Dartmouth senior Deirdre Lum's brother wagered $10 that she would be jobless and living at home after graduation this year, but Lum has proven him wrong, winning the $10 and a Fulbright Scholarship.
Lum will leave for Korea in July after five weeks of intensive language study that will prepare her to teach English to middle or high school students.
Two off-terms spent in Boston working with children motivated Lum to apply to this particular program.
"I went to Boston and mentored and tutored at an after school program," Lum explained. "I really love working with kids."
Lum, a third generation Chinese-American, also said that although she has traveled in Europe, she has never been to Asia, although she has always had an interest in visiting the region.
The program, which runs for a year, provides the opportunity for Lum to gain experience teaching, but will also leave some free time, during which she plans to volunteer in a hospital or health center and mentioned that she hopes to be able to explore surrounding countries and learn about Asian culture.
Lum just recently heard of the award during spring break, when she found out over email.
"It was very exciting, but at the same time a little nerve racking," she said of receiving the news. "To live for an entire year in a country that is completely foreign to me is a little daunting.
"I'm pretty scared but it's just an amazing opportunity to live in another country for an entire year and be supported by such a great program," she said. "I think it will be a great way to learn about myself, and I am open-minded, so I hope to learn a lot about the culture and the people there."
Currently, Lum is in the process of applying to medical school, which she plans to attend after returning from Korea. Lum hopes that her time volunteering in Korea will help her in this respect, as well as her teaching experience.
"They are really intertwined, teaching and medicine. To be a good physician, you innately have to be a good teacher. Part of being a physician is knowing how to interact with people," she said.
Dartmouth Medical School professor Dr. Lee Witters has worked with Lum since her sophomore year and is pleased with her placement in Korea. According to Witters, Lum's year in Korea can be a time to focus not only on teaching, but on seeing medical care in a new place.
"She has the unique opportunity to see the medical system in another country," he said. "She is an intelligent, hardworking young woman who is very passionate about what she does ... whether it is dance or learning biology. She is just the perfect person that we can send as an ambassador from Dartmouth to Korea."
Recent years have shown a slight increase in the number of Dartmouth students winning Fulbrights, according to Carreer Services scholarship advisor Marilyn Grundy.
Admission to the Fulbright scholarship programs is extremely competitive, Grundy said, citing statistics from the Fulbright Scholarship program in the United Kingdom.
"The process is highly selective. In the U.K., there are close to 500 applications for 20 spots," she said. Dartmouth does "quite well. There are some schools who have never won a Fulbright award. We have been fortunate enough to always win a handful every year, usually four or five."
According to Grundy, the majority of national scholarship applicants from Dartmouth apply for the Fulbright, because "you can do many different projects," whereas with other scholarships, options may be more limited.
The number of undergraduates winning Fulbrights and other scholarships may have risen slightly this year because of a new application procedure instituted at Dartmouth.
"This past year was unique because we offered students a preliminary application, due in the spring, which really gave students an opportunity to get their ideas out on paper early," Grundy said. "Students are clarifying their interests sooner."
