John McHugh, former Wells Scholar and 2018 graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, has been selected for the prestigious Marshall Scholarship in 2021. McHugh attended the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and graduated with a degree in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and two minors in Political Science and Central Eurasian Studies.
McHugh will maintain the scholarship for two years and plans to use it to attend Oxford University, focusing on Contemporary Chinese Studies and Global Governance and Diplomacy.
“I am elated and humbled,” McHugh said. “This is a dream come true. I am so honored to have been offered a Marshall Scholarship and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. I am excited to dig into research on China’s technology policies and influence in international institutions,” he added.
While studying at IU Bloomington, McHugh found academic and professional success in many ways, including participation in the Chinese Flagship Program for four years, two summers in China studying the language through the U.S. State Department, a semester abroad in China, and interning at the Council on Foreign Relations for the former Deputy National Security Advisor to former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
McHugh was highly involved in improving the student experience on campus during his time at the university. A few of his notable accomplishments include serving for two years on the Board of Aeons, founding Project Pengyou to increase mutual understanding between Chinese and American students, and serving on the Provost’s Taskforce on Diversity and Inclusion.
McHugh had many to thank at IU for his inspiration and motivation to pursue this field of study, saying, “The support I received throughout the IU community during my time in Bloomington motivates my work. I am especially grateful to the Wells Scholars Program for introducing me to inspirational friends and mentors (in particular, Charlene Brown, Jenny Huang, Christoph Irmscher, Morgan Mohr, and Claire Repsholdt), to Professor Gardner Bovingdon for encouraging me - then an incoming freshman, to enroll in his dual undergraduate-graduate course and for his ongoing support, to Paul Helmke of the Civic Leaders Center for his work to instill civic responsibility and participation in his students, to Kelly Kish for the leadership training she offered me on the Board of Aeons and for her dedication to Indiana University, to the Hamilton Lugar School for its remarkable opportunities for undergraduates in China studies, to HLS Dean Lee Feinstein for his personal support and work to ensure IU students are “globally ready,” and to President McRobbie and Provost Robel for the opportunities they offered me to work with and learn from them.”
The Marshall Scholarship, funded through the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, is a vestige of the Economic Recovery Program, foreign aid that the United States gave to Europe after World War II. The scholarship finances Americans’ graduate studies at an institution in the UK in any field of study. To learn more about the Marshall Scholarship and the 2021 recipients, visit https://www.marshallscholarship.org/the-scholars/winners-of-the-2021-scholarship.