Jiacheng Liu (China)

PhD Student in Political Science

Jiacheng wanted to study political science and the social sciences, and he felt that the United States had better educational options for those fields. "When I grew up back in China, I observed lots of social inequalities, and I wanted to make a change to that," he said. "When I came here to the U.S., I found that politics is related to every aspect of our social life. So, I thought it would be helpful to learn from political science so I can do good for our societies."

Jiacheng decided to study at UK for his undergraduate degree after visiting the campus upon the recommendation of a friend. He found UK to be an international-friendly place with diversity as well as highly-ranked programs, in a safe city. After completing his bachelor's, Jiacheng decided to pursue a PhD at UK in the sub-field of International Relations where he is currently studying civil wars and inter-state wars.

"I used to be shy to talk in front of people, but now after one year of teaching undergraduates, I'm standing in front of them talking about political science and international relations and I think that's a huge leap for my life," Jiacheng said. "I enjoy it when students are really paying attention, that is really satisfying."

After graduation, Jiacheng hopes to work in an international government organization such as the United Nations as well as work as a professor.