The Division of Arts & Humanities at UC Berkeley is proud to announce the launch of a new summer internship program in Taiwan, made possible by a generous $1 million gift from Steven and Constance Pan. This landmark investment will provide transformative international opportunities for all undergraduates at Berkeley, especially those studying East Asian Languages & Cultures and with majors in the Arts & Humanities Division, deepening their academic experience while equipping them for global careers.
This is the first dedicated internship program to Taiwan at Berkeley, and it represents a major step forward in connecting humanistic study with hands-on international experience. The program builds on the Division’s longstanding commitment to fostering multilingualism, cultural fluency, and global citizenship. By linking students’ academic interests to meaningful, real-world experiences abroad, the program will prepare the next generation of leaders to think critically, engage cross-culturally, and navigate our interconnected world.
The division is administering the program through a partnership with Berkeley Global Internships. The program will offer customized placements in NGOs, media and cultural organizations, high-tech and manufacturing firms, and more. Students will benefit from internship advising, housing, and cultural immersion. Through tiered scholarships, the program is designed to reduce financial barriers and incentivize academic coursework in East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC).
The internship program is open to undergraduate students at Berkeley. Those pursuing the Chinese major, East Asian Religion Thought and Culture major, and the new East Asian Humanities major, as well as students pursuing a minor in Chinese or taking classes in Mandarin and Taiwanese, will especially benefit from curricular preparation and higher scholarship awards. Participants will gain industry-relevant skills and cross-cultural perspectives while deepening their language proficiency and understanding of Taiwan’s dynamic role in the region.
The new Taiwan internship program was inspired by Berkeley’s successful Huang Scholars Program in China, which provided immersive language and work experiences and cultivated a passionate community of alumni. By offering a scalable and accessible model that aligns with the academic mission of EALC and the Division of Arts & Humanities, this new program ensures that more students can gain the global experiences that help launch meaningful careers.
To test launch the program, EALC organized a pilot program for the inaugural cohort for the Summer of 2025, which will send 6 students to Taiwan this July. Applications for the 2025/2026 cohort of Taiwan internships will open during the upcoming academic year.
For more information about the program and how to support similar initiatives, please contact Karen Huang, Assistant Dean, Development and Alumni Relations, the Division of Arts & Humanities at UC Berkeley.