SU sends student to South Korea as pioneer scholar of ACUCA exchange program

Silliman University (SU) sent Merl Andrea G. Daarol, an incoming third-year Nursing student, to Hannam University in South Korea as an exchange student under the Student Mobility Scheme (SMS) of the Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia (ACUCA).

Daarol arrived at Hannam University last February 26, 2023.

Daarol is SU’s pioneer recipient of the SMS since the flagship program was established by the ACUCA in 2002.

The SMS program seeks to improve students’ understanding of Asian communities and culture by granting them the chance to study at any of the member universities for free and with added financial support in the form of a living allowance and airfare.

ACUCA comprises over 60 member institutions of higher education from 9 Asian countries/regions, including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand, among which students can choose to study at any participating host university of their choice.

Daarol chose to study at Hannam University located in Daejeon, South Korea where she studies the Korean language and culture.

“I have always been an experiential learner and I saw the exchange program as an opportunity for me to grow as a well-rounded and globally-minded individual; not only for the benefit of my nursing profession but to shape my overall character as well,” said Daarol.

Aside from being a consistent honor student, Daarol has also been leading youth organizations in the stewardship of the environment, the youth’s mental health, and the minority’s well-being.

Recently, she was also chosen among a thousand applicants, alongside four other Filipino students to represent the country in the YSEALI Fall 2022 Academic Fellowship during which she studied Environmental Issues and Natural Resource Management at the Mansfield Center in the University of Montana, USA.

As a pioneer recipient of the SMS in SU, Daarol said she is determined to maximize her time in the program.

“It is my honor and pleasure to make space for Silliman, the Philippines, the Filipinos, and our culture in a vastly different yet strangely familiar nation,” said Daarol.

Daarol is only the first of many Sillimanians who can receive the opportunity to study internationally as the application for the ACUCA SMS Program Fall 2023 has been opened until March 15, 2023, providing the Silliman studentry an avenue to further build character, competence, and faith.

(Story by Glynnis Jean C. Casiño, the United Board Records coordinator at SU)