Ayra Sangi, an Asian studies senior, has received the 2025 Freeman-ASIA Award. The semester-long education abroad award funds U.S.-based undergraduates up to $5,000 to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia for one semester. Sangi will spend the fall semester of her senior year at the National Taiwan University in Taipei City in their intensive Mandarin Chinese language program to prepare her for a career in Chinese linguistics.
Sangi’s love of Mandarin began in high school, when she started learning it through English translations of Chinese web novels. This hobby inspired her to explore Asia’s cultures and languages, and it was the deciding factor in choosing UMBC.
“It was important for me to find a university with a strong education abroad program and a comprehensive Asian studies major rather than one centered solely on learning Chinese,” said Sangi, who pursued her degree while working every other semester in the federal civil service. “While I did want to learn the language, I also wanted to learn about the history, culture, and politics. UMBC offered both.”
Sangi is in good company. Despite the unexpected challenges of international travel, UMBC’s 2025 – 2026 academic year marks the largest cohort of Retrievers participating in education abroad programs. “As more and more UMBC undergraduate and graduate students participate in global education opportunities, they are applying for more nationally competitive awards,” says Brian Souders, Ph.D. ’09, language, literacy, and culture, M.A. ’19, TESOL, the associate director of global learning at UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement. “Looking at the past decade, Ms. Sangi is the first Retriever recipient of the Freeman-ASIA scholarship.”
Planning a career in linguistics
Sangi comes from a globetrotting bilingual family that speaks English and Sindhi, a Pakistani language. They have traveled to 14 countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, which planted the seed for an international career. To go from international vacation mode to international career mode, Sangi intentionally pursued faculty-led education abroad opportunities to develop the professional, social, and cultural skills needed to work and live in Asia. She first explored options within her second major, modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, by enrolling in the Intercultural Communication in Morocco and Spain class in summer 2024.
“I don’t speak any Arabic at all, but having Samir El Omari, a teaching professor of Arabic and French, who is Moroccan, lead the trip made a huge difference,” said Sangi. “He helped me understand how to navigate the culture in a way I couldn’t have on my own,” said Sangi.
The success of that trip led her to enroll in the political science class, Comparative Politics and the Italian Political System in Rome, Italy, during the 2025 winter break, led by Carolyn Forestiere, professor of political science, who has spent several years studying and working in Italy. “I feel more prepared to travel solo now,” said Sangi. “I’ve learned that I first need to acclimate to my surroundings, not get overwhelmed with the new language right away, and give myself grace because the jet lag and managing all the logistics take time.”
From campus to Taiwan
Throughout her journey, Sangi benefited from the guidance and support of faculty members who brought both global experience and personal insight to the classroom, in particular her academic advisor, Meredith Oyen, associate professor of history, specializing in the history of U.S.-China relations and migration
UMBC’s 2025 – 2026 academic year marks the largest cohort of Retrievers participating in education abroad programs.
Sangi has excelled in her Chinese coursework with Oyen and left a lasting impression. “Ayra is diligent, thoughtful, and creative. In my classes, she was as good at traditional research and analysis as she was at reimagining engaging ways to present information visually,” said Oyen. “Add her outstanding record in Chinese coursework, and you have someone with endless potential to make her mark. I’m excited to see where she goes next.”
“Professor Oyen was a huge help when I started thinking about studying in Taiwan because she lived in Taiwan while conducting research,” said Sangi. “She helped me find education abroad programs and scholarships and encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright Program. Professor Oyen opened the path for me to study in Taiwan.”
Learn more about UMBC’s education abroad opportunities.
Tags: AsianStudies, CAHSS, International, PoliticalScience