From Honors Husky to UW Yenching Scholar

June 17, 2024

From Honors Husky to UW Yenching Scholar

Wen Eckelberg, a double departmental Honors student who majors in American Ethnic Studies and English Creative Writing, has been selected as a UW Yenching Scholar. The Yenching Academy is a fully-funded interdisciplinary master’s program that is dedicated to fostering a nuanced understanding of China and pushing the boundaries of traditional academic study. Eckelberg says she is “excited to study Chinese poetic forms and perspectives on history, as well as the poetry written during the Exclusion Era by those in China. Most of all, I am excited to strengthen my Chinese language skills and interact with scholars from around the world in a dynamic global program.”

When asked about her time in Honors, Eckelberg says, “My English and American Ethnic Studies honors theses are the most fulfilling projects I completed during my time at the University of Washington. The Departmental Honors program challenged me to combine several of my interests in poetry and history in a unique way. More specifically, I explored how and why poetry was used by the early Chinese in America to articulate their will to survive despite tremendous adversity, including detainment on Angel Island. I am grateful for the chance this research project gave me to reflect on what matters to me, and provide me with a foundation on which to build in the future.”