Northern Kentucky University Computer Science student Drake Woods has won a prestigious international scholarship to study in Romania this spring.
He has been awarded an Erasmus+ scholarship from the European Union to study at Babes-Bolyai University in Romania beginning in February.
The junior from Florence is the first NKU student to receive an Erasmus+ scholarship since the program was created in December 2013. The scholarship will fund his airfare and provide a monthly stipend.
Woods plans to take courses in programming, data, networking, and computer science history at Babes-Bolyai University, NKU’s sister institution in Romania.
“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to advance my education at such a prestigious institution,” Woods said.
The Erasmus program was created in the 1980’s to expand international education to European students, but in 2013 it was extended to provide scholarships to international students who wish to study in Europe.
“The idea behind Erasmus+ is to connect EU universities with global partners to facilitate student mobility between continents,” said Dr. François Le Roy, executive director of NKU’s Center for Global Engagement and International Affairs. “This is still a very new program, and I’m glad we have a student who has been able to benefit from the program so early in its existence.”
The scholarship also opens the door for more international students to study at NKU through the Erasmus program.
This spring, NKU will host Imre Vekov, a Computer Science graduate student from Romania who is also sponsored by the Erasmus+ scholarship program.
The exchange program is made possible through NKU’s partnership with Babes-Bolyai University, which focuses upon the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines.