A UF alumnus will study Chinese history in London next Fall.
Yevgen Sautin, 25, was awarded the 2016 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. More than 800 scholars from the all over the world applied for the scholarship which allows recipients to study for free.
Only 35 received it.
He will begin studying at the University of Cambridge in October, he said.
He’ll spend three years studying for a doctoral degree in Chinese history.
After being named a finalist for the scholarship in February, he flew to Seattle to interview with the committee for the scholarship, which was established by a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000.
During his interview, Sautin said he told panelists about the role China plays in countries around the world. For his research proposal, he discussed how the Chinese government’s decisions in the 1950s affect the country’s current political identity. Sautin said he became interested in Chinese history after living in Japan for a year at 8 years old.
“I was exposed to the food and culture and became interested in that region,” he said.
Sautin spent a lot of time at UF with professors who helped him figure out where he wanted to go and how to get there, said Regan Garner, the associate director of the UF Honors Program. During Sautin’s time at UF, he also studied abroad in China, Taiwan and Russia.
“Something he did that was very effective and most students won’t do was he built relationships with faculty members,” Garner said. After graduating from UF, Sautin earned his master’s degree at the University of Chicago.
“I am really thrilled and excited about this tremendous opportunity,” Sautin said. “It’s a great honor.”
