April 30, 2008—Graduating South Texas College of Law student Angela Ban will travel to Taiwan to continue her education through the distinguished Fulbright Scholarship Program.  Established in 1946 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program aims to foster international goodwill and mutual understanding through cross-cultural interaction and education.  It is largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools in over 140 countries worldwide.

Ban’s focus will examine how law and governmental policy can best preserve the tradition and culture of Taiwanese folk art and the law and policies governing the efforts. She will be in Taiwan from August 2008 until June 2009 studying under the supervision of Professor Shao-Ying Chiang, who is internationally known as the foremost expert on Taiwanese folk art and as the curator of the Museum of Religion in Taipei.

 “I already speak conversational Chinese, but plan to intensely study the language to become more proficient,” says Ban. “This will help me as I explore ways to use the country’s preservation laws and policies to best protect the quickly diminishing folk arts.” She will then make presentations of her research findings to help educate those interested in the preservation efforts.   Ban’s proposal was selected by the Fulbright organization based on the significant needs of the host country, feasibility of the proposal, and how her plans relate to her career goals. Ban plans to work in the area of international transactional law with an Asian focus.

Ban is a native Houstonian and graduated from Clear Lake High School and Rice University.  While at South Texas College of Law, Ban served as Editor of Currents International Trade Law Journal and was active in the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Christian Legal Society.  Ban will graduate in May and will take the Texas bar exam in July.  

“We are delighted that Angela Ban has received this prestigious award,” says James J. Alfini, Dean and President of South Texas College of Law.  “She will be an outstanding representative of both South Texas College of Law and of our country.”   

Ban is the third member of the South Texas College of Law community to receive  a Fulbright award in the past three years: Professor Mark E. Steiner taught as a Fulbright Scholar at the College of Law at National Taiwan University in Taipei in the fall of 2005, and Professor Katerina Lewinbuk was a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico in the fall of 2007.