Phillip Nguyen

I am currently interested in researching the political history of East and Southeast Asia, especially after the 1911 revolution that led to the establishment of the Republic of China. In particular, I am intrigued by the historical development of language policy in the Greater China region and its effects on governments’ political power and ethnic minority regions. To support my research goals, I studied Mandarin Chinese through the U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth and through the Intensive Chinese course sequence at Penn. 

With the support of the University Scholars Program and the mentorship of Dr. Chih-Jen Lee, I will be undertaking further Chinese language study during the summer of 2025 through the Princeton in Beijing program. During my summer in China, I aim to develop more advanced language fluency in preparation for historical research. In addition to my research interests and language studies, I help foster alumni engagement as a Penn Traditions Philanthropy Committee member and advocate for the work of the United Nations as a Freshman Representative for Penn’s United Nations Association of the U.S.A. (UNA-USA) chapter.