), 35 kilometers south of Frankfurt, in Germany.
Receiving the $6000 scholarship was welcome news for Nguyen, who has been saving and planning her finances to cover the costs of studying abroad. The scholarship will help fund her living costs in Germany and support extra costs of bookbinding, screen-printing, or other material costs for school projects during the term.
Hochschule Darmstadt requires students to be very self-directed in project choices and timelines.
“I was attracted to the different school structure at Hochschule Darmstadt,” says Nguyen. “As a third-year student, I felt ready for an opportunity to test my skills and experiment more—material-wise and concept-wise—and the curriculum and structure there strongly encourages that.”
Germany’s rich history in design also influenced her decision to add this learning opportunity to her education.
“I wanted to understand how the culture and thought-processes influence design and vice-versa. Immersing myself in the culture will reveal much more than if I were to visit the country on vacation,” says Nguyen.
The Premier’s International Scholarship is open to full-time students enroled at a public post-secondary institution in British Columbia who have been accepted into an eligible international program outside of Canada or United States.
Sara Nguyen heads to Darmstadt, Germany in February 2020. For more information about CapU opportunities to study abroad contact the Centre for International Experience at studyabroad@capilanou.ca.
Submitted by: Linda Munro