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“The program design is close to the real student life in the US. With the support FJCU alumni network, the Future Leaders Program helps students connect with the world.

In the summer of 2023, the undergrad students from the College of Management experienced the learning style of US students. The trip was worthwhile.” said Willie Yu, a student from the Dept. of Information Management.

A student from the Dept. of Statistics and Information Science, Eugenie Lai, who participated in the online FLP program in 2022, served as the Group Assistant this year. To assist the instructors and the participants in completing the learning courses this year. She tried to be the coordinator not the translator during her service. She said, “Compared to expressive Indian students, Taiwanese students are shy and tend to be quiet. They give up their viewpoints easily. Therefore, she realized that to back up her argument, students needed to know the topics comprehensively to provide sufficient statistics to support and persuade. Also, high proficiency in the English language is necessary to communicate with others in any international communication in an equal position. The vocabulary, usage, pronunciation, and speed are all crucial to lead to effective communication.”       

Although she only participated in the online program for 2 weeks this year, Alice Chi from the Dept. of Statistics and Information Science felt that the courses in the FLP are diversified and rich. In addition to the UT Dallas professors and the business elites, the final project of world issue solution helped her to realize the needs of the world. The training not only helps her gain practical skills but also provides important knowledge for the future workplace. Eugenie said that during the Social Impact Plan project, students tended to think of issues on a small scale but ignored similar issues that might have happened in other places in the world. There may be other solutions or experiences for reference. Also, students may also think of the issue on an over general scale, such as the pollution in the ocean, they may fail to realize how serious the issue may be around the places they live in. Through continuous discussion with the Indian team members. They were able to scale down to issues happening in the nearby areas and apply that to the international scale. Throughout the experience, she realized how narrow she considered an issue in the past. She dared not to dream big and didn’t think she had the ability to influence the world, but everybody has potential in fact.    

Willie Yu from the Dept. of Information Management recalled the learning in the US and said: “No matter the visit of Altair Global, Fossil, Toyota, Texas Instruments or any other well-known energy industry, American business pay great attention to negotiation, communication, and coordination skills. They also think these skills are worth training. People need to practice these skills continuously to be proficient. During his stay in the US, from ECLAT Foundation and professors from UT Dallas to Business visits, participants received encouragement and grew from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Team members care about not only life in Taiwan island but also look at the issue from a global perspective. Through planning, they gather people with the same vision and try to promote their plan. Gradually, people from all over the world will join in the plan. That forms the power of influence.        

Ray Lin, from the Dept. of Business Administration, thought of studying abroad after graduation. But in his college life, he lost his momentum little by little. But in the FLP and FLC program, he jumps out of his comfort zone and recollects the motivation to chase his dream. Eugenie Lai even took action to take more courses as her minor. She plans to join the Student Exchange Program. So she can better prepare herself to continue her master’s education in the US. She hopes to contribute back to Taiwan in the coming 20 years.

Thanks to UT Dallas, the ECLAT Foundation, and the College of Management to combine education and business resources to develop students with potential. The College of Management will continue to provide opportunities for interaction from different nationalities and encourage students to broaden their horizons. We hope the students will bring positive social impact in the future.