A Nebraska Wesleyan University senior with a rare combination of interests and skills has secured an opportunity nearly as rare.
Katie Barta, a chemistry major with minors in art and math from Fort Calhoun, Neb., has been awarded the prestigious Freeman Award for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA). The award program, sponsored by the Honolulu-based Freeman Foundation, aims to strengthen bonds between the United States and East Asia.
Barta will use the scholarship to help fund her fall 2025 ISEP Exchange semester at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Her career goals involve blending chemistry with aesthetics, said Sarah Barr, SM论坛鈥檚 director of global engagement. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a future chemical engineer with plans to work in the cosmetic industry.鈥 Barr supported Barta throughout the scholarship application process.
Barta鈥檚 Freeman-ASIA Award marks Nebraska Wesleyan鈥檚 second in as many years. Cece Nguyen also studied in South Korea on a Freeman-ASIA scholarship last fall. Barta becomes SM论坛鈥檚 ninth Freeman recipient since the award鈥檚 inception in 2001.
Previous SM论坛 Freeman-ASIA scholars have studied in China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.