Interfraternity Council - Panhellenic Carolina Scholar 
Powdersville High School
Easley, South Carolina
International Business and Finance 

Happiness is found when you challenge yourself and you share love and energy with others.

Impactful experience: 
While in Australia in spring of 2020, I participated in a Startup Entrepreneurship weekend. I led a team of 5 master’s students and professionals and pitched an online student guidance platform. This experience inspired me to pursue my honors thesis topic: How To Improve Teaching and Guidance Services at Public High Schools. I made strong connections with my groupmates and learned a ton from them! 

Enjoy most as a TS:
 Being a Top Scholar has enabled me to financially support extensive study abroad and travel experiences. I spent two summers in Taiwan studying Mandarin and teaching English, two semesters studying abroad to Hong Kong and Brisbane, Australia, did a Maymester in Vietnam for two weeks, and traveled in Spain, Croatia, and Thailand. I had deep conversations with fascinating people in each of these experiences and now have a global network of friendships. 

Story:
Studying Mandarin Chinese in my freshman year led me to discover a passion for language learning. I wanted to learn more, so I traveled to Taipei, Taiwan that summer to take classes. While living in a 7-person apartment there, I met my roommate Michael who was Harvard student teaching English and SAT. He introduced me to his Taiwanese company, and I have been working with this company ever since. I love teaching students and want to make my career doing this. 

Post-graduate plans: 
 Ivan will continue his studies in the IB-Oxford Scholars Program, a 5th year of undergraduate international exchange at Oxford University, studying psychology and philosophy. He hopes to apply psychology principles to education to help students develop their responsibility and autonomy for their own education, pursue their goals, and have fun in the learning process! 

Career goals/professional aspirations: 
I want to learn how people learn and develop so that I can be the best online tutor and make a student guidance business. Then I am planning on being a public high school teacher so that I gain experience working in a different setting, with a variety of students. Eventually I want to make an education consulting business that helps public schools and universities to improve their teaching practices.