Dear Contributors and Program Participants,
The Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship Fund is now in its 29th year, and with the addition of the eight students this year who were able to go abroad, 114 University of California students have benefited from your generous contributions. They have pursued international study at universities in Austria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, and Sweden. For up-to-date information and details on how to contribute at any time, see the Fund website at https://www.bortonscholarship.org/.
We continue our long partnership with Chris’ alma mater UCSD (we awarded four scholarships to UCSD students in 2025) and have been encouraged by the greater diversity of the candidate pool achieved through our partnership with the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) as we grow the number of scholarships we seek to award. 2025 was our fourth year partnering with UCEAP to offer scholarships for full-year study abroad to students across the entire University of California system. The Board of Directors continues to be very pleased with the results. This partnership allows us to have a standard application and common administration of the scholarship across the system. In 2025, we awarded scholarships to students from UC campuses at Berkeley, Irvine, Riverside, and San Diego. Our scholarship application can be found on the UCEAP website and is listed here. Reflections on the impact of their year abroad from recently returned scholarship recipients can be found here.
2025 Scholarship Recipients:
Raquel Kalpakoff is an Environmental Systems major with a concentration in Environmental Policy at UC San Diego. She is spending a fifth year abroad at the University of Bologna in Italy—a long-held dream made even more meaningful by the fact that her mother studied there 35 years ago. Raquel is also a visual artist and the founder of Rocket Artistry, her pet portraiture business that supported her through college. This year marks her first opportunity to focus on personal creative exploration, particularly through courses at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna. A former student-athlete on UCSD’s women’s soccer team, Raquel once thought study abroad was out of reach. Now in Italy, she is diving into art school, improving her Italian, joining a local soccer team, and exploring sustainable agriculture—the field in which she hopes to build her career after researching regenerative agriculture for her senior thesis. Raquel describes her time in Bologna as transformative: a period of artistic growth, self-reflection, and deepening connection to her Italian heritage.
Biraj Gurung is an Economics major at UC Berkeley who is spending the 2025–26 academic year at Freie Universität Berlin. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Nepal, Biraj immigrated to Los Angeles in 2013, carrying with him a resourcefulness forged through nightly blackouts and the determination to turn challenges into opportunity. In 2021, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and deployed to Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan, where he led multinational teams and learned to navigate cultural nuance under pressure. At Berkeley, he is an active mentor in the Cal Veterans Group and the Language Exchange Program, where he honed the German skills he brought to Berlin. During his year abroad, Biraj plans to explore Germany’s social market economy and labor institutions, including codetermination and the crisis-era Kurzarbeit program. He will also intern with Arrival NGO, supporting refugee integration through workforce training and language education. Outside the classroom, Biraj is an avid hiker who connects his love of exploring national parks and cities with his passion for bridging cultures. After returning home, he hopes to pursue a career in recruiting in Los Angeles, helping connect global talent with opportunity, and to continue mentoring his younger brother as he navigates high school and college.
Tara Littlehailes, an Economics major at UC Berkeley, is spending the 2025–26 academic year at the London School of Economics (LSE). Originally from Southern California, Tara has been financially independent since she was sixteen. She earned her GED, enrolled in community college early, and transferred to Berkeley after three years, all while working full-time. Her academic interests center on the intersection of economics and social outcomes: how financial systems shape opportunity, how policy affects lived experience, and how fairness is constructed and contested. LSE offers her a chance to explore these questions from a global perspective. Tara loves writing, deep conversations, and rainy days. Though she lived briefly in London as a child, this is her first time living abroad on her own. She looks forward to a year that will push her, broaden her worldview, and shape the person she is becoming.
Shuoying Cao is pursuing a double major in Sociology and Visual Arts at UC San Diego. Raised between Shanghai and California, she is drawn to the ways culture, ideology, and social norms form the backbone of societies—and to the power of visual storytelling to reflect and critique them. For the 2025–26 academic year, Shuoying is studying at Keio University in Tokyo, where she is examining sociology from East Asian perspectives while continuing to build her artistic practice. As a first-generation college student, she is the first in her family to study abroad, and she looks forward to developing independence, discovering new creative outlets, and immersing herself in a region deeply connected to her heritage.
Rona Song is an undergraduate at UC Irvine double majoring in Film and Media Studies and Criminology. Born and raised in Suzhou, China, she came to the United States for college, where her cross-cultural journey sparked a deep interest in how storytelling, media, and legal systems intersect across societies. Rona is spending the 2025–26 academic year at Keio University in Tokyo. She is excited to explore global media communication, intellectual property, and digital content creation—areas that merge her interests in culture, narrative, and law. Outside her academic work, Rona is passionate about dance, which she sees as a powerful vehicle for expression and emotional clarity. She hopes her time in Japan will help her grow both intellectually and personally as she charts a future in cultural communication or media policy.
Madison DeLuca is a transfer student at UC San Diego majoring in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) with a concentration in 3D modeling and virtual environments. She is spending the 2025–26 academic year at Waseda University in Tokyo. Inspired by the world-building of Japanese video games, Madison aims to become a 3D artist in Japan’s game industry. At Waseda’s School of International Liberal Studies, she intends to study Japanese design, architecture, film, and intensive language—work that will deepen both her artistic voice and her cultural fluency. Influenced by visual storytellers such as Daidō Moriyama and Shūji Terayama, Madison looks forward to joining Tokyo’s creative communities and connecting with other artists through both Japanese and the “universal language” of art. She hopes this year will expand her perspective, strengthen her craft, and help her grow as both an artist and a person.
Isabel Foust is a Business Economics major with a minor in Law and Society at UC San Diego. She is spending the 2025–26 academic year at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Isabel’s love of travel began at nine, when she first visited Singapore and Malaysia, and deepened during later trips to Italy, Switzerland, and France. This current year marks her most ambitious global chapter yet: a year in the Netherlands, a family pilgrimage to the Philippines, and time in Japan before departing for Europe. Drawn to the opportunity to immerse herself in a culture entirely new to her, Isabel looks forward to learning languages, visiting museums, and building friendships across borders. Outside academics, she enjoys film, music, and fashion, and she is eager to explore the Netherlands’ rich artistic heritage while developing her independence and expanding her global perspective.
Alexander Hirsch is a Robotics Engineering major at UC Riverside spending a full academic year at Lund University in Sweden. Inspired early by stories of his father’s own study abroad experience, he has long viewed international immersion as a path to deeper personal and intellectual growth. At UCR, Alexander has thrown himself into hands-on engineering: contributing to a patent-pending roof-locking mechanism at HexHomes, refining the accumulator and drivetrain systems for Highlander Racing’s Formula SAE team, and collaborating with peers from around the world at the Taipei Tech International Robotics Competition. Drawn to Sweden’s global leadership in robotics and sustainability, Alexander chose Lund for its cutting-edge research environment and its culture of balance, community, and innovation. Since arriving in August, he has embraced Swedish life—from passing his language orientation course to joining Lund’s engineering “guild” and adopting the bright-colored overalls worn proudly by students in each technical discipline. He has also discovered the joy of fika, the Swedish tradition of pausing for coffee, cake, and conversation, and sees these daily rhythms as part of what makes the university community so welcoming. Academically, Alexander is energized by the rigor and pace of his courses, which emphasize immediate hands-on work. He is already designing and soldering his own boards for a lab project and is excited to dive deeper into robotics research over the coming months. Whether learning Swedish, navigating new academic expectations, or adapting to life in a northern climate, he sees every challenge as part of the growth he sought when he applied. Alexander hopes his time in Sweden will shape not only the kind of engineer he becomes, but the kind of global citizen he aspires to be—one committed to innovative, sustainable, and human-centered design.
Updates on past Borton Scholars:
Genevieve Riley (Spain, 2024-25) has been back at UC San Diego for a few months now and is enjoying returning to La Jolla, its beaches, and her campus community. At the same time, she finds herself deeply missing the life she built in Barcelona—a feeling she hadn’t anticipated but that has underscored how meaningful her year abroad was. As she prepares to graduate this spring, Genevieve is reconsidering plans she once assumed would keep her in the United States. Inspired by the visibility of Catalan culture and language in Barcelona, she has recently begun studying Kumeyaay in her free time and started a research assistant position analyzing Modern Standard Arabic phonetics.
Miguel Ambriz Valdovinos (Spain, 2024–25) is preparing to graduate and plans to attend the University of San Diego’s paralegal program. He is interning at a family law office in San Jose and continues to draw from the broadened perspective he gained during his year at Complutense University in Madrid.
Eliza Peralta (Japan, 2024–25) recently completed her B.A. in International Studies at UC Irvine and is preparing to apply to law school with plans to enter Tribal Law. She has been navigating reverse culture shock since returning from Tokyo but remains grateful for the friendships and global perspective she gained during her year abroad.
Erin Moore (Japan, 2024-25) is preparing graduate school applications for several programs at Waseda University and Sophia University for September 2026 entry. She is currently applying to jobs in Los Angeles while navigating a challenging job market and keeping an eye on future possibilities. She looks forward to sharing updates as her plans develop.
Danicka Leeds (Chile, 2023-24) is currently working three caregiving roles in San Diego while applying for a fourth position in phlebotomy. She continues to volunteer with Radiant Hospice, where spending meaningful time with patients and families has deepened her appreciation for compassion and presence in healthcare. She is finishing prerequisite coursework and applying to Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, with several Accelerated BSN program applications submitted as well.
Callan Brakeman (Norway, 2023–24) finished her final year at UC Santa Barbara after returning from Oslo, graduating with the top GPA in the Linguistics major while continuing to compete in rowing. She recently moved to San Francisco to begin a full-time role as a Project Coordinator at a translation company, where her Norwegian skills and cross-cultural experience proved key in the interview process. She remains close with friends from her time abroad and looks forward to hosting one visiting from the UK.
Katia Griffin (Netherlands, 2023–24) graduated from UC San Diego with degrees in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences and Mathematics. She is currently working as a geophysical field technician on the Newberry Volcano in Oregon and is exploring permanent opportunities in the geothermal sector. She plans to visit Japan in March to see a friend she met during her study abroad year.
Moa Smith, Tamar Freedland, and Katia Griffin (L to R) were all readers at the UNA reading of the Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights organized by Verena.
Piya Rao (Italy, 2023–24) returned to Bologna after graduation and is working as an au pair for a local family she first met during her study abroad year. She has loved experiencing Bologna from a new perspective—no longer as a student but as a member of a family—while rapidly improving her Italian. She is considering pursuing a master’s degree or English-teaching position in Italy.
Drew Shinozaki (Japan, 2023–24) recently reunited with friends she met at Waseda during a girls’ trip to San Francisco. She graduated in May and now volunteers with Exposition Review while developing her own writing portfolio, drawing inspiration from memories of Tokyo. She plans to pursue work in publishing, game development, screenwriting, or sound editing.
Junehee Son (South Korea, 2023–24) is completing her senior year at UC Irvine while working as a Peer Advisor in the Study Abroad Center—a full-circle moment after her own transformative year in Seoul. She also works in the Science of Learning Lab and is preparing graduate school applications focused on education equity and global learning.
Kyle Lin (Japan, 2023–24) will graduate this December and has enrolled in UC Riverside’s five-year B.S.+M.S. program beginning in January. He is preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and is still exploring the possibility of pursuing a business degree in Japan, with long-term ambitions to build international educational environments.
Sophia Chang (Japan, 2023–24) continues her cultural heritage work at Huashan 1914 in Taiwan. She helped coordinate the Jade Music Festival—connecting Taiwanese and Indigenous Canadian artists—and recently supported an AI-focused arts forum. She also enjoyed traveling through Thailand with friends she met at Waseda.
Megan Hsu (Japan, 2023–24) is thrilled to share that she has accepted a position with Amazon in Japan, where she will begin work as an Operations Manager this April. She believes her interviews were strengthened by the stories and skills she developed during her year at Keio University. More than a year after returning home, she remains closely connected with the friends she made abroad.
Tzipporah Moehringer (Spain, 2022–23) is completing her final quarter at UCLA and applying to graduate programs across the UK for a Master’s in Linguistics, with plans for a future PhD bridging Spanish, linguistics, psychology, and musicology. She hopes to continue many of her favorite activities abroad—rowing, research, teaching in the Jewish community, and exploring her new city’s museums, theater, and parks.
Rebeca Brambila (Italy, 2022–23) has been working as an Italian-speaking flight attendant for United Airlines since graduating from UCSD. Based in San Diego, she enjoys visiting new cities and credits her study abroad experience in Bologna with helping launch her career.
Justin Lim (South Korea, 2021–22) is working in genetics research at Massachusetts General Hospital while preparing to apply to PhD programs again. He recently hosted a friend he studied with at Yonsei University and hopes to visit South Korea soon.
Matthew Zane (Japan, 2021–22) continues working in San Francisco at Coolant, a climate-tech startup that recently grew to a seven-person team and raised more than $4 million in seed funding. He remains energized by the mission-driven, fast-paced environment.
Moa Smith (Sweden, 2021–22) is Security Manager for the UC Davis Police Department, supervising a team of student employees. She continues to draw on lessons from her year abroad—especially adaptability and cross-cultural understanding—in her leadership role.
Jonathan Sarabia (Spain, 2021-22) recently began working as a specialist at Apple. His Spanish fluency, developed during study abroad, has become an asset in serving Spanish-speaking customers. He hopes this experience helps open future opportunities within Apple.
Kayla Erler (United Kingdom, 2019–20) continues her structural engineering PhD research, recently completing seismic testing that reached 225% of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake record. She is preparing for the next phase of experimental investigation and remains committed to improving earthquake resilience across California.
Megumi Kawamura (Japan, 2018–19) has had a year of big change. After several years in San Francisco, she fulfilled a long-held goal of living in New York City and accepted a position on JPMorgan Chase’s Executive Communications team. She moved across the country in the span of a month and has been enjoying life in the city for nearly six months. Writing from a family trip to Japan, she shared that Japan remains her favorite place in the world—and that she can easily imagine moving back someday.
Sophie Osborn (Japan, 2016-17) continues her work at the Environmental Defense Fund, managing Congressional advocacy on methane emissions policy. Her experience studying abroad in Tokyo continues to inform her understanding of global governance and climate diplomacy.
Daniel Lee (Japan, 2015-16) continues to stay active in the Intermission Orchestra at Berkeley—an ensemble dedicated to orchestral arrangements of anime, game, and film music. He enjoys being part of a vibrant musical community that now includes a sister club at UC San Diego.
Megan Bright (Germany, 2015-16) is serving as a Deputy Attorney General in California, where she focuses on consumer protection. She recently moved to Alameda and is enjoying her new community. She is also planning a return trip to Berlin next summer to revisit the city where she studied abroad.
Shelby Newallis Plaisted (Italy, 2014–15) and her husband are happily expecting their first child—a baby boy due November 24. She shares that everyone is doing well and feeling healthy.
Sunny Young (Netherlands, 2014–15) recently purchased a condo in Honolulu and is settling into island life. She continues her work as a pediatric speech-language therapist and is thrilled to be able to commute by bike. She still travels frequently using a housesitting app with several Netherlands destinations.
Debbie Leung (Denmark, 2011-12) continues her work at Arcadis on a range of transportation projects, with a special focus on mobility hubs that expand access to services and sustainable commuting options. Inspired by her time in Copenhagen, she has continued traveling—visiting Kazakhstan and Scotland this year—and has been exploring new recipes as she refines her cooking skills.
Tamar Freeland (Spain, 2010–11) recently moved in with her partner and while on vacation from teaching Spanish is enjoying exploring the cultural and leisure offerings of the Bay Area. Tamar and her partner Gagik Ohanyan visited Ray and Verena in Davis earlier in the year:
Jonathan Nelson (Austria, 2010–11) spent the past year working as a commercial drone pilot across Texas before enjoying a quiet summer in Northern Idaho fishing, hiking, and completing home projects. He is now exploring new job opportunities.
Hanna Rahimi (Spain, 2009-10) and her family are doing well and now living in San Carlos to be closer to her parents. She recently transitioned into a new role teaching both Spanish and English at Aragon High School. Her children are now 3.5 and 5.5 and keeping her busy.
Kipp Trieu (France, 2008–09) is Assistant Head of School at a French-American school in the Bay Area, where he draws daily on his international experience to help prepare the next generation of global citizens. He remains deeply grateful for the impact his Borton scholarship year had on his life and career.
Laura Summers (The Netherlands, 2008-09) and her husband are expecting a baby boy in December. They will both take three months of leave and are excited for the new chapter—although their cats may reserve judgment.
Nicola Hil (France, 2007–08) continues her work with the U.S. Department of State and frequently uses her French in both professional and personal contexts. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two young children, and their dog, Mayberry.
Alice Robertson (Scotland, 2004–05) recently began teaching science at an elementary school with a diverse international student body. Her year in Scotland continues to shape her approach to language and identity—she enjoys embracing her subtly shifting accent and encourages her students to appreciate, rather than resist, linguistic difference.
Brian Israel (United Kingdom, 2003–04) and his family have returned to the Bay Area after 14 years in Washington, DC. As General Counsel of Anthropic, he helps guide the company’s mission to ensure a safe and socially responsible transition into the era of transformative AI.
Jonathan Wang (Japan, 2003–04) remains based in Asia after years of international work, including his role as a Product Manager at TikTok. He credits his study abroad year in Osaka with shaping his adaptability and cross-cultural fluency—qualities that continue to guide his life and work.
Julia Carter Scanlan (Egypt, 2002–03) is Director of Philanthropic Partnerships & Strategy at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Her work spans climate, security, migration, and emerging technologies—a perspective shaped in part by her study abroad experience in Egypt.
Austin Leininger (Scotland, 1998–99) serves as Director of Anglican Studies at Iliff School of Theology while continuing his work as Rector at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Arvada, Colorado. He and his family are preparing for a sabbatical trip that will include a return to Stirling, where he spent his formative Borton scholarship year.
Thanks to all of you who enable us to support the efforts of these remarkable individuals to become world citizens and in doing so honor and remember Chris,
