A Nebraska Wesleyan senior with a rare combination of interests and skills has secured an opportunity nearly as rare. Katie Barta, a chemistry major and art and math minor from Fort Calhoun, Neb., earned the prestigious Freeman Award for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA). The award program, sponsored by the private, Honolulu-based Freeman Foundation, is designed to strengthen bonds between the U.S. 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 bringing her interests in chemistry and aesthetics together, said Sarah Barr, NWU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 helped counsel Barta through the scholarship application process.
Barta鈥檚 Freeman-ASIA Award is Nebraska Wesleyan鈥檚 second in as many years. Cece Nguyen also studied in South Korea on a Freeman-ASIA Award last fall. Barta becomes Nebraska Wesleyan鈥檚 ninth Freeman winner since the award program鈥檚 2001 inception.
NWU鈥檚 previous Freeman-Asia Award winners have used the prestigious scholarship to study in China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.