Cheng, Chung-Yen

Current position/affiliation:

Student, National Taiwan University (NTU)

The Meaning of Geography to Me

I majored in geography in NTU, so it is already part of my identity. In general, I think
geography opens my eyes to diverse perspectives. I am not sure what geography education
looks like in other countries, but in Taiwan every student that major in geography have to
learn about human geography, physical geography and GIS. It is quite uncommon for
undergraduate students in other departments to receive such broad training. Apart from
education, I think geography itself promotes diversity by bringing different ideas and people
together. Though not the be-all and end-all of this subject, geographers are expected to be
aware of the existence of different countries, cultures, landscapes, etc. We are more likely
than others to spot the unevenness or inequalities across different regions. And I absolutely
love this. Learning geography inspires me to be more involved in politics and become more
considerate of marginalized people and spaces.

Impact of iGeo Preparation on my Life

I competed in iGeo in August 2017, and I had to take part in the college entrance exam in
January 2018. Most students started to prepare for the exam in July, so I was about two
months late. However, this made me more focused and determined during the preparation
of the exam, and I scored the highest score that exam takers could possibly get. This was
the immediate impact. As for long-term impact, this contest inspired me to major in
geography in college, and I might even choose a career path that is closely related to
geography.

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Suggestions for the iGeo

Allow contestants to write exams in their native language. This could help decolonize iGeo
and encourage more people to participate in it. I am sure there are people out there that
are passionate about geography, but is reluctant to attend this competition because of the
language barrier.