Neil Choudhury

513.556.6214
neil.choudhury@uc.edu

M.A. International Studies (Korea & Northeast Asia), University of Washington
B.A. History & Political Science, University of Louisville

My primary responsibility is managing the faculty-led study tours in the University Honors Program. I also work with students on graduate school advising and other post-baccalaureate programs such as Peace Corps, Americorps, the JET Program / teaching English abroad, and other unique opportunities. I love my job because it combines my two passions: learning and traveling! This is the perfect job for me because sometimes students don’t have a plan after they graduate, and that’s okay! Some people need more time to find their path and I know what that’s like because I was that student in college. I grew up in North Carolina and attended the University of Louisville for my undergraduate studies. After I graduated I took a trip to South Korea for two-weeks…and ended up staying for a total of ten years! I started out teaching English and moved into recruiting and corporate training and eventually worked my way up to a country manager for the firm Pearson. I also dabbled with voice acting and had a few radio shows. I loved South Korea so much that I ended up getting my MA in International Studies from the University of Washington with my focus on Korea and Northeast Asia. I speak Korean, albeit poorly. I returned to the U.S. in 2012 and have been working at UC since 2013. When I’m not working I enjoy traveling, reading, cooking, movies, and trying new ethnic restaurants and cuisines. I’m also a die-hard college basketball fan! My goal is to visit every country in the world; I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica, and I’m working on going there! If you want to go abroad in any capacity, come see me.

• My experience traveling all over the world. From Uzbekistan to Mongolia to Cuba to Botswana to the Russian Far East, I’ve been to some cool places!
• Why I think story telling is one of the most important skills you should learn, regardless of your major or discipline.
• How I can help you with your resume.
• All the different ways you can get international experience!

Get out of your comfort zone! This is different for every student; for some it could be traveling abroad, for others public speaking, for others it might be working in groups. True learning comes from challenging yourself and this seldom happens if you don’t step out of your comfort zone. Also, learn how to tell your story! If you don’t your story then others will tell it for you.

• Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt – learn how economics influences everything from illegal narcotics to standardized test scores to sumo wrestling!
• A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn – all the stuff you probably weren’t taught in your high school history class from a class-conflict point of view.
• The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer – why does a nation with the wealth of the United States continuously have foreign-policy failures?
• Grant by Ron Chernow – a story of grit and resilience about a man who failed at nearly everything in life and struggled with addiction.
• anything by James Michener!